Current Situation

As Ann Arbor continues to grow, the city is faced with pressing issues regarding housing availability and costs, transit, and sustainability. Housing costs continue to rise, pricing out many middle-income workers that work in Ann Arbor but cannot afford to live in Ann Arbor. This results in unsustainably long commutes for workers, exacerbated by poor connectivity and transit options.

Our Solutions

Start With the Riverfront

Focus on the Huron River to create a world-class riverfront experience akin to prestigious cities worldwide. Start by connecting the six oxbows with eight new pedestrian crossings funded via the Corridor Improvement Zone and the help of alumni and Ann Arbor’s Economic Development Corp. Embrace the natural beauty of the Huron River and enhance parkland to make it accessible to all.

Form a Community Land Trust (CLT)

Create a Community Land Trust (CLT) to hold public land at zero-cost, starting with Ann Arbor and U-M parking lots - at permanently affordable rates for middle-income households (60 - 120% AMI), who cannot afford open-market rents or home purchases.

Create Middle-Income Housing

Ensure that anyone who works in Ann Arbor is able to live in Ann Arbor. At least 25% of every development should offer middle-income housing, with up to 75% market-rate to help underwrite the affordable. In order to create net worth, offer for sale options with Ann Arbor’s significant appreciation so that all the occupants can own, not just rent.

Add Residential Density

Add major residential density along Fuller Road between Maiden Lane and Bonisteel, and all Transit Oriented Development (TOD) corridors, such as Plymouth Road. Ann Arbor needs to become a city of 200,000 residents to keep up with the growth of U-M, so simply building houses and duplexes won’t accommodate.

Improve Connectivity & Transit

Transform Ann Arbor into a walking, biking, and mass-transit community. This includes a new, integrated system with trains, bus lines, and expanded pedestrian pathways and trails to connect downtown with Central, Medical, and North Campuses.

Transform Parking Decks

Replace campus and city parking decks with park-and-ride outside the city core. Transfer commuters to town with the proposed monorail and replace the existing decks with mixed-use developments of housing, retail, classrooms, labs, and more.