A2Duh2
A consultant hired by the A2D2 group solicits some serious, in-depth analysis from the community on downtown development:
Selecting a male volunteer from the audience who towered over him, he then turned to participants in a downtown design workshop and asked: If the two of them were buildings, “which would you rather have next to your neighborhood?'’
The example was intended to illustrate “why the community should care about developing some guidelines and standards for the appearance, shape and mass of new buildings downtown.” Well, it’s about time someone tried to overcome those timid Ann Arborites’ historic reluctance to form and express opinions about building mass and appearance. Perhaps we could also hire a consultant to tease out the A2 position on whether Bush is doing a good job as president.
You are having too much fun these days.
posted by Emilia on May 31st, 2007 at 12:26 pmI know, now that my thesis is done I can watch all the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals meetings I want!
posted by ann arbor is overrated on May 31st, 2007 at 12:44 pmI have had about enough of landscape architect Peter Pollack’s design ideas. I am sure if it were up to him, every square inch of the city would be overdesigned, material- and color-coordinated and look just so.
I hate the 200 block of S. Main. I love Maynard — nowhere near as pretty, but I like the places that go there because they’re cheaper. Here are your design guidelines, Ann Arbor (courtesy of David Sucher):
1. Build to the property line/sidewalk;
2. Make the building front “permeable”;
3. Prohibit parking in front of the building (except street parking).
I swear, it sounds like Todd Leopold came up with these.
posted by Dale on May 31st, 2007 at 1:03 pmMaynard? Are you kidding? I understand and agree with your sentiment, but there are approximately four businesses on Maynard. And one is Scorekeepers.
posted by . on May 31st, 2007 at 1:29 pmCafe Ambrosia, Frank’s, and that Indian joint are great.
posted by Brandon on May 31st, 2007 at 1:43 pmAnd?
posted by . on May 31st, 2007 at 2:16 pmMaybe Pollack meant North Main? Any block with a party store is already at the doorstep of perfection–even if said party store does have parking in front.
And Maynard’s a mess. You’ve got a 20 story building with a one story wing hanging off the back (including a big setback) so they could get their FAR down. And you’ve got the parking structure going right over the street. And you’ve got the abandoned Border’s office space. And the ass end of the arcade–with the empty slurpie store. The only cool thing is the skeevy alley with the ants on the wall. And I guess that you could argue that the supreme low quality of the buildings allows marginal businesses to survive, but would you really build crappy buildings from scratch just so that you’d have a spot reserved for a cafe that buys its muffins at Sam’s Club and an Indian restaurant that never cleans its bathrooms?
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t change Maynard much since it sort of works, and I actually like the businesses (even Ambrosia and Madras Masala), especially now that the bike shop came along and filled up the god awfull “plaza” with colorful bikes. But it (that block at least) is a textbook design disaster.
Ah, but I do like to lurk down in Kinko’s, pretending to make copies of my lost cat posters while looking up girls’ skirts as they walk by on Maynard. I do so enjoy that.
posted by Parking Structure Dude! on May 31st, 2007 at 2:40 pmI was wondering why Ambrosia’s muffins were so crappy. I wish they’d up the food ante a bit there. Great people, scene, music, and coffee… but yeah.
posted by Brandon on May 31st, 2007 at 3:26 pmI distinguish businesses fronting on Maynard from those on Liberty, which has been overdesigned, with mixed results architecturally, and horrendous ones economically.
Part of the reason this block is successful (if you like local businesses and cheap food, which I do), is, as you note, the seeming low quality of the buildings. However, the buildings are all pretty good quality in terms of the pedestrian experience — no side setbacks and only a modest arcade on the Tower Plaza spaces. [I don’t know if the arcade was considered a “public amenity,” part of the overdesign process, but it wouldn’t surprise me as the stupid arcade on the One North Main building was an extra-cost mandate, as well as the one on Fifth and Liberty.] I, among many others, don’t require Zingerman’s quality food or Zingerman’s quality prices to enjoy a meal, etc. I just wish the Asian market were still there. If you don’t mandate materials or heights or public amenities like trees or plazas or arcades or planters or any of the other overdesign crap, you can get both really nice buildings (for which there is a demand) and really unimpressive ones (for which there is also a demand) that meet basic urban and pedestrian-friendly standards. I have absolutely no complaints about Corner House Apartments on State and Washington, for example, because their first floor is the IDEAL for pedestrian-friendly urban design, which is what I care about.
posted by Dale on May 31st, 2007 at 3:28 pmI pretty much agree with you Dale, except that I think that the really unimpressive buildings should be at least 3 stories high so they can better pull their weight, socially speaking.
And the fake windows on parts of the ground floor of Corner House, while better than no windows, keep it from quite being ideal. But that’s just a quibble.
And I also regret the passing of the little asian market. I mainly only bought kimchee there, but I liked it.
posted by Parking Structure Dude! on May 31st, 2007 at 4:43 pmMy kimchee shop, too.
posted by Dale on May 31st, 2007 at 4:58 pmHey AAIO - I hear you graditated! Congratulations! What are your next plans? And what will happen to AAIO if you leave our favorite midwestern town? The thought pains me. I’ll tell you one thing though - being away from Ann Arbor for two years has been the best two years of my life. I wish you the same sort of positive exile and the best of luck on your academic career. Mandrake.
posted by Dr Mandrake on June 1st, 2007 at 10:28 amI agree with Dale.
Yes many of our downtown buildings are way out of place. Too many one-story warts still around. Straddling the alley that runs from Liberty to Washington (near the T at Liberty-Thompson) you have an undistinctive one-story storefront and then the parking garage retail. Then when you emerge on Washington are some of the ugliest retail buildings in the city from the Baptist church to the corner of Division (i.e. where the pharmacy is located.) So many of the cross-streets between State and 5th need some serious makeovers and urban design help.
posted by Brian on June 4th, 2007 at 9:00 am