Connecting William Street













 


 Project Summary:

“Connecting William Street” is a district planning process dedicated to crafting and implementing strategies to transform five city-owned parking areas into uses that will better serve the community: the Library Lot, the Old Y Lot, the ground floor of the 4th & William Parking Structure, the Palio Lot, and the Kline Lot in downtown Ann Arbor.


At the authorization of the Ann Arbor City Council, the DDA is leading the project, taking an innovative approach to both process and outreach. Through earlier downtown planning efforts, the community provided broad guidance (shaping City policy through projects such as A2D2 , the Downtown Plan, and the Calthorpe Report). “Connecting William Street” will build on these efforts, resulting in development priorities for these five City-owned parcels.

The DDA Partnerships/Economic Development Committee is overseeing the Connecting William Street planning process and has established a Leadership and Outreach Committee (LOC) made up of downtown residents, employees, business owners, and representatives from the City and DDA to guide the process. 


Process Overview: 
The DDA's work will be a continuation of City planning to date, building on the vision and goals established by the community for downtown.

Leadership & Outreach Steering Committee:
To help engage the community, the Partnerships Committee has established a Leadership and Outreach Committee made up of residents, business owners, and downtown employees, as well as DDA, City Council, and Planning Commission representatives. This group is a vital sounding board and leadership that will work directly with DDA and City staff to help shape the process, gather input, and make a final recommendation to the DDA. The DDA Board will then make a recommendation to City Council. All committee meetings are open to the public, the next meeting is March 26th, 2012 at 2:30 pm in the DDA offices. 



To learn more about members of the Leadership & Outreach Committee, click here:  LOC Member Bios 

The Connecting William Street process is anticipated to consist of three phases:
  • Phase 1: Common Knowledge - Compile information about the planning area & goals from foundation documents
  • Phase 2: Identifying Opportunities - Identify opportunities to use these parcels to meet community goals into the future
  • Phase 3:The Emerging Framework Plan - Use technical and outreach input to draft framework plans and refine a final plan, with feedback from the public, that will be presented to City Council for approval 

Final outcome:
The process will include developing a clear understanding of what’s been planned to date, identification of ways we can increase connectivity, and a distillation of community expectations for the future use of these properties.
The process will result in three final products:
  • A strategic framework plan (a user-friendly document that uses both text and visuals to illustrate City Council planning to date as well as those elements identified through the A2P5 planning process – economic analysis, connectivity enhancements, and community feedback regarding fulfilling established goals).
  • Redevelopment evaluation criteria (criteria that further defines the goals, needs, and vision for this area of downtown and that establishes a measurable tool for decision-making)
  • Alternative scenarios for how future development could be realized (RFP, RFQ, land sale, land lease, etc)
Outreach and Opportunities for Engagement:
The LOC has helped shape a creative outreach process to engage a broad diversity of voices, including residents, employees, visitors, non-profit and advocacy organizations, business owners, and public agencies. The committee approved an Outreach and Communications Plan at their Janury 2011 meeting, which includes approaches such as an electronic survey, webinar, and public speaker series.

To view the Outreach and Communications Plan, Click here: Outreach Plan 

Current Public Engagement Opportunities:
In partnership with Concentrate Magazine, the DDA is hosting a "Great Places" Speaker Series to explore best practices for creating a vibrant downtown along with the community. The upcoming event topic will focus on economic development and talent attraction and will take place in Conor O'Neill's Celtic Room (318 S. Main St) on Thursday, May 17th at 5pm. In addition, all Leadership and Outreach meetings are open to the public.

Next LOC Meetings:
  • Wednesday, May 16th, at 2:30 pm in the DDA Office

Click below to view videos of the speaker events:
  • The Complete Downtown Experience - featuring Dan Gilmarting Executive Director of the Michigan Municipal League, recorded on March 29th at Conor O'Neill's Celtic Room

If you'd like to be added to the outreach email list or have questions/comments about the project, please email: amiller@a2dda.org 
Project Information and Leadership and Outreach Meeting Materials

Project Timeline (Updated Dec 2011):

LOC Meeting Materials:
  LOC Meeting 1, October 11, 2011

LOC Meeting 2, November 2, 2011

LOC Meeting 3, December 9, 2011

LOC Meeting 4, January 9th, 2011

LOC Meeting 5, March 26th, 2012

The Next LOC Meeting is currently being scheduled and is expected to take place in mid-May.