Ann Arbor halts Fuller Road Station plans as U-M seeks to build new parking elsewhere
The city of Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan announced today they're halting plans for the first phase of Fuller Road Station as presently designed.
U-M is dropping its plans for a large parking structure on the site and will look elsewhere to build new parking facilities, officials confirmed.
Mayor John Hieftje said the decision to separate U-M's short-term plans to build new parking facilities for its hospital employees from the city's long-term plans for a train and bus station on Fuller Road has nothing to do with any controversy surrounding the project.
Rather, Hieftje said, the city received new communications from the Federal Rail Administration and funding assumptions for the project have changed.
"After months of fruitful discussions, we received new information from the Federal Rail Administration regarding the eligibility of monies for the local match," Hieftje said. "This information altered project timing such that we could no longer finalize a proposal under the current memorandum of understanding."
Plans for this large parking structure as part of the Fuller Road Station project are being scrapped.
"This means we're going to have to work with community partners to come up with a match," Hieftje said. "This is in no way backing away from the project."
Hieftje said city officials will continue to push forward with the long-term vision for Fuller Road Station in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation, Federal Rail Administration, Amtrak, Ann Arbor Transportation Authority and U-M.
"There just won't be a large parking structure on the site," Hieftje said. "U of M is going to look elsewhere for their parking structure."
Both the city and U-M say they remain committed to supporting multi-modal transportation, but they've decided to wait until federal funding sources for track sidings and station construction are more imminent before redesigning and restructuring any potential joint agreement.
"We are optimistic the city's drive to win additional federal and state dollars for Fuller Road Station will be successful," Jim Kosteva, U-M's director of community relations, said in a statement. "When the time comes, we stand ready to reengage."
Controversy has surrounded the Fuller Road Station project since it was announced in 2009 that U-M and the city would parter on the first phase, which included building a five-level, 977-space parking structure at a cost of more than $40 million.
The university was going to pay 78 percent of the costs of the parking structure, and thus have rights to 78 percent of the parking spots. The city would have paid about $10 million.
If not for a tentative deal in 2009 to make that happen, U-M would have pushed forward with a plan for two new parking structures on Wall Street along with a new bus terminal.
The university's original goal was to build new parking facilities in the area before the new Mott Children's Hospital opened late last year, so there's still pressure for more parking.
While long-term planning for Fuller Road Station will continue, officials said the university plans to move forward separately with building a parking structure in a yet-to-be-determined location near the medical campus to address growing employment and patient numbers.
"I think it's pretty well known with the medical center enlargement that they need more parking, but they're not set on a location," Hieftje said.
Hieftje said he thinks the concept for Fuller Road Station is easier to understand now that the U-M parking structure is off the table. He said a new train station bringing thousands of visitors into the city — with bus services connecting them to downtown and other areas — will lessen the demand for more parking facilities and reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.
"I view this whole announcement as being very positive," Hieftje said. "It's just a slight change of course for the university, but our goals remain the same."
Some city residents have expressed concerns over the past few years that more parking facilities aren't needed, and that once a parking structure was built on the site, there would be no guarantee that federal funding for a new train station would follow.
It's now looking increasingly likely the project would be done in a single phase, including a train station. Hieftje said there would be some parking, but not a significant amount.
"It'll be the kind of parking you would need at a train station," he said. "It wouldn't be a large parking structure for the university."
Hieftje remains confident the federal government's investment of $2.8 million in seed money for planning Fuller Road Station is indicative of more federal funding to come.
In the meantime, the feds have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into rail improvements along the Detroit-to-Chicago corridor, which passes through Ann Arbor. The same improvements that will make high-speed rail possible (increasing speeds from 60 mph to 110 mph) will help make commuter rail between Detroit and Ann Arbor possible.
Kosteva said rail service and connections with bus transit on Fuller Road are vital components in the university's goal of providing sustainable transportation options.
"We look forward to cooperating with the city in its ongoing efforts to bring interstate and intercity rail service to the Fuller Road site," he said.
With the state of Michigan's purchase of the Norfolk-Southern tracks, the construction of a multi-modal transit center at Fuller Road becomes deeply important to the future of Ann Arbor and critical to the success of both commuter and higher-speed rail, Hieftje said.
The first phase of Fuller Road Station was approved by the city's Planning Commission in September 2010, but it never came to council for approval due to delays having to do with legal negotiations between U-M and the city on a long-terms construction, operations and maintenance agreement for the parking structure. Included in the Phase I plans approved by the Planning Commission were five built-in bus bays and 103 bicycle parking spaces.
Even with the U-M parking structure off the table, it's likely the Fuller Road Station project will continue to face opposition from some residents who argue a transit center is an improper use of city park land. The city's charter requires sale of city park land to be approved by voters, and the proposed location of Fuller Road Station technically is part of Fuller Park.
City officials don't intend to put the project up to a vote of the people, arguing it's not technically a sale and the actual location has been a surface parking lot for years.
The Sierra Club and others still argue the city would be circumventing the law by building facilities that would almost ensure the land won't return to park space in the next century.
The City Council took action in July 2010 to change the permissible uses for property zoned "public land" to include "transportation facilities," which allows a train station at Fuller Park.
The city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on preliminary work for the project, some of which will be reimbursed by federal grants. The city also has undertaken a $1.34 million project to relocate utility lines at the site of the Fuller Road Station project.
City officials were hoping dollars invested in the first phase of the project would count as matching funds for future federal grants for a train station, but they found out from the Federal Rail Administration that's not going to be the case.
Hieftje said the project timeline is uncertain now.
"We need to get a little further into the environmental study and the design of the project before we'll be able to put a timeline on it," he said.
Kosteva said U-M's decision not to build a parking structure as part of Fuller Road Station in no way represents a backing out, failure to reach terms or retreat in the face of controversy.
"It is a joint recognition that the station and parking as presently designed could not be financed and constructed under the general terms of the memorandum of understanding," he said, adding the agreement between the city and the university not only identified financial expectations, but also included the desire to have a facility in place by June 2012.
"When federal funds or city commitment for funding a station development are more imminent, the university will be prepared to reengage in a discussion that would include an assessment of how a intermodal facility relates to university needs and interests at that time," he said.
As far as alternative parking locations being considered, Kosteva said the university is exploring a variety of locations in the vicinity of the medical center, including the Wall Street site previously approved by the regents for construction.
The growth in U-M's medical-related employment, including 500 new jobs, and expansion of patient services dictates the need to move ahead as quickly as possible, he said.
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.
Comments
EcoRonE
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 7:39 p.m.
The 60,000 cars coming into and leaving Ann Arbor each day are not coming and going to get to North Main or Kerrytown or even Zingermans. They're coming to the UM and its hospital. That is where a sustainable transportation solution makes sense. I agree with Professor Grengs and Mr Ranzini that the plan is better without a parking structure with an added tall structure to house related medical offices and services. There are 2 zoning categories in this city for public land: parking (P), and public land (PL). Looking through the zoning maps, I see PL everywhere, lots of it. I only see a few P even though we all know there's a lot of P around this town. The county and city facilities are zoned public land. The parks are zoned public land. There is a lot of PL in this town with constructed works on it. The UM is all public land. Looking at the zoning map, I can't tell where the UM ends and the Fuller park parking and Fuller park 'Park' begins. For me, public land is land that is serving the community and that is what the city and the UM do. There need be no public vote to put this land to public use - it is already so designated.
mtlaurel
Sun, Feb 12, 2012 : 1:07 p.m.
What sort of offices is the Medical Center seeking: there are Univ medical buildings all around Ann Arbor and neighboring communities. They house lab/radiology/therapies, as well. They do not seem overcrowded. What is the factual argument that UNIV affiliated Physicians want to set up an office in this hypothetical building.
Jim Osborn
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:46 p.m.
", we received new information from the Federal Rail Administration (sic) regarding the eligibility of monies for the local match," Hieftje said. ·Is Mayor Hieftje so out of touch that he was expecting millions from a federal agency, yet he can't even name it correctly. It is the Federal Railroad Administration, not "Rail". If he is not sure who, it is little surprise that he missed the "what" and the "when" and the "how"; the timing of this ill planned deal. ·He is very eager to have commuter rail, often over looking details in his haste. Railroad crossings are one aspect. Even after being questioned about safe railroad crossings at Pioneer High School on August 8, 2007, and then replying that state of the art crossings will be built, a quaint, old fashioned one was subsequently built along his proposed Wally line at Du Varren, instead of a more modern, safer type. Overlooking details can cost the public either money, or lives
golfer
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.
gee does that mean the art commission will not have to put something that cost an arm and leg. i guess now they can find something to spend the 1.8 mill they have in savings. maye something in the middle of the huron river?
Tom Whitaker
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:42 p.m.
"The city also has undertaken a $1.34 million project to relocate utility lines at the site of the Fuller Road Station project." Ann Arbor voters should be reminded that City Council was given an opportunity to prevent this waste of $1.34 million of our water/sewer money when Mike Anglin brought this utility relocation project back to Council for reconsideration. He knew it was premature to spend this money on the Fuller Road project before there was a final agreement with UM or any commitment of federal money to build it, no federally-approved NEPA environmental study and finding, and perhaps most importantly, no city-wide consensus on proceeding with the Fuller Road Station at all. An effort was made to hide the real purpose of the sewer project by removing "Fuller Road Station" from the title when it was first brought before City Council. During the reconsideration, city staff, at the Mayor's bidding, tried awkwardly to come up with other justifications for this expense like, "this will allow us to install access points so we can assess the condition of the pipe." However, it was obvious what the project was created to do--to prep the site for the new UM parking structure. In fact, council members like Tony Derezinski, Margie Teall, Chistopher Taylor, and Sandi Smith, as well as the Mayor all seized on the opportunity afforded by the reconsideration discussion to declare their allegiance to Fuller Road Station. Now it's clear that this $1.34 million was wasted; money that could and should have gone toward the reconstruction of the sewage treatment plant. Only Mike Anglin voted against this speculative utility project.
Tom Whitaker
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 5:41 p.m.
Vivienne: I believe some City money spent on Fuller Road Station came from the Economic Development Fund, which was funded from the General Fund. So, perhaps there was no DIRECT General Fund spending on FRS, but certainly General Fund money was allocated INDIRECTLY. (This is called money laundering when it's done by private entities.) The EDF was created out of the General Fund to pay for Google's free parking, among other things. There was a surplus that could have been returned to the General Fund to help keep firefighters and police officers on duty, but was instead spent on Fuller Road Station and...?
Vivienne Armentrout
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:50 p.m.
That was a remarkable evening. Even the staff giving the briefing in response to leading questions from council members seemed shamed-faced. I'd like to see a tally of the total money spent on this project. It has not come from the General Fund, as the mayor has been careful to point out. Instead, it has come from our roads, our water utilities, and our stormwater funds. We paid for JJR to do a full project plan, among other things. History here: <a href="http://localannarbor.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/fuller-road-station-its-all-about-parking/" rel='nofollow'>http://localannarbor.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/fuller-road-station-its-all-about-parking/</a>
blahblahblah
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:08 p.m.
The total tally of money wasted on this whole fiasco is probably well over $3 million and counting. In addition to the utilities work, the city has been spending road millage money since at least 2009 on traffic studies related to the project. A year ago, Ann Arbor city council approved a $460,139 contract with DLZ Michigan Inc. to review previous studies of the Fuller Road/Maiden Lane/East Medical Center Drive intersection for a proposed reconfiguration of the intersection including a roundabout, which if built is estimated to cost an additional $2.5 million. Think about those numbers as you RUMBLE down Miller Rd., which is not scheduled to be rebuilt until 2013.
B2Pilot
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:41 p.m.
A couple of thoughts; North main st. or in that area would make much more sense for Residents and UofM employees I have to believe that the DDA having their hands in this was a deal killer Having a real estate agent as mayor has been a disaster
say it plain
Sun, Feb 12, 2012 : 1:23 a.m.
check check and bingo! on that last thought too!
Rick Neubig
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 1:10 p.m.
Although it would be less convenient for me, as I work in the Medical Center, I agree 100% with Stephan Landes. A site nearer downtown would make huge sense. In alocation like Main and Depot one could envision a bustling center of commercial activity within walking distance of housing and other business activities. Out on Fuller Road there is nothing else. In thinking about a viable, exciting, and financially sound transportation system, I think of the rail station in Kyoto Japan which is a 12 story shopping mall (not that we want that in A2) that serves as both a transportation hub and a place to gather, shop, eat, etc. A publicly supported transportation center could then also get the commercial investment and income that would allow it to be sustained long term.
Halter
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:08 p.m.
Yeah!!!!! That is all.
Sparty
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 4:49 a.m.
UM was paying the majority of the cost for the parking structure at Fuller Station (paying 85% of the total cost for 85% of the parking spaces), but probably got tired of waiting. It will be faster to build elsewhere and they need the parking now for staff since the new hospital has opened. It's not a big cost difference for them.
Sparty
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 6:03 p.m.
Do you honestly think the U can't afford the property elsewhere? It already owns property on Wall St that can be considered. It was willing to collaborate with the City but giving the impossibilities of the city ever doing anything quickly, they had to move on. Do you think "only the construction costs" represents the small portion of the total costs? LoL
vaseline
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 1:55 p.m.
The only thing they were paying for was construction costs, nothing else, this did not include the few million the city spent getting environmental reports and moving utilities. It was a sweetheart deal for the U. If you build a house and don't have to pay for these things, and get a lease of the land for a fraction of what it is actually worth, you would have made the deal too
Sparty
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 1:01 p.m.
85%
A2comments
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:01 p.m.
I thought it was 78%...
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:09 a.m.
@Attempted Voice of Reason: As to running for Mayor, it is a really big commitment, even if the job is only supposed to be a part-time one because we have a full-time city manager. It would take a major effort with a *lot* of people working on the campaign and lending a hand and about $50,000 in campaign funds to raise the public profile of a non-politician like me sufficiently high enough with the voters who don't read AnnArbor.com online to unseat our Mayor. I have said only that *if* enough people contact me and offer tangible support would I *begin* to consider it, otherwise it's not a winning proposition. If you think that the city's top 5 priorities ought to be funding 1: Fire Protection 2: Police Protection 3: Road Repair 4: Putting Fuller Road on a ballot for the citizens to decide, 5: repealing the current pedestrian crosswalk ordinance & replacing it with one that conforms exactly to what the signs say, "stop for pedestrian in crosswalk," and that the Mayor should be someone both socially progressive and fiscally prudent, then email me and tell me what you could do to help if I actually did decide to run for office. If you don't think so, feel free to tell me why I should stick to being a local community bank CEO and occasional pundit on AnnArbor.com. Either way I'd like to hear your thoughts and you can contact me at ranzini@university-bank.com (however please be patient for a reply since our email system is down for the rest of this weekend for a long planned email conversion our IT department is doing).
Diagenes
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:57 p.m.
Run for U.S. House of Representatives.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:56 a.m.
whether i agree with you or not, it is nice to hear your voice/opinion on these message boards.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:37 a.m.
The $100 million tall building above the high speed rail station could have medical offices and residential condos. You could then add location focused retail on the ground floor (for example, convenience store & coffee shop). With the planned skywalk directly into the hospital from the train station, it would be a quick walk to the main hospital & this would become the premium space for medical office space in the area because of its convenience for the docs (wasting time commuting between the hospital & their medical office is very expensive to them since they can't bill sitting in a car). That means the building could charge premium rates per ft2 (which increases the value of the tall building). Also, it would drive ridership on the train for the many people who visit their doctor for follow-up visits to the doctor"s office because of its convenience (just park & take an elevator up). To do this, the city must design the project to engineer the foundations now in a way to allow later construction of a tall building above the parking structure. You can't do this after the fact except in a very expensive way. The MichCon site would require the city to fund all the matching funds on its own because there is no viable plan like what is possible at the Fuller Road Station site & it is unlikely that any federal rail or stimulus funds will be available any time soon, as noted elsewhere above.
mtlaurel
Sun, Feb 12, 2012 : 12:59 p.m.
The Medical Center has numerous office settings in many areas in/around Ann Arbor.Some stats about the need for more office space would be integral to your arguement. Many of the satellite offices also have lab/radiology/same day surgery...I have been a patient at a few of these settings and never felt the space was limited or overflowing. Facts would be necessary before assuming the Univ affiliated Physicians are looking for an office in this hypothetical building.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:26 a.m.
@Attempted Voice of Reason: The answer to your question is complex and the answer is 883 characters longer than AnnArbor.com allows in one post so I'll divide it into a couple. As I've stated above, could anyone assert with a straight face their intent to build a $121 million project and then tear it down and return it to parkland at the end of a long term lease? I hope city council does the right thing and puts the Fuller Road Station to a formal vote of the voters to approve what is in essence a sale of this parkland to U-M. Many of us support mass transit and the vision of what this project can do in the long term for Ann Arbor, but not unless the citizens first approve the deal in a formal vote since the city charter requires prior approval of any sale of parkland! Now having said that, the MichCon site and the current Amtrak Station are a perfectly fine backup site if the voters vote down the sale of the parkland for the Fuller Road Station. Why do I believe the site by the hospital is superior? Because only at that site would the city not have to come up with any cash to fund the required matching funds, IF they thought in a financially savvy way. Selling the air rights to build a tall building over the Fuller Road Station parking structure would yield a very large amount of money (think $10 million to $20 million) and create a large ratable asset to enhance city tax base (the ultimate project could easily be $100 million in value), if it had a deed restriction that prevented it from being sold to a non-profit without a large property tax "exit tax". The closest property near a high speed rail train station is by far the most valuable. The current plan contemplates using 100% of that extremely valuable real estate only for - parking cars (ouch)!
Sallyxyz
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 1:42 a.m.
Glad to hear the UM hospital system added 500 new employees before adequate parking spaces were provided. Irresponsible. Just like the VA hospital. Keep adding employees without adequate parking, and then sneak into the adjacent private lots that are reserved for apartment buildings on Fuller. Oh that's right. These are doctors and they can park anywhere, even if it's illegal!! These monster hospitals just don't get it.
zanzerbar
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:51 a.m.
"The city has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on preliminary work for the project, some of which will be reimbursed by federal grants. The city also has undertaken a $1.34 million project to relocate utility lines at the site of the Fuller Road Station project. ' Just amazing.......yer tax dollars at work
Attempted Voice of Reason
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:44 a.m.
Finally some good news on this boondoggle. Now let's start planning how to move forward with improving our rail transport in a way that makes sense: Improving the existing Amtrak. Let's look at buying the Michcon property and expanding there - maybe a public-private partnership with some retail, office, and hotel uses on the site - in a way that won't cost the city too much money. Let's be creative here. Mr. Ranzini: Your comments on this website for the last few months have been hinting you might run for mayor - what's your take on the Michcon site?
FrankVCicero
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:42 a.m.
While the University remains an integral part of Ann Arbor, the City is first and foremost a community and home to the many Ann Arbor residents who have chosen to live and raise their families in this wonderful town. The AA government's purpose is to serve its people, the community; I cannot understand how, at times, we almost allow governments to usurp our power as "we the people." In the case of the Fuller Park Station, the City's desire to change property use designations and zoning at will must occur only in extreme cases where the health and safety of our community-- we the people--exists at risk. I cannot fathom that a parking structure or a railroad station ever met such an extreme need, and therefore remain amazed how this proposal ever moved so far down the pike, consumming a community's minds and resources for such an extended period of time. We the people are the community, not the university or the city government. We the people are those paying the taxes, building our homes, raising our children, using our parks, our green spaces. Thank you to everyone who keeps tabs on what happens in this town and for helping us remain a community first, a great place to call home, a great place to hang a hat at the end of the day.
Usual Suspect
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 4:45 p.m.
"I cannot understand how, at times, we almost allow governments to usurp our power as 'we the people.'" That what happens when people will vote for anything based only on the fact it has a "D" sitting next to it.
Kai Petainen
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 1:08 a.m.
beautifully written.
Vivienne Armentrout
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 11:52 p.m.
As I was at some pains to explain in a blog post, <a href="http://localannarbor.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/say-what-the-mayor-speaks-about-fuller-road-station/" rel='nofollow'>http://localannarbor.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/say-what-the-mayor-speaks-about-fuller-road-station/</a> , the money granted for a design and environmental study for the station was a one-time lucky win from a program (the stimulus program, known as ARRA) that no longer exists and was awarded only because Florida had refused the funds. Further, in a recent bill signed by the President, the High-Speed rail program was zeroed out (received no funds). The Republican majority on the House Transportation committee has now proposed a major transportation department reorganization and is also de-emphasizing all forms of mass transit. <a href="http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/112th/Highways/2012-01-31-Final_Rollout.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/Media/file/112th/Highways/2012-01-31-Final_Rollout.pdf</a> All this is to say that the optimism expressed in regard to future Federal funding seems misplaced.
Arborcomment
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 7:36 p.m.
Thanks Vivienne, I was wondering how longer term projects got lumped in ARRA and you explained intentions.
Vivienne Armentrout
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:33 p.m.
Sorry, that article was in the New Yorker. Wish this comment system had preview capabilities.
Vivienne Armentrout
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:32 p.m.
This is getting down to a pickier level than most people are probably interested in, but ARRA had a very broad scope and the high-speed rail program was not one of the "shovel-ready" projects, that mostly included local infrastructure. According to an article in the New York by Ryan Lizza, <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_lizza" rel='nofollow'>http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/01/30/120130fa_fact_lizza</a> , Obama saw the high-speed rail program as his "moon shot", a signature program that would challenge the future. But though the grant funds have been distributed, the program (high speed rail) itself is now dead, zeroed out in current transportation bills. As is so much of the stimulus program. But hey! We got to finance the Library Lot pit with it. (Build America Bonds were part of ARRA.)
Arborcomment
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:51 a.m.
Which, per your original post, was from Florida's refusal of funding from the Stimulus - ARRA, of which $8 billion in transportation, to include high speed rail projects, were sold as "shovel ready" and needed to keep unemployment under 8%?
Vivienne Armentrout
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:07 a.m.
No, it was part of the high-speed rail initiative.
Arborcomment
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:38 a.m.
So this was one of those "shovel ready" jobs?
Kai Petainen
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:12 a.m.
vivienne... excellent work!
Kai Petainen
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 11:45 p.m.
The mayor has to state that they are still pursuing the fuller station. If he doesn't pursue that, then it'll become even more obvious that it was supposed to be a parking lot for the hospital. And, we ceertainly wouldn't want to have false advertising....
Kai Petainen
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 11:43 p.m.
YES! Finally some good news! This is fantastic. I applaud the University officials for making a wise, enviro-friendly decision. Just so you know... if it wasn't for this unsolved event.... <a href="http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2011/04/05/AAFD_incident_report_on_spill.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://a2docs.org/assets/files/2011/04/05/AAFD_incident_report_on_spill.pdf</a> I probably wouldn't have cared. So for those who are mad at my opinion on the parking lot -- blame the one who caused that spill (but we don't know who that is). After that unsolved event, I started caring about the Huron River and what happens next to it.
a2cents
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:21 p.m.
9.1 MB... thx
uabchris
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 11:37 p.m.
"According to FRA, any investments made on the site prior to federal funding being allocated for the project don't count as matching dollars, Hieftje said." Where are the Project Managers assigned to this project and who forgot about the "planning" phase before you "execute"! Are you kidding me...we wait till hundreds of thousands are spent to become familiar with the guidlines and fine print???
a2baggagehandler
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 11:13 p.m.
City officials were hoping dollars invested in the first phase of the project would count as matching funds... Hoping ?
Wolf's Bane
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 11:07 p.m.
Wall Street is actually a perfect candidate. It is already is already mostly a parking lot and perfectly situated by the hospital, Kellogg Eye Center, and student housing (condo farms). Not to mention walking distance to the proposed Rail station! I'm sure the city and the University could work out a new deal?
Mick52
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 8:45 p.m.
It's too far away. Will require buses. They should build on M-29 by the railroad tracks
DrD
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 10:35 p.m.
Who can/should we (citizens) be petitioning to at the federal level to get our voices heard on this?
treetowncartel
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 10:34 p.m.
Why don't they just build it in their public parkland, the Arboretum?
a2cents
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:14 p.m.
-or- a golf course
DrD
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 10:32 p.m.
NO PARKING STRUCTURE ON WALL ST!! Employees would still be to be bused to the hospital!! Those of you who love the environment need to object to added buses on this short route!
Mick52
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 8:43 p.m.
Wall St may be a good spot, but think the best is right there next to the railroad tracks. Just on the other side. Just south of the tracks near the Arb entrance is a large parking lot, M-29. Build that up into a structure and employees will be able to park close and only have to cross E. Med Ctr to get to the hospital. They could even put in a tunnel like the one that connects the hospital to the helipad. That would eliminate the need for buses running from Wall St to the hospital.
vaseline
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 1:49 p.m.
Its the U's land on wall street. let them do it
Kai Petainen
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 11:37 p.m.
build it on wall street.
blahblahblah
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 11:06 p.m.
Wall Street got us in this mess in the first place ;)
A2comments
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 9:56 p.m.
Let me translate. We thought the federal government was going to pay for a lot of the IT'S NOT A PARKING STRUCTURE. The federal government said "no way are we paying for a parking structure for the University". Therefore, now that the University would have to kick in more money, it's smarter for them to build a parking garage on Wall Street.
Jim Walker
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 9:24 p.m.
If this project does go forward in the future, the city needs to be 100% certain that it does not incur any ongoing subsidies for revenue shortfalls. Virtually no public transit systems ever pay their own way with fares from the users. They almost all lose money in large quantities. If Ann Arbor decides to contribute a fixed amount of $X dollars to launch the project, that should be the ONLY responsibility for the city. The contracts need to be written so that literally if not one person ever shows up to use the system in the future, the city owes precisely $0.00 more than the initial outlay. James C. Walker, National Motorists Association, <a href="http://www.motorists.org," rel='nofollow'>www.motorists.org,</a> Ann Arbor, MI
Ron Granger
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:57 p.m.
This project is all about a huge corporation taking our public parkland for parking. Millions of our money have already foolishly been spent enabling this huge corporation. The railroad aspect is a sham. This structure is for University parking. It doesn't even reserve sufficient parking for the railroad users. This project should be put to a public vote before another penny is spent. Of course the city would just spend vast sums of our money trying to influence the outcome of the election.
Stephen Lange Ranzini
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:52 p.m.
The Mayor is saying the project is not dead, just postponed and will now be built in one phase., not two, so the same problems remain. The Fuller Road project ought to go to a vote of the citizens because no one can assert with a straight face that they will spend $121 million building in it & that it will ever be parkland again! Personally I support the project in concept but NOT if the voters don't approve it first. If it's a project with merit, sell the citizens on that & if you can't convince the citizens, respect the democratic process and in the meantime please move on to other more important topics like ensuring adequate fire and police protection, fixing the roads and repealing the current pedestrian crosswalk ordinance & replacing it with one that conforms exactly to what the signs say, "stop for pedestrian in crosswalk.".
Joel Batterman
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:50 p.m.
The University could avoid the cost of building a new parking structure, and provide more convenient access to the Hospitals, by reforming its policies relating to parking and transportation. Until the region develops a more extensive transit system, many people will still need to commute by car, but a more efficient parking system offering better park-and-ride service would relieve the current parking problem at the Hospitals, and eliminate the need for the current $142/permit parking subsidy. It would also help UM live up to its commitment to make the campus "a living laboratory for sustainability." The recommendations of the University's own transportation sustainability working group still apply: <a href="http://www.graham.umich.edu/pdf/phase2-transportation.pdf" rel='nofollow'>http://www.graham.umich.edu/pdf/phase2-transportation.pdf</a>
pbehjatnia
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:35 p.m.
I see Hieftje's being quoted and I just cannot bring myself even to read the article. I am too annoyed with climate change being the culprit for bad engineering and fanciful thoughts being the problem with crime perception and the list goes on and on and on. I just wish that someone reasonable, business oriented and educated, who realizes the mayor slot is a part time gig, who does not need a U teaching position ..... would be willing to run and beat Hieftje in the Democratic primary. Win there you win this town. Please reasonable and appropriate candidate will you finally step forward?
Nancy Shiffler
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:35 p.m.
Now would be a good time to revisit the possibility of upgrading the current Amtrak station and parking area, rather than building a new station in Fuller Park. It would likely be cheaper and would be closet to the proposed Wally line (if that ever gets built). It would also be a better location for the potential retail development that the city has been quietly proposing to accompany the new train station.
blahblahblah
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:24 p.m.
a2cents - If it's not too much to ask try reading the link I attached before making incorrect statements. "The revised plan, which will use $6.272 million in federal funding, swung on the vote of Councilman Wade Fleming, who reversed his position from the December vote." The Troy conservatives will now have a nice, reasonably priced train station and will probably be out of pocket less than what Ann Arbor has already wasted on this fiasco of a project.
a2cents
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:05 p.m.
blah... Troy "was" building until the new (conservative or worse) mayor dumped the project.
blahblahblah
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 9:28 p.m.
Take a look at what Troy is building with less than $7 million in federal funds. It includes a pedestrian bridge over the tracks. Just take this blueprint and place it on the current amtrak site. <a href="http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/01/18/news/local_news/doc4f1628d0ac2ab951557225.txt" rel='nofollow'>http://www.theoaklandpress.com/articles/2012/01/18/news/local_news/doc4f1628d0ac2ab951557225.txt</a>
KJMClark
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:46 p.m.
That vacant former Michcon property looks tailor made.
vaseline
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:15 p.m.
This article merely reaffirms everyones belief that this was merely a giant parking structure for the U of M
Mick52
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 8:35 p.m.
The Mayor is still saying the train station plan will continue: "Hieftje said city officials will continue to push forward with the long-term vision for Fuller Road Station..." So no, not merely a UM parking structure. But now it is all on the city's back, whatever benefits UM funding for the train station may be gone.
vaseline
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 1:48 p.m.
Althought the U was paying construction costs, they were not going to be buying the land or paying for any of the utility work that the city has already done. The plan's for the project had the specs for the parking garage drawn up and there was a blank page where the plans for the station were supposed to go
Sparty
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 4:44 a.m.
UM was paying the majority of the cost for the parking structure there (paying 85% of the total cost for 85% of the parking spaces), but probably got tired of waiting. It will be faster to build elsewhere and they need the parking now for staff since the new hospital has opened. It's not a big cost difference for them if that's what you are implying?
Alan Goldsmith
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:06 p.m.
"I view this whole announcement as being very positive," Hieftje said. "It's just a slight change of course for the university, but our goals remain the same." SOMEONE buy this U of M employee a CLUE, please.
friend12
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:01 p.m.
"He said a new train station bringing thousands of visitors into the city" Must have attended the hash bash. Realistically the new station probably won't see a statistically significant increase in customers. This is the same old line that has been used for years to justify these types of projects. In this state any one with even a little common sense knows those huge numbers will never happen and more likely the use will never be able to pay for the cost.
Ryan J. Stanton
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:55 p.m.
Please note I added additional comments from Hieftje and Kosteva to the story. Kosteva says U-M is exploring a variety of locations in the vicinity of the medical center, including the Wall Street site previously approved by the regents for construction of new parking facilities. He said the plan is to move ahead as quickly as possible.
Jim Osborn
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:50 p.m.
Its "Railroad", not "rail" <a href="http://www.fra.dot.gov/" rel='nofollow'>http://www.fra.dot.gov/</a>
Ryan J. Stanton
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 3:41 p.m.
Yes, I've already requested whatever communications there might be
Tom Whitaker
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 2:09 p.m.
Ryan: Will you be pursuing the actual correspondence from the FRA so we can all see what they REALLY said, without the Mayor's spin?
Arboriginal
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:53 p.m.
What about the Edison property that is next to the current Amtrack parking? Close to both rail lines plus it is a Superfund fund site that would benefit from being encased in concrete.
Arboriginal
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:55 p.m.
oops....I meant super Superfund fund.......or did I?
Arboriginal
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:51 p.m.
Hee Haw! So I guess it was a parking structure for the U after all.
Vivienne Armentrout
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:50 p.m.
The UM comments are in line with the importance of this area in the proposed North-South connector (the one discussed in the Connector Study). This high-capacity transit line (either some sort of rail or Bus Rapid Transit) would largely be to serve the UM in connections between north, central, and south campuses. Connector study page here: <a href="http://www.aaconnector.com/" rel='nofollow'>http://www.aaconnector.com/</a> This project is part of the Transit Master Plan now being discussed as a countywide transit vision. The Fuller Road Station serves as a "hinge" for the boomerang-shaped high-capacity line. Picture here: <a href="http://localannarbor.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/boomerang.jpg" rel='nofollow'>http://localannarbor.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/boomerang.jpg</a>
vaseline
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 8:18 p.m.
Shouldn't the U pay for it then?
treetowncartel
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:47 p.m.
Why doesn't the U of M build a parking structure and transit center just to the west of the stadium bridges? Parking spots could be used for employees during the weekdays and then for respective athletic events and other activities during the off hours.
Mick52
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 8:28 p.m.
They need parking for the hospital employees, visitors etc. That would be kind of far for a Med Ctr employee.
a2cents
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 1:48 p.m.
Why should they bother when they can overrun/trash adjacent neighborhoods with no out-of pocket expense?
motorcycleminer
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:31 p.m.
Just another pie in the sky horse hocky balloon being washed down by reality..besides the money isn't free folks it comes out of your wallets ...I love the way these inept politicians local, state and federal love to dip into our pockets and use our $$$ as if it was a wishing well ..time to smarten up sheeple....
blahblahblah
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:20 p.m.
I think the mayor is on to something: "It'll be the kind of parking you would need at a train station," he said. "It wouldn't be a large parking structure for the university." That sounds exactly like the "free" parking we already have across the tracks from the present Amtrak station!
Stephen Landes
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:05 p.m.
The Fuller Road Station site isn't technically part of the park -- IT IS part of the park. No "zoning change" can alter the requirement for sale of park land to be approved by a vote of the people. That the City still argues that the Fuller Road Station isn't really a sale is disingenuous. An intermodal transportation facility is highly desirable, but the location chosen by the City and U of M is not a wise one. A better location is near Main and Depot where the NS and AA railroads cross, where development is desired on North Main, where parking can be built, where rapid bus connections can be made to the downtown and University bus stations, and where clear direct access to expressways is near at hand. It isn't surprising that passenger stations have been built along this stretch in Ann Arbor for much more than a hundred years. We have been saved from building a monster by the slowness and inefficiency of the Feds.
Mick52
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 8:26 p.m.
I would counter with this piece of property being called a park is disingenuous. Minus the parking lot there now, it does not get used.
Marvin Face
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 5:28 p.m.
OK. How about A55 clown? better?
Sparty
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:58 p.m.
And got to love those, "if you would like me to run for office, please send me an email to convince me why and how I would be supported messages .... blah, blah, blah"
smokeblwr
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:01 p.m.
"Hieftje remains confident the federal government's investment of $2.8 million in seed money for planning Fuller Road Station is indicative of more federal funding to come." He better get the monies prior to November because the Santorum Surge could wash away this project.
Mick52
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 8:24 p.m.
It won't matter who is in the White House, it's who is in Congress.
Sparty
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:55 p.m.
Obama is looking pretty safe .... leading all republican candidates with significant margins at this point. "Regime Change" doesn't look too likely. BTW, I thought regime change only took place in 3rd world countries, not the most powerful country in the world, or is that what you aspire to ?
SonnyDog09
Sat, Feb 11, 2012 : 12:14 p.m.
Regime change will put an end to this boondoggle.
smokeblwr
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 9:10 p.m.
There is always room for Santorum.
Sparty
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 7:10 p.m.
LoL ... Santorum Surge ... anti-birth control, anti-abortion, anti-gay, pro-earmark spending Santorum ? I'm sure President Obama would love to see him nominated as the republican nominee and would win in a landslide, tho he's currently ahead against Romney, Gingrich, and Santorum so it doesn't really matter at this point.
blahblahblah
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 6:55 p.m.
"According to FRA, any investments made on the site prior to federal funding being allocated for the project don't count as matching dollars, Hieftje said." So between all the utilities work, consultants, etc., millions have been spent that don't count towards the federal match. Way to leverage our tax dollars. If spending millions PREMATURELY is what it took to kill this project than so be it.
Ignatz
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 6:51 p.m.
Smart move by the city. As for U-M, it's good that they're not building a structure so close to work for the Medical Center staff. They'd miss the opportunity to walk through our fine Michigan weather as well as being denied the privilege of crossing dark Fuller Rd sans use of traffic signals or crosswalks.
blahblahblah
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 6:47 p.m.
Thank you Sierra Club! My donation is in the mail! Shame on the Huron River Watershed Council for turning a blind eye as well as the Park's Advisory Commission.
Kai Petainen
Fri, Feb 10, 2012 : 11:36 p.m.
The HRWC was too busy setting up the art outside of City Hall. They are the ones who took credit for it. It's too bad that they seem to act more like a political group than an environmental one.