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Name: core-proposal-031617-01png-d8afd18f9b92d505.jpg Views: 1097 Size: 38.1 KB
This proposed building just got through air rights approval. I hadn't heard of this development until recently, so I looked up the project overview that was published on MLive. The project reminds me of Dan Gilbert's development on the Monroe Block. It is similarly open at the base, and seems to include ample public space.

Then I started reading the comments on that page. While the Monroe Block proposal seems to be embraced by the public, the Ann Arbor development is facing a lot of disapproval.

The few who like the development are heavily ridiculed for their poor taste. There is worry that the building will not allow ample light to reach the street. The development is being called an "obscene abomination", "out of scale", and something that looks like it belongs in NYC or Detroit. The people seem to believe the city is out of touch with its citizens and should have demanded the inclusion of affordable housing in the project.

Most of the opposition seems to want Ann Arbor to retain what some describe as "small town charm". One person posted a picture of the Willitz in Birmingham as an example of the type of development that belongs in downtown Ann Arbor.

The entire article can be found here: http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/...-story_de.html