|
Friday, 24 October 2008 18:56 |
|
Last Summer your one-party city government agreed to: - Postpone demolition of the abandoned Michigan Inn on Jackson Road, to help get "Brownfield" public subsidies that are payed for by the tax-payer.
- Stop collecting demolition costs from the prior owner.
- Within law, "make all reasonable efforts...not [to] disclose or make the terms of this Agreement public."
Whether this cleans the environment or wrongly subsidizes a developer: No secret agreements when using the Public's money. What other Secret Agreements are there out there? To obtain a copy of the secret agreement, click here. |
|
|
Friday, 17 October 2008 12:08 |
|
John and his opponent Carsten Hohnke sparred in a 30 minute televised debate Tuesday night. John emphasized his points on limiting downtown development with an 8-story new building limit and putting Downtown Development Funds into the common fund of the city. Quality of Life and maintaining the Small Town Feel--Big City Vitality of Ann Arbor were emphasized by John. Carsten offered few specifics or how his proposed tenure on the city council would change the course of Ann Arbor from becoming a "Southfield with a University." You can watch the full debate here. |
|
Wednesday, 08 October 2008 12:21 |
|
Any increase in taxes on a re-developed downtown site goes to the Downtown Development Authority, NOT to city government As people move into these new apartment buildings, they will need the same services that other city residents use – but no new taxes from their building will go to city government Services to new downtown residents will be paid for by the rest of us –home owners, renters (via rent), and business owners outside of downtown. Unless city services are cut, taxes will have to go up (a city income tax?) “Downtown” runs from Third Street east to the Diag, and then picks up again to include the South University area. The northern edge is Kerrytown, and the southern edge is William St. with a salient to Fingerlie Lumber. All new property taxes on re-developed land in this area go to the Downtown Development Authority, and the rest of us will pay for the city services of the people who live there.
|
|
|
Wednesday, 01 October 2008 15:56 |
|
Carsten Hoenke, in a welcome development in the campaign, has adopted John's language, stating to the Ann Arbor news, [Ann Arbor] "is as much a small town as a vibrant city." John has consistently campaigned on the premise of "Small Town feel with Big City Vitality," and in particular, has pushed for a limit on downtown high-rises which would Manhattanize Ann Arbor at the expense of our high quality of life. Now that Carsten has adopted the language of the campaign, we are wondering what specific building height limit Carsten advocates. |
|
Sunday, 24 August 2008 10:00 |
I believe that Ann Arbor can be the catalyst of a new wave of entrepreneurship in southeast Michigan. I believe that Ann Arbor and its environs can accommodate growth without sprawl. And, finally, I believe that we can do this without cannibalizing our quality of life: small-town look-and-feel, big-city vitality and entrepreneurship. We can accommodate growth without abandoning our niche - small-town feel, big-city vitality - in the following 4 ways: |
|
Read more...
|
|
|
