Midwestern Consulting

Will brownfield re-development die if tax incentives are lost?

We are intrigued by Governor Snyder’s recent budget proposals.  He is proposing to eliminate tax credits and incentives and replace them with a 6% corporate tax rate.

Brownfield site re-development means less greenfield development (urban sprawl).  Brownfields are typically in urban areas that already have railroad, roadways, and utilities.   And in general, brownfields are found in more densely populated urban areas – where the workers are.  So the re-development of brownfield sites serves as an important public benefit.

See this article from mlive.com on the possible impacts of lost brownfield tax incentives.

Lev Wood is the editor of this blog and can be reached at Midwestern Consulting (Ann Arbor, MI) – 734.995.0200.

The new Ann Arbor area, height and placement regulations include a new zoning district, R4E/multifamily, that targets parcels that front on “significant transit corridors” as identified in the Master Plan.  These corridors, identified on the map above in blue, (the DDA boundary is shown in red) are:

• Plymouth Road from US-23 to the DDA boundary
• Jackson/Huron Road from I-94 to the DDA boundary
• State Street from I-94 to the DDA boundary
• Washtenaw Boulevard from US-23 to the DDA boundary

 The new R4E zoning regulations include:

• Minimum 580 square feet per unit; maximum 75 dwelling units per acre
• No height limit
• Minimum 14,000 square foot lot area
• Minimum 120 foot lot width
• Minimum 40 percent “usable open space”*
• Minimum 15 foot front yard setback/ maximum 40 feet
• Minimum 10 foot side yard setback**
• Minimum 30 foot rear yard setback***

The intent is to provide higher density residential along major transportation corridors.  The challenge is to achieve 75 dwelling units per acre while providing parking usable open space.

There is no established parking requirement at this point. The Ann Arbor Planning Department has this on their “to do” list and for now defers to the old R4C/D requirement of 1 ½ spaces per unit.   

The challenge for an off-campus student housing project is even greater since each unit may have up to six unrelated adults living in it and parking demand could be much higher. Some form of structured parking is likely to be required.   

Clarifications:

* There is no definition for “Usable open space” so the Planning Department defers to the definition for “Open space”: “The portion of a lot which is devoted to outdoor recreation space, greenery, and space for household activities.  Open space area may include, but shall not be limited to, lawns, landscaping and gardens, wooded areas, sidewalks and walkways, active and passive recreational areas, unenclosed accessory structures used for recreational purposes, permanent or seasonal water surfaces and protected natural areas.  It shall not include area covered by parking lots, driveways, refuse facilities, or enclosed accessory structures.”

**plus 1 foot additional setback for each foot of building height over 30 feet when abutting residentially zoned land; and 3 inches per foot over 35 feet height and 1 ½ inches per foot over 50 feet width

**plus 1 foot additional setback for each foot of building height over 30 feet when abutting residentially zoned land

 Earl Ophoff is a senior project manager and a registered landscape architect at Midwestern Consulting, LLC in Ann Arbor.  Contact Earl at 734.995.0200.

Brandon Walker, Midwestern Consulting and Brandon Friske, Quinn Evans Architects have been invited by the Michigan Historic Preservation Network to speak at the Thirty-First Annual Statewide Preservation Conference at Saugatuck Center for the Arts. We will be presenting, “High Definition Survey and the Benefits to Historic Preservation and Heritage Projects.”

The promo blurb lists, “High Definition Scanning is a photographic-like process using a laser to record objects. The data converts into a 3D digital data set know as a point cloud, a to-scale replica of the object providing three-dimensional computer visualization and manipulation. Patterns and irregularities can be recorded for an entire historic district or a crack in the cornice. Learn the capabilities of HDS through case studies – illustrated with very cool images.”

We will be highlighting several projects including the Lansing Power Plant, EMU Pease Auditorium, Hurlbut Gate, Culpepper National Cemetery (Culpepper, Virginia) and Quapaw Bathhouse (Hot Springs, Arkansas).