New Student Housing Development Proposed
There’s got to be something historic over on South Maple that’ll stop the most recently proposed student housing development from being built. Anything?
There’s got to be something historic over on South Maple that’ll stop the most recently proposed student housing development from being built. Anything?
I doubt it. There’s already plenty of low cost housing in that area.
OTOH, I don’t think putting “luxury” student housing on that side of town will be very profitable for the developer. In fact, I think it will flat out fail.
posted by James on March 5th, 2007 at 12:48 pmNo historic angle to work on over there, but they might have some traction if they try the ‘increased traffic in a residential area’ tactic.
But I’m with James - that nabe around Pauline and S. Maple has lots of reasonable housing available already, although a lot of it is condos. Are they going after grad students or something? Doesn’t seem like undergrads would want to live that far from campus. It’s quite a hike to downtown from there.
posted by Laura on March 5th, 2007 at 12:58 pmIn my (highly falsified) youth I remember catching some rare salamanders next to the baptist church there. Someone should look into that.
posted by FAA on March 5th, 2007 at 1:15 pmThose weren’t salamanders, those were the clergy.
posted by Dave on March 5th, 2007 at 1:31 pmNever underestimate the power of grad students in that sort of housing. I guess. I wonder how the Pfizer-situation is going to affect the rental market, and how high they’re going to have to charge to recoup expenses.
Laura -
I’ve known a couple of undergrads who lived in that area. Generally the more reclusive of the math/physics/engineering students are the ones who end up there. It’s usually the combined appeal of realative space (compared to campus) vs. large square footage compared to the same rent downtown that brings them over. I thought they were insane, but if you’ve lived on North Campus for a few years, it’s not much of a stretch.
I think it’s far too many units, but oddly enough, I see better chance of this working (at least partially) than an apartment buliding on East U. Ann Arbor, Pfizer aside, still has a good amount of young professionals and grad students who seem like an ideal market for such a thing.
posted by Anonymous on March 5th, 2007 at 3:51 pmI would hate to live out there as an undergrad. They only way I’d really want to do it as a grad student is if I had a solid place to park on campus or there was some hardcore bus coverage.
posted by Zach on March 5th, 2007 at 3:57 pmThe bus coverage out there is pretty good, plus it’s a pretty easy bike ride and a longish-but-doable walk to campus. We (2 grad students) lived there last year and liked it fine. The location anyway. The terrible McKinley appartment we lived in on the other hand…
It’s really just the right distance for grad students if the price is right.
posted by dcwp on March 5th, 2007 at 4:45 pmUgh, I lived out there when I first transfered to UM from U-Colorado sophomore year. Awful, awful, isolating, suburban area. Highly non-recommended.
posted by Brandon on March 5th, 2007 at 6:29 pmI’m a grad student living just north of there. The “pretty good” bus service is still AATA–that means the last bus out of town is at 10. Pretty crappy by a “real city” standard, but it’s doable. I lived here for about a year before buying a car, and while it was not pleasant to walk to kroger in the dead of winter, it was quite possible. The walk to town is a little long, but kind of nice (weather permitting). And in terms of having a parking spot in town, I usually just park on the west side and walk the 10 minutes.
Agreed–as an undergrad, I’d never EVER live here. But as a grad student, it’s nice and quiet, and relatively inexpensive. My neighbors don’t puke in front of my door, the police don’t bust parties, and I don’t smell pot everyday. As an undergrad, these things would not necessarily have been drawbacks.
posted by Pants Rule on March 5th, 2007 at 9:13 pmaha!
a case in point of an all-day commuter refusing the socially beneficial options of
• human power, or
• public transportation, or
• purchase an orange parking permit ($64 annual fee)
instead, Pants Rule arrogates a residential neighboorhood’s curb space as FREE PARKING!
miscreant!
posted by peter honeyman on March 6th, 2007 at 10:06 amI know, I know. I’m going to hell. Let the torchwielding villagers cometh. Or, they could go to the mayor/city council/whoever and tell them to make curbside non-permit parking in the OWS illegal during business hours. Maybe public transportation would thrive and become actually convenient.
posted by Pants Rule on March 6th, 2007 at 4:55 pmyeah! torches! head on a pike! ¡a las barricadas!
posted by peter honeyman on March 6th, 2007 at 6:48 pmWould that make The University - la Bastille? (switching from spanish to french for a moment…)
Also, what are we protesting/storming for, again? Regardless, I’m in!
posted by heidi on March 6th, 2007 at 11:12 pmI think the University should consider purchasing PineLake Co-Op for student housing.
posted by Dirty on March 7th, 2007 at 12:08 amPlenty of parking, and upscale lake front living for all.
Perhaps someone look into the potential of a large Native American Archaeological Site out there…???
posted by Dan on March 7th, 2007 at 9:42 amHistoric events on Maple St.? Hmm. I’m dating myself, but I seem to remember the AAPD seizing a couple of public housing units on Maple through a drug forfeiture in the mid-80’s. That was the first time that the drug forfeiture laws were applied in Ann Arbor.
The neighborhood should raise money for one of those nifty transparent historical landmark signs like they have downtown. It should read in bold letters “Ann Arbor’s First Drug Forfeiture”, with a big photograph of the apartment sealed with crime scene tape. We need to preserve our memories of when Ann Arbor was hip.
posted by halflight on March 7th, 2007 at 7:53 pmThe City requires an archaeological investigation of all new proposed development and there was nothing at this site (except for a few campers). Most land in Ann Arbor isn’t “pure” it was farmed or plowed or forested years ago, so you really have a small chance of finding something of historic/prehistoric.
posted by Melissa on March 8th, 2007 at 8:47 amThe historic aspect of South Maple are the “Projects”, Ann Arbor’s attempt to create a real live Ghetto for the Democrats to love. Hurrah for a student Ghetto placed near the AA Ghetto. Get them out of Ann Arbor’s houses!
posted by Grandpa on March 15th, 2007 at 12:21 pmThe project being proposed for Maple Road will be a luxury student housing facility with a state of the art business center, computer rooms, private study areas and fitness center with an indoor basket ball court.
posted by Tim on May 26th, 2007 at 6:00 pmWe will provide bus service every fifteen mins. to and from campus.
Please take a look at our web page for other projects we have developed.
www.anderson-development.com, and www.woodpartners.com
Tim Anderson
Upscale “YUPPIE” crap that there is already a glut of. AFFORDABLE housing however: R.I.P. . And these Woods Partners people deliberately overlook the fact there are like 6 “student housing” type facilities either in the works or are under construction -most of them within 3-6 BLOCKS of central campus, instead of the 3 MILES their proposed housing is. And nobody in the neighborhood wants it anyway.
posted by thomas siterlet on April 9th, 2008 at 1:00 pmThe propsed projects that are on the books will be high density high rise that will pack students into cramped spaces and charge up to 1,000 per bed. These project as desiged will also provide one third of the required parking.
posted by Tim on June 16th, 2008 at 7:28 pmNo more new developments!!!
posted by Colorado Sun on June 17th, 2008 at 8:31 pm