My first year on Council has been intense. I initiated, and Council passed, the Citizen Participation Ordinance. It mandates increased citizen notification and involvement in planning and development. This will significantly improve the way you learn about changes in your neighborhood and your city.
The first meetings using this ordinance have already started. If you are notified about a new development proposed for your neighborhood, please let me know how this process works for you.
Committees
I am a member of the Audit Committee and the Community Corrections Committee -- which is a City/County committee dealing with programs to keep people out of prison. I also serve on a committee that approves funding for services for the homeless. For 2009, I'm newly appointed to the Zoning Board of Appeals.
My Commitments
Your calls and emails are important to me. You hired me, and I don't forget that. Please let me know what you are thinking about City issues, and how I can make the City work better for you.
Winter update
In the next few months, Ann Arbor's City Council will be considering significant changes to the zoning rules that control the size and placement of new buildings. If you believe you have seen a lot of change in recent years in the downtown area, you could be surprised by the changes to come.
A2D2 - redesigning downtown
While a lot of development has gone on downtown, a constant discussion of how downtown should look in the future has continued. The Ann Arbor Discovering Downtown (A2D2) process has resulted in design guidelines, new zoning proposals, proposed improvements in the development process, and a new downtown transportation and parking strategy.
Some of these proposals are already being implemented, but Council intends to consider the new design guidelines and zoning changes as a package.
The proposed changes to downtown zoning call for increased density and height. There will continue to be no requirement for parking built in conjunction with development, in an effort to encourage increased use of alternative transportation, including zip cars and mass transit.
Outside Downtown - a new city
At the same time, the City Planning Department has presented Council with a proposal to change the zoning in the rest of the city for all zoning districts except single family. However, since many single family districts abut other types of zoning districts, such as multi-family and commercial, even single family districts may be affected by these changes.
The proposed changes will alter the density of the city outside the core downtown area. The heights of buildings, how they sit on their lots, where cars park, and how neighborhoods look -- all of these would change under the new zoning rules.
Your voice is needed! Before City Council votes on these changes, you will be invited to public meetings to learn more. There will be public hearings where you can tell us what you think.
As we change Ann Arbor, help us make certain it works for us all!
Budget impacts
The recent sale of Pfizer's former facilities on Plymouth Road have encouraged a lot of discussion about the ways Ann Arbor could adjust its revenue and expenses to deal with the loss of taxes from this property and business. Some people on Council and in the City have talked about cutting City services; some have talked about establishing an income tax. The rationale is to find a way to balance income and expenses -- which we must do.
Before we go too far down this road, we need to be really cautious. The City needs to continue to spend money on needed infrastructure improvements (our streets, sewers, and stormwater systems need to be repaired and maintained). For many years, these systems were neglected, and we're still playing catch-up. People -- the staff who do all the work -- are the most expensive part of any budget. While we want to work smart and lean, we don't want to cut things to the point that we no longer provide the services because we no longer have the staff to do the work.
That's why, I'm certain, some people are talking about increasing revenue by raising taxes. This is a discussion that we've been having for years. I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Please contact me at 995-3518 or sbriere@a2gov.org.
