Water Street site nearly 'development ready,' more funds allocated for debt payments
The City of Ypsilanti is planning a work day Aug. 14 to begin developing a section of the border-to-border trail that will run through the Water Street property.
All buildings on the site have been razed, and construction crews are beginning to recycle concrete from the structures, some of which will be used in the trail's bed.
City staff is determining where the trail will be located and is seeking a permit from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
City Planner Teresa Gillotti said staff is also working on a plan for temporary use of the rest of the property until development can begin. One idea that has been discussed within city hall is turning the property into a tree nursery for city landscape projects. Funding could come through a forestry grant.
The City Council approved designating $1.08 million of its unreserved fund balance for Water Street debt payments at its Tuesday night meeting. The city made its first debt payment of $475, 988 on May 1. Payments are due bi-annually on May 1 and Nov. 1 through 2031. The recent allotment means the city has roughly $4.6 million dedicated for bond payments, which will last through fiscal year 2014.
Comments
Steve Pierce
Mon, Jul 26, 2010 : 2:46 p.m.
Andy Y, Thanks for the kind invite, but I won't be able to attend as I will be working on our neighborhood clean-up that day. Cheers! - Steve
AndyYpsilanti
Mon, Jul 26, 2010 : 12:07 p.m.
@amazonwarrior how can you call a volunteer project fraud waste and abuse? We have a grant from the Michigan Department of Health's Building Healthy Communities Program to do what little earth moving needs to be done, a dupster donated by Recycle Ann Arbor for clean up, and the rest is being done through donations and volunteer effort. Finding public use for the area is the best option available at this time, and we are working together to try and do something positive with the site while buyers are found. As for the rest of you who are trotting out the old "eww, Ypsi is dangerous" line, please, get over it. Why don't you come out on the 14th and see just how nice it can be? @lorie @Steve Pierce what shift can I sign you up for? I mean, you both are arguing so passionatly about the zoning of Water Street, you are going to come out and help us out, right?
glimmertwin
Mon, Jul 26, 2010 : 4:37 a.m.
Sounds great. Head to downtown, safe, urban Ypsilanti to walk on a nature trail. Sounds perfect. Will there be armed guards on patrol on this path?
Captain Magnificent
Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 2:47 p.m.
I'm with Steve Pierce. If this project was half as well run as the Monorail that the Lincoln Consolidated School District is considering then maybe it would be done by now. Additionally, Trails are outdated technology- that's what the Indians used and look what happened to them. I say we keep pushing forward and use the technology of the European victors- A MONORAIL! Half the track cost of a train and the only ongoing cost is electricity and rail grease! Unlike a trail, a monorail drives itself. Trails can't drive- all they do is sit there and collect dust and weeds. DOWN WITH THE TRAIL!
amazonwarrior
Sun, Jul 25, 2010 : 7:35 a.m.
Steve Pierce - I couldn't agree more with you! The Water Street Project has to be one of the biggest "money pits" the city has ever become involved in. Is Ms. Gillotti actively pursuing businesses to build on the site? Or is this "trail" her only idea for this property? A border to border trail, how quaint. It will no doubt become an eyesore, overgrown with weeds within a short period of time and a good place for people to be assaulted. This "project" is nothing but fraud, waste and abuse.
Steve Pierce
Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 8:28 p.m.
What Lorie is telling you is that the City needs to spend $100,000 or more with high priced consultants, attorney's, and contract planners developing a new zoning plan trying to guess what a future developer may need. That is like telling an out of work auto worker that if he bought a new car, he would have a better chance of getting a new job. When you find yourself in a hole, quit digging. Throwing more money at Water street plans and pretty pictures isn't going to attract developers to this project. It isn't me that said this, it was the Real Estate company the City hired to market Water Street and that was their response when... Mayor Schreiber specifically asked at a City Council meeting, "Would a new zoning plan help market Water Street?" The answer from the city's own hired expert was "No". Remember, it was the past council including Mayor Farmer that promised the citizens of Ypsilanti time and time again: NO GENERAL FUND TAXPAYER MONEY WOULD BE SPENT ON WATER STREET. That turned out to be a lie. So far nearly $2.5 million in general fund money, money that could have been used to pay for police and fire, maintain our parks, and improve our beloved pool has instead been spent on Water Street. Than add in the the nearly $20 million in debt, and the millions in federal and state money spent and the total bill for Water Street is nearly $30 million. For the next 20 years, an additional $1 million a year will come out of the General Fund to pay the Water Street debt. Spending more taxpayer money on a new zoning plan is spending money out of the general fund for Water Street and taking money away from police and fire and parks. Lets stop spending taxpayer money on new plans and pretty pictures and lets give the Real Estate company the city hired, a chance to successfully market Water Street property once all the buildings are down and the space is cleared. Cheers! - Steve
Cash
Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 6:37 p.m.
The property already looks great and Ypsi is looking so much better now! Frozenhotchocolate, you'll get no argument from me. I love my hometown. The downtown is my favorite part and I'm looking for good things to come with the Water St property!
pseudo
Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 6:21 p.m.
This is stellar news. I congratulate the city staff who have worked so diligently to bring grant dollars to these projects and get at least get something done with site. I like the idea of the nursery, also like that the border to border trail will go through it. Now...if we can just get city council to move on the zoning...
AndyYpsilanti
Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 5:10 p.m.
If you would like to volunteer for the August 14th trail build, please drop us a line at waterstreetparkypsi@gmail.com. We plan to run two shifts of 3 - 4 hours each, one at 8am and one at 11am. We will also have a 30 yard dumpster on site for trash clean up on Water Street, as well as Waterworks Park, if time and number of volunteers permit. If you have shovels, garden rakes, or wheel barrels, please bring them along. We are also seeking the donation of landscape fabric to line the trail bed, as well as water or other refreshments for volunteers. Hope to see many of you there! waterstreetparkypsi@gmail.com
Sandy Castle
Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 3:47 p.m.
The area looks great with those trashy buildings demolished. I can't wait for the B2B hookup through that area! Keep up the good work, Ypsilanti.
frozenhotchocolate
Sat, Jul 24, 2010 : 3:21 p.m.
Great news. People in Ann Arbor always talk about how ghetto Ypsi is when in all actuality it is not. If Ypsi wasn't next to Ann Arbor it would be a regular working class city with a respected university at it's center. Ypsi township can provide nothing but buffalo wild wings and over constructed non used sidewalks. The 'water' project has been a long time coming and will add to the already vibrant Ypsi downtown. The only bad thing about Ypsi is that it is next to Ann Arbor, the city I was born and my entire family is from. But it is a great city which only Detroit has more historic and geographic importance in the whole state. And let the haters comment.