Residents in the vicinity of The George (2502 Packard) should be aware of a public hearing before the Planning Commission on Wednesday, August 3, 2022 at 7:00 PM. Owners of The George are requesting approval to convert vacant retail space on the first floor to 42 one-bedroom housing units. I was made aware of this request in April and shared information about it here:
https://www.a2elnel.com/post/the-george-conversion-of-retail-space-resident-participation-april-2022
The appointed members of the City Planning Commission will make the final decision about approval of this conversion. This decision will not come before City Council.
Notice of this public hearing should have been shared with residents within 300 feet of the project. I believe that many neighborhood residents outside of this notification area would also like to participate.
For anyone new to the community: before The George was built, this parcel previously sustained significant retail including a grocery store. Prior to its redevelopment as the George, many residents in the neighborhood enjoyed access to walkable retail outlets on that site — the original redevelopment plan acknowledged this neighborhood concern and the first floor of The George was designated for commercial retail use.
As of this writing (July 29th 2:30pm), Legistar does not include any information about this agenda item. Staff tell me that information (including Planning staff recommendations) will be posted later today. This is a link to the Planning Commission meeting in Legistar:
https://a2gov.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=954617&GUID=30D1D7C6-6467-4F73-ADDB-4F97FEA39411
Update: Agenda items for this meeting were loaded to Legistar on Friday evening. Here is the direct link to the resolution/public hearing about The George:
https://a2gov.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5744566&GUID=4E8A39BA-B581-46A4-85EA-4D7218491A9B
This is the direct link to the staff report, with Planning staff recommending approval:
https://a2gov.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=11099937&GUID=9CFBB7F3-187E-4F29-B981-2E3CAD91B0FD
If you are interested in participating in the public hearing on this issue, see the information below about how to participate in (or share opinions ahead of) the Wednesday meeting. Note that this meeting will be held in person at City Hall, although public comment is available via Zoom and phone.
For more information about this development petition, you can search the City’s eTrackit project website (eTrackit does not allow direct links to projects):
- eTrackit website: https://etrakit.a2gov.org/etrakit/Search/project.aspx
- Search for the address “2502 Packard“
- From the results, click on the link for “SP22-008” named “The George Site Plan for CPC”
Below is a link to a series of Planning staff reports and responses for this proposed conversion dated June 10, 2022 (titled “06-10-22_NFE Response to all Staff Comments”)
https://etrakit.a2gov.org/etrakit/viewAttachment.aspx?Group=PROJECT&ActivityNo=SP22-008&key=ECON%3a220610025002601
Below is a link to the “Letter from Petitioner” dated March 11, 2022
https://etrakit.a2gov.org/etrakit/viewAttachment.aspx?Group=PROJECT&ActivityNo=SP22-008&key=ECON%3a220311012344863
Below is the City email sent July 28, 2022 about the Planning Commission meeting scheduled for August 3, 2022.
Thank you for subscribing to Planning Updates for the City of Ann Arbor. This message brings information and the agenda for an upcoming Planning Commission meeting.
Meeting: REGULAR MEETING (of the Planning Commission)
Date and Time: Wednesday, August 3, 2022, 7:00pm
Agenda Items:
- Public Hearing and Approval: University Inn Site Plan, 2424 & 2452 East Stadium Boulevard and 1950 Manchester Road – for 4-story building with 185 dwellings and parking garage
- Public Hearing and Approval: 2502 Packard Street Site Plan, The George – converting existing space into 42 dwellings
- Public Hearing and Approval: 1301 Morningside Drive Special Exception Use – child care center
Location: Council Chambers, Second Floor, City Hall, 301 East Huron Street, Ann Arbor, MI
Broadcast, Stream, ZOOM, Call-in Available: All options available
Attending Meetings at City Hall:
- Please first consider available broadcast, streaming, ZOOM, and listening/call-in options before attending a meeting at City Hall.
- While masks are not currently required upon entry to Larcom City Hall, City Council, board and commission meetings continue to require in-person meeting participants to wear masks covering nose and mouth.
- Keep at least 6 feet apart from one another.
- Do not attend if you have symptoms of COVID-19, have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or have recently been in close contact with someone with COVID-19.
Watching a Meeting Cable Broadcast or Online Stream:
- Watch the meeting live on CTN Cable Channel 16, ATT Channel 99
- Watch the meeting live online at a2gov.org/watchCTN
- During live meeting broadcast or stream, participate in public hearings and public comments by following the instructions below for either ZOOM or telephone.
Watching and Participating with ZOOM:
- Join through ZOOM on a device by going to www.zoom.us/join
- Enter webinar meeting ID 977 6634 1226, passcode 882 985
- Or use this link https://a2gov.zoom.us/j/97766341226?pwd=akdzTVllcnBBaGJNSlZJdFpDdGUrdz09 and enter passcode 882 985
- Use the “raise hand” feature indicate your desire to speak at a public hearing or public comment portion of the meeting when announced by the Planning Commission Chair or meeting host
Listening and Participating by Phone:
- Call one of these numbers
- 206-337-9723
- 213-338-8477
- 877-853-5247 (toll free)
- 888-788-0099 (toll free)
- Use meeting ID 977 6634 1226
- Press *9 to indicate your desire to speak to speak at a public hearing or public comment portion of the meeting when announced by the Planning Commission Chair or host
Speaking and Sending Written Comments:
- Any person may speak for 3 minutes at a public hearing or public comment portion
- Send written comments using the City’s eComment system at http://a2gov.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx
- Email Planning Services at planning@a2gov.org Written comments received by noon on the day of the meeting will be forwarded to the Planning Commission before the meeting start. Comments received after noon on that day will be provided to the Planning Commission as soon as possible but may be after the meeting.
- Complete information and instructions on electronic meetings are provided by the City Clerk here: https://www.a2gov.org/departments/city-clerk/Pages/Virtual-Meetings-.aspx
Downloading the Agenda and Packet Materials:
- Click here to access the calendar page.
- Select “2022” and “Planning Commission, City” from the drop-down menus at the top of the page.
- Click on the “Search Calendar” button.
- The agenda and packet materials may be found by clicking the “Meeting Details” link for the meeting date.
About the Planning Commission and its Meetings:
The City Planning Commission is a group of nine volunteers appointed by the Mayor and City Council to make determinations and advise on matters relating to the development of the city, including making recommendations on rezonings and ordinance amendments, as well as making recommendations or approving development proposals depending on the type and scope of the proposal. The Planning Commission meets on the first and third Tuesdays of each month to hold public hearings and carry out this work.
These meetings are typically broadcast live on Ann Arbor Community Television Network Comcast 16 / AT&T 99 and replayed the following Saturday at 8:00 PM. Recent meetings can also be streamed online from the CTN Video On Demand page of the City’s website https://a2gov.org/watchctn. The complete record of a meeting is available in video format at https://a2gov.org/watchctn, or is available for a nominal fee by contacting CTN at (734) 794-6150.
The Planning Commission also meets on the second Tuesday of each month in a working session and the Ordinance Revisions Committee of the Planning Commission meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month as needed.
For more information about an upcoming meeting or the Planning Commission in general, please contact Planning Services at (734) 794-6265 between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm or at planning@a2gov.org.
Below is the text of the mailer sent in April 2022, as well as scans of the original postcard.
Resident Participation Opportunity!
A development petition for a project at:
2502 Packard St
Ann Arbor, Ml 48104
has been submitted to the City of Ann Arbor for review.
Conversion of vacant retail space into 42 one bedroom residential units. This project requires a public hearing at the Planning Commission.
Your questions and comments are welcome and will be included in the final application submitted to the City of Ann Arbor. Please direct questions and comments to:
The George
ATTN: Ken Gold
2502 Packard Street
Ann Arbor, Ml
48104
In accordance with the City of Ann Arbor’s Citizen Participation Ordinance, the Developer for the above project is notifying residents and property owners within 500 feet of the above address. If this project is placed on an agenda for the City Planning Commission, the City of Ann Arbor will notice residents and property owners within 300 ft. of the above address. If you would like to be notified if this project is placed on a City Planning Commission agenda, please contact City of Ann Arbor Planning Services at 732-794-6265 or planning@a2gov.org.
