Midwestern Consulting

Saline River at Mill Pond Park

In late April, City of Saline, Michigan dignitaries re-dedicated a newly built bridge over the Saline River in the city’s Mill Pond Park.  The Bowley Bridge and surrounding river bank had been damaged during a recent flood.  Midwestern Consulting was asked to provide design and construction project  management for new plantings, soil erosion control and a new steel structure. The re-dedication ceremony celebrated the opening of the new bridge and its heritage.

Midwestern Consulting was the lead consulting engineer for the bridge replacement and bank stabilization project.  The project consisted of removal of the original Bowley Bridge and replacement with ADA approach ramps as well as 100 feet of stream stabilization/restoration. The City provided the conceptual design and selected what materials to use.  Midwestern Consulting provided engineering design of the shoreline improvements and approach ramps. Highlights of the project include the use of Rosetta Stone block and Envirolok vegetated sandbags (both used along the stream banks) and creation of a flat, easy access area to the water’s edge for kids.

Photo courtesy of SalinePatch

The Economics of Place - buy at Amazon.com

New from the Michigan Municipal League:  The Economics of Place: The Value of Building Communities Around People

This is a collection of essays about planning the future of Michigan in general and Detroit in particular. Re-invention, re-vitalization, re-generation, re-population (maybe resurrection is more apt) is necessary to redefine our economy and redevelop our state. Creating a “sense of place” is at the core of this change and the authors readily illustrate that vibrant places will attract talent and bring economic growth.

Planetizen reviewed this book  and described it as an “arts-driven regeneration plan for Michigan like a modern day Magna Carta…”

This book may be more of a sourdough starter than a Magna Carta, but it is an important collection of thoughts.  But an “arts-driven” plan is too narrow in scope.  The early stages of the plan should focus on developing a mixture of land uses at a higher density that will create and support local jobs and services.

A chapter in the book written by Dr. Soji Adelaja and Mark Wyckoff, “Why the economics of ‘place’ matters” explains that “the term ‘sense of place’ is used to describe not so much physical geography or the attributes of that geography, but the emotional response one has to a special allure and warmth when at a location that has unique and attractive amenities.”  This article is about the role of “place” as it relates to economic development. Particularly interesting is a chart comparing the old and new economy with respect to place, and tables of examples of “place-based strategies to attract certain target populations and businesses.

In Detroit, where it’s so bad that it’s good, is an extreme example of a city in distress that is struggling in the early stages of regeneration. If you do not accept the notion that plowing Detroit under is the best alternative, redevelopment strategy should include rebuilding the population with new jobs, housing, infrastructure and amenities.

When a city’s population, economy and government is as seriously degraded as it is in Detroit or Flint, a key question is what comes back first, residents or retail? Simultaneous development of housing and services may provide the framework for sustainable re-development.  In Dan Gilbert’s ‘Big Bang Theory’ for Detroit, both have to come on line at the same time.  (See the video: Dan Gilbert’s vision for downtown Detroit retail from Crain’s Detroit Business).

Governor Snyder said recently that Detroit can and should return as a manufacturing based economy that opens its arms to immigrants.  That can be part of the vision that includes elements of a technology or knowledge based economy, and one that is partially “arts-driven” as suggested in “The Economics of Place”.

Midwestern Consulting provided civil engineering services for the Ann Arbor underground garage currently being constructed next to the District Library at Fifth and William in downtown Ann Arbor.

We saw this recent article in  AnnArbor.com and thought the green credentials it has earned was very important.

“The DDA has worked throughout his project to minimize its environmental impacts,” Amber Miller, the DDA’s planning and research specialist, wrote in an email to AnnArbor.com. “Our efforts now allow this structure to become part of this unique program designed to encourage the standardization of sustainable initiatives within the parking industry.”

From the top floor of the Ann Arbor District Library, the view of the new downtown underground parking structure taking shape on Thursday Photo by Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

The Green Parking Council is a nonprofit group dedicated to expanding green parking practices through its Green Garage rating system. It developed the Demonstrator Site program as an evaluative tool to initiate the process toward Green Garage certification.”The GPC has created the Demonstrator Site program to bring recognition to those facilities that have committed to making an effort towards sustainability and who have made progress towards this end,” the group’s website states.

Miller cited several examples of the project’s commitment to sustainable practices. For instance, the excavated sand from the site is being reused as part of the structural concrete for the project, and all demolished concrete, asphalt and wood from the site has been recycled.

Also, all of the stormwater that falls on the site will be detained, in excess of city requirements, and energy-saving lights will be used that can cast lower light levels in off-peak periods.

When the structure opens, it’s expected to include 22 electric car charging stations and set aside prime parking spaces for alternative fueled vehicles.

DDA officials said this represents only the latest in a number of DDA initiatives to promote sustainability as a part of downtown development.

The DDA also has committed nearly $500,000 toward a program providing energy saving audits, recommendations and installation rebates to downtown businesses. DDA officials said the program has encouraged downtown building owners to make nearly $700,000 worth of improvements that are anticipated to save $87,000 a year in energy costs.

The DDA also has played a role in alternative transportation programs by covering 95 percent of the cost for the popular go!pass — a free bus pass for 7,100 employees — as well as bike hoops and lockers, commuter rail research, Zipcar sponsorship, and the getDowntown program. Additionally, the DDA provided the funds for the installation of a solar-electric demonstration project at the Farmers Market, downtown LED street lights, energy efficient upgrades at the Delonis Center and downtown sidewalk recycling containers.

The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) is now roughly 6-months into the implementation of the LEED for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) rating system.  After a pilot program and a response period, the new rating system has a total 110 possible points and requires a minimum of 40 points for a project to be certified and 80+ to receive platinum status. 

The main sections to achieve points in are:

• Smart Location and Linkage
• Neighborhood Pattern and Design
• Green Infrastructure and Buildings
• Innovation and Design Process
• Regional Priority Credit

Based on the various credits, one of the primary goals of this rating system is to develop larger concepts of a community and how all the individual pieces work together.  It is an extension of many credits that are already a part of the LEED for New Construction system (LEED-NC), specifically the Sustainable Sites points section. 

It will take a little time to fully digest all the aspects of this rating system, but the key concepts have already begun to be used by Midwestern Consulting on recently started projects and will hopefully continue to be a guiding light for future developments. 

Scott Fisher is an engineer at Midwestern Consulting in Ann Arbor, Michigan.  He is LEED-AP and can be reached at 734.995.0200.