ANN ARBOR, MI — Plans are in the works for a $100-million housing development next to the University of Michigan golf course.
A total of 454 apartments are proposed on Valhalla Drive, by the intersection of Main Street and Scio Church Road, on property surrounded on three sides by the golf course.
The project involves demolishing seven residences and constructing several new apartment buildings, some rising up to six stories.
Plans submitted in September indicated the complex could stand as tall as 85 feet at its highest point and there would be parking for 718 automobiles, plus 215 bicycle parking spaces.
Bloomfield Hills-based VMG Development LLC is the developer and the project architects are J. Bradley Moore and Associates of Ann Arbor and HLR Architects of Dallas.
The plans and renderings are in the process of being updated, Moore said this week.
See the drawings submitted in September.
The 454 apartments equate to a density of under 50 units per acre, while up to 75 units per acre would be allowed under the R4E zoning the developer is requesting.
Moore said his clients have proposed conditions limiting the density to 50 units per acre with height restrictions, and they’ve also offered to provide some affordable units for people earning up to 60%, 70%, and 80% of the area median income.
While the project is looking to set an example for infill density, 454 apartments is a significant increase from the city’s master plan recommendation for single-family housing, City Planner Matt Kowalski wrote in an Oct. 11 letter to the developer, arguing the zoning request lacked justification for the deviation.
“As presented, it will be difficult to justify the rezoning as the project proceeds through the review process,” he wrote.
While the developer was offering to meet LEED Silver standards for eco-friendly design and to include nine affordable housing units, the significant increase in density warranted more investment in areas like sustainability, alternative transportation and affordable housing, Kowalski told the developer in October.
This would be the first development to use the city’s R4E zoning, which City Council adopted in 2011 to encourage ways of accommodating more residents along major transportation corridors where bus service and other multi-modal opportunities exist, Moore said.
The development would include a multi-modal pathway for pedestrians and cyclists along the east side of Main Street from Scio Church Road to Ann Arbor-Saline Road, Moore said.
The plans also include building a public bus shelter on the east side of Main Street near the development.
The highest-quality landmark trees on the site would be preserved, Moore said, adding the area was cleared of the original native forest for agricultural use early in the last century.
Most of the properties that would be combined for the project are "township islands" with single-family homes on large lots with wells and septic systems. Those are proposed to be annexed into the city.
The non-township properties included in the development footprint are those where septic systems failed and residents were forced to tie into the city’s sewer system, Moore said.
Most of the apartments would be market-rate and targeted to people who now work in the city but are forced to commute due to the limited supply of modern, energy-efficient rental housing, Moore said.
There would be no high-bedroom-count units typical of student-focused housing, he said. Instead, there would be a diverse range of housing types and sizes, including townhomes and micro studios.
There also would be a courtyard with the same types of courtyard amenities as The Yard apartments on South Main Street, another project Moore and HLR designed, he said.
Buildings are proposed to have energy-efficient, heat-pump systems, with larger buildings featuring green roof areas and solar panels.
Most of the onsite parking would be below the larger apartment buildings, with at least 17 electric vehicle charging stations initially, with infrastructure for more in the future, and there would be parking spaces dedicated for car sharing, Moore said.
The September plans indicated there would be 24 electric vehicle parking spaces.
Some neighbors have raised concerns about the development, arguing it seems poorly conceived and could have negative impacts on traffic and flooding issues.
The project awaits further review by city officials and eventual City Council consideration.
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