Hello neighbors!
This week, Ann Arbor City Council will host three public hearings: unreserved public comment about regulation of tenancy fees (B-1), the removal of curb cuts at Ann and Main (DS-1), and the renewal, expansion, and lifting of budget caps for the Downtown Development Authority (C-1).
NOTE: The Arbor South brownfield plan (DC-1) requires a public hearing, but Council held that hearing at the previous meeting, when the issue was postponed. Residents with feedback to offer on Arbor South will have to register in advance for general public comment this week.
The rest of this week’s agenda includes first reading for a rezoning at Madison and Fifth (C-2) and a resolution directing that City property will not be open for use by federal immigration officers (DC-3).
A2Council Update Video
After every City Council meeting I send out an “A2Council Update” newsletter, which includes a summary video. Here is my A2Council Update video from the Council meeting of January 20, 2026:
County Update
On January 21, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners met for six hours, beginning with a work session to hear a presentation about affordable housing. Public commenters raised concerns about federal ICE agents, petitions for proposed voter ID requirements, conditions in the Huron Valley Correctional facility, a police intervention in Ypsilanti, and proposed expansion of the Arbor Hills landfill. Watch a 20 minute summary of that meeting:
Ann Arbor City Council Meeting Agenda
Below is my summary of issues on the City Council Agenda this week, with links to more information about each of them. If you have comments about any of these issues, you can email all of Council at CityCouncil@a2gov.org
Ann Arbor City Council Meeting
Monday, February 2 2026 7:00PM
Ann Arbor City Hall (2nd Floor)
301 E Huron St, Ann Arbor 48104
The full agenda (including a link to the latest published PDF agenda, and instructions for dialing into the meeting) is on the A2Gov Legistar website:
https://a2gov.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1368485&GUID=39489EBE-BD56-402D-8FF2-385853D32D51
City Council meetings are broadcast live by CTN on Comcast (channel 16) and AT&T (channel 99) and online at a2gov.org/watchCTN
Meetings are also streamed live on the CTN YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/ctnannarbor
How to reserve public comment
People that wish to comment at a City Council meeting must sign up with the City Clerk’s office in advance. Speakers are allotted 3 minutes, with the first 15 speakers allowed to speak in a 45 minute session near the beginning of the meeting. Remaining speakers will speak at the end of the Council meeting. Public comment can be made either in person or remotely via phone/Zoom audio.
To sign up for public comment, please go to or call the City Clerk’s Office at 734-794-6140 on the day of the meeting between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. At 4:00 PM, all speakers that have signed up are randomly ordered in “priority groups”. After 4:00 PM, speakers are added to the end of the applicable priority group in the order received. No new speakers will be added to the list after 5:00 PM. For more information, visit the City’s website:
https://www.a2gov.org/city-council/council-meetings-overview/
Questions to the Agenda
In preparation for a Council meeting, Council members can ask questions of staff about scheduled agenda items. Questions must be submitted by noon on the Wednesday before a Council Meeting, and answers are returned the next day (Thursday) by 5pm.
AC-1 (26-0191) Agenda Response Memo and eComments – February 2, 2026
This agenda item has a PDF attachment with all questions raised by Council Members, and the answers provided by staff.This agenda item has a PDF attachment with all questions raised by Council Members, and the answers provided by staff.
Communications from the Mayor
There are no Mayoral appointments on the agenda at the time this newsletter was published
Consent Agenda
Below is the list of items included on the Consent Agenda. If no one on Council specifically requests that an item be pulled for discussion, the whole of this list will be approved in a single vote.
CA-1 (26-0037) Resolution to Approve a General Services Agreement with Murray Painting Co. for the Water Treatment Plant As-needed Coating Services (RFP #25-56) ($600,000.00)
CA-2 (26-0088) Resolution to Approve an Amendment to the City’s Agreement with Tyler Technologies, Inc. for 5-year Software Support and Maintenance of the City’s New World ERP Financial Software FY2026-FY2030 ($373,469.07)
CA-3 (26-0097) Resolution to Approve a Grant of Easement at 2130 and 2150 Jackson Avenue to DTE Electrical Company for Electrical Utility Service (8 Votes Required)
Public Hearings
Anyone wanting to comment on these issues may speak for 3 minutes, without having specifically reserved time. Issues subject to public hearing will also be up for a vote by Council later in the meeting.
PH-1/B-1 (26-0114) An Ordinance to Amend Section 8:532 of Chapter 105 (Housing Code) of Title VIII (Building Regulations) of the Code of the City of Ann Arbor
An ordinance amendment regulates optional tenancy fees that are reasonably avoidable by the tenant, such as parking fees, pet fees, and lock-out fees. It also bans separate, mandatory tenancy fees. Any mandatory tenancy fee – one that cannot be avoided by the tenant – must be disclosed and advertised as part of the base rent. All optional tenancy fees must also be disclosed, listed on the first page of the lease agreement or clearly in one place as an addendum. A landlord cannot charge parking fees if the tenant has not agreed to use parking amenities.
PH-2/DS-1 (26-0017) Resolution to Find the Ann Street Curb Cut at 201 North Main Street to be a Traffic Hazard and Approve Its Closure as Part of the Ann Street Improvements Project
This resolution appeared on the 1/20/26 agenda but was removed prior to the meeting.
A resolution will declare a traffic hazard and remove a curb cut on Ann Street, at the corner of Main (201 N Main). This corner is currently the site of a liquor store with curb cut access via Ann. Their small parking lot frequently hosts a food truck.
Legistar attachments include a document from 1958, describing how curb cuts at this property may or may not be permitted by City officials. The Downtown Development Authority has plans for improvement to Ann Street that will eliminate all curb cuts for off-street access to this property. Finalized plans for that project can be found at this link, under the tab “Public Engagement.” https://engage.a2gov.org/annstreet-improvements
PH-3 (26-0120) Proposed Amendment to the Boundaries of The Ann Arbor Downtown District and to The Development Plan and Tax Increment Financing Plan
This public hearing is an opportunity to offer feedback on proposed expansion of the Downtown Development District and changes that will allow the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) to collect a greater portion of tax increment finance (TIF), beyond a 3.5% annual growth cap (implemented in 2016). For more on proposed changes, see C-1.
Watch the December 15, 2025 episode of “A2 Council Update” for additional explanation of the proposed DDA changes.
https://youtu.be/PSU43pfpblI
Ordinances – Second Reading
In order to amend the city code, Council must vote to approve the change, via ordinance, at two Council meetings. The following proposed ordinances were approved at a previous Council meeting, and are also subject to a public hearing as listed above.
B-1 (26-0114) is the same as PH-1 above
Ordinances – First Reading
In order to amend the city code, Council must vote to approve the change, via ordinance, at two Council meetings. The following proposed ordinances are being introduced for “first reading”. If approved, the ordinance will be voted on at a subsequent Council meeting (“second reading”), where it will also be subject to a public hearing.
C-1 (26-0047) An Ordinance to Amend Sections 1:152, 1:154, 1:156, 1:158, 1:159 and 1:160 of Chapter 7 (Downtown Development Authority) of Title I of the Code of the City of Ann Arbor
NOTE: Second reading (and final approval) of this ordinance is planned for April 20, 2026, after a 60 day “opt out” period has elapsed for impacted taxing jurisdictions.
By ordinance amendment, the district of the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) will be expanded and its funding mechanism will be amended to allow their budget to grow more rapidly.
The DDA district is funded by tax incremental finance (TIF), which ‘captures’ property tax growth within the district, i.e. the difference between existing value of a property and a newly constructed property. The DDA captures new property tax revenue that would otherwise go to the city of Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority (AAATA), Washtenaw Community College (WCC), and the Ann Arbor District Library.
In 2025, the DDA’s TIF capture was over $9.6 million. Of that, over $5 million came from the City budget and over $2 million came from the County budget. You can find annual reports with this data:
https://www.a2dda.org/reporting-requirements/
The state of Michigan created the mechanism of TIF financing to support downtown districts when suburban-style shopping was pulling business away from city centers and hollowing out downtowns. The TIF/DDA model promoted redevelopment and dedicated funds toward reinvestment in downtowns that were struggling. The state law enabling such districts allows a timeline of 30 years. Ann Arbor’s DDA was established in 1982 and renewed in 2003.
The City ordinance defining the terms of the DDA includes this explanation of purpose:
“The purpose of this chapter is to create a public body corporate to act in the best interests of the City to halt property value deterioration, increase property tax valuation where possible in the business district of the City, eliminate the causes of that deterioration, and to promote economic growth”
In 2013 – in response to rapid growth in the downtown district – City Council approved a ‘cap’ on the DDA’s TIF capture, limiting its growth to 3.5% per year:
“Beginning with the 2016 tax year the maximum captured taxable value shall be $224,000,000.00. Each tax year thereafter, the maximum captured taxable value shall be increased by 3.5% per annum.”
On September 2, 2025, DDA Executive director Maura Thompson presented a recommendation to City Council that would increase DDA TIF capture under a “gainshare model.” This model would allow the DDA to keep 70% of tax revenue growth from new development and other taxing units (e.g. the City, County, AAATA, WCC, AADL) would retain 30%.
https://a2gov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=7520639&GUID=8D842AA4-1F4F-422D-AA16-366AFA7E20E9
This week’s ordinance amendment will expand the boundaries of the DDA district to include an area to the north of Kingsley up to Depot Street. The District would also reach south to capture a single parcel, just north of Forest Court. The ‘gainshare’ model of TIF collection will allow the DDA budget to grow by more than 3.5% a year
A requirement – added in 2016 – that the DDA contribute to affordable housing is unchanged in this week’s proposed amendments:
“Tax increment financing seed funds for the Housing Fund shall be budgeted effective tax year 2016 at an amount no less than $300,000.00.”
In Ann Arbor, the DDA also manages public parking within the district and sets parking rates. Until recently, City Council played a role in approving those parking rates. Last fall (9/15/25), Council unanimously approved changes to remove the requirement for an annual DDA/Council meeting and allow the City Administrator to approve the DDA’s parking rates without the participation of Council.
https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-council-september-15-2025/
C-2 (26-0061) An Ordinance to Amend the Zoning Map of Chapter 55 (Unified Development Code), Rezoning of 0.95 Acres from R4C (Multiple-Family Dwelling) and M1 (Limited Industrial) to D1 (Downtown Core), Midtown Character Overlay, Secondary Street Frontage with Conditions, The Dean, 558 S Fifth Ave (CPC Recommendation: Approval – 8 Yes, 0 No)
Nine parcels at 554, 558 South Fifth Avenue; 201, 211 and 215 East Madison Street; 543, 547, 551, 553 South Fourth Avenue (one acre, total) will be rezoned from R4C (Multiple-Family Dwelling) and M1 (Limited Industrial) to D1 (Downtown Core), with conditions. The rezoning was requested by the developers of “The Dean”, a proposed 14-story residential building. Developers have offered the condition of a 10 foot setback from adjacent residential zoning.
Developers of “The Dean” held a public engagement meeting on June 26, 2025.
https://a2council.com/558-s-fifth-ave-resident-participation-meeting-june-26-2025/
The City Planning commission recommended approval of this rezoning at their meeting on December 2, 2025.
https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-december-2-2025/
Motions and Resolutions
DC-1 (26-0098) Resolution to Approve a Brownfield Plan for the Arbor South Project
Postponed from the January 20. 2026 meeting.
A brownfield plan will reimburse $373,825,905 in tax increment finance (TIF) over a 30-year period to support the Arbor South Project at 2800 East Boardwalk Drive, 2845 State Street, and 2991 State Street.
The developer of Arbor South will be reimbursed for:
- Priority 1: $184,866,844 for parking structures
- Priority 2: $160,188,060 for off-site sanitary sewer trunklines and interceptor, water, storm sewer, bus rapid transit stop, pedestrian improvements
This plan was posted and removed from two Council agendas in November 2025. Previously, it was presented together with a public private partnership agreement that committed the City to issue $166,390,000 in public bonds to purchase land and three parking decks from the developer.
At the 1/20/26 Council meeting, a slightly revised brownfield plan was considered on its own, (without the public private partnership) and postponed. This week, the brownfield plan is presented again, without the public private partnership. A development agreement for Arbor South will be considered in DC-2.
In my last newsletter I wrote about the apparent strategy of approving the brownfield plan now, independent of a negotiated Public Private Partnership agreement. https://a2elnel.com/post/arbor-souths-end-run-around-8-votes-start-with-brownfield/
DC-2 (25-1428) Resolution to Approve the Arbor South Development Agreement – 2845 South State Street (SP24-0011) (CPC Recommendation: Approval – 5 yes, 0 no)
A development agreement for Arbor South at 2845 South State will permit a downtown-style development of 14 new buildings: a hotel, apartment and condominium buildings, some with ground floor retail uses, restaurant/commercial buildings, and parking structures. The 23.5 acre site includes existing buildings at 777 and 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway. The agreement includes requirements for basic infrastructure: water main, sanitary sewer, stormwater management, streetlights, and sidewalks.
The agreement refers to a “Letter of Intent” between the developers of Arbor South and the City’s housing commission. The developer agrees to “negotiate in good faith with the Ann Arbor Housing Commission” toward the development of affordable housing, offering a commitment of $10.500,000 in “value” (at least $7,500,000 in money). If efforts fail, the developer will make a payment in lieu of $18,900,000.
The agreement further commits the developer to provide “traffic mitigation measures” including a signalized intersection on State Street and whatever other measures are deemed necessary by a traffic study. The developer will also provide a bike lane on Boardwalk (Oakbrook to Eisenhower) and drought-tolerant landscaping. The agreement includes commitments for a bus “superstop” with shelter and seating, capacity for multiple buses, near-level boarding platforms, and real-time information and accessibility features.
Developers of Arbor South held a public engagement meeting on January 9, 2024.
https://a2council.com/777-e-eisenhower-oxford-resident-participation-meeting-january-9-2024/
The City Planning Commission approved the site plan for Arbor South over seven months ago at their meeting on June 17, 2025.
https://a2council.com/ann-arbor-city-planning-commission-june-17-2025/
DC-3 (26-0189) Resolution Reaffirming the City of Ann Arbor’s Policy Regarding Civil Immigration Enforcement and Mitigating Erratic Lawless Tactics with Intentional City Efforts
By resolution, Council “does not authorize” the use of City resources, funds, or personnel to assist in civil immigration enforcement. City-owned lots cannot be used for staging civil immigration enforcement— within 90 days, the City Administrator is directed to add signage, key cards and locked gates to City lots and garages to limit access, where feasible.
Within 90 days, signage will be offered to private landowners and leaseholders to print and display their own restriction of activities related to civil immigration enforcement. The City awaits the final adjudication of United States v. California, et al., No. 2:25-cv-10999 (C.D. Cal. 2025) to determine whether they will prohibit law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings and require them to show visible identification.
This week’s resolution is titled as a ‘reaffirming’ of City policy. However, last month, activists spoke to Council about a recent incident when local police allowed federal ICE agents into a City building so that someone they had detained could use the bathroom. MLive reported on the incident and Council reaction, defending what happened.
https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2025/12/group-speaks-out-against-ann-arbor-letting-detained-immigrant-use-city-restroom.html
At their meeting on January 21, 2026, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners approved a resolution directing that ICE officers are not permitted to enter any Washtenaw County-owned, leased, or operated building or property, and that County employees, contractors, and agents will not assist them without a judicial warrant or court order. The County resolution called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to require ICE officers to clearly identify themselves including showing their faces and badges. County legal counsel was directed to collaborate with subject matter experts and Immigrant-rights legal organizations to develop further policy.
DS-1 (26-0017) is the same as PH-2 above
Thank you for taking the time to be informed about our local government!
Elizabeth Nelson