Huron, Fifth & Division Improvements
Fifth and Division Public Hearing Press Release (pdf)
Fifth and Division Designs (large files)
- North Fifth Avenue
- 100-200 North (pdf)
- 300-400 North (pdf)
- 500 North (pdf)
- South Fifth Avenue
- 100-200 South (pdf)
- 300-400 South (pdf)
- 400-500 South (pdf)
- North Division Street
- 100-200 North (pdf)
- 300-400 North (pdf)
- 500 North (pdf)
- South Division Street
- 100-200 South (pdf)
- 300-400 South (pdf)
- 400-500 South (pdf)
- 500 South (pdf)
Three major corridors - Huron Avenue, Division Street, and Fifth Avenue present the first view of downtown Ann Arbor to many visitors, and provide important means of daily travel for residents as well. Because of their significance, these corridors offer enormous potential to enhance perception and use of the downtown. In June 2003, the DDA began a program of improvement projects on these three corridors.
- Why study Huron, Fifth, and Division?
- Project history
- Current Activity - Huron Street
- Current Activity - Fifth Avenue and Division Street
Why study Huron, Fifth, and Division?
While Huron, Fifth and Division do a good job of moving traffic, the image of these streets as a reflection of our vibrant downtown is lacking. When these city streets are evaluated as more than a conduit for traffic, the picture is one of physical and economic barriers. In the past, our attempts to move cars through the downtown have caused us to overlook the value and needs of the people who live and work there.
The DDA has embarked on the next step to improve Huron, Fifth and Division as places rather than simply as transportation corridors. The outcome of these efforts will lay the foundation for coordinating improvement projects within a framework that reflects community objectives and goals.
Project history
The first stage of this program was the development of an "Urban Design Workbook," a study of existing conditions along these corridors, including not just the streets, but the sidewalks and adjoining private property, and collection of recommendations. This study examined not only access to downtown by car, but also created recommendations for improving access to and through downtown by foot, bicycle, or transit. Additionally, the Workbook included recommendations for ensuring that future private development along these corridors fit with current uses and for the development of public and civic spaces.
Exhaustive research and numerous interviews, focus groups, and community workshops resulted in the delivery of the final Workbook in August 2004 by Pollack Design Associates, in association with Quinn Evans Architects, Alexander Resources, The Greenway Collaborative, Inc., and Washtenaw Engineering Company. The Workbook included dozens of recommendations for public improvements, private development design, and public policy changes, and a priority matrix comparing the public cost and difficulty of various recommendations.
In February 2005, the DDA approved the selection of Albert Kahn Associates, Inc. to develop many of the ideas from the Urban Workbook study into detailed designs for public improvements along Huron Avenue, from Third Street to Thayer. In March 2005 the DDA approved the selection of Beckett and Raeder, Inc. for design of improvements along Fifth and Division Streets, from Packard to Beakes.
The DDA has reserved $6 million in TIF in its Ten Year Plan for implementation of these corridor designs, and an additional $1 million for improvements to the City Hall site, including a possible new community gathering space in front of City Hall, at the intersection of Huron Street and Fifth Avenue.
Current activity - Huron Street
Design plans for the Huron Street corridor stretch from Chapin St. to Ingalls St., the conceptual design plan was approved in November 2006. The next step will be for the recommended improvements to be submitted to the City for approval and then to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
Your feedback on the conceptual designs is welcome; please send comments to dda@a2dda.org.
- The Schematic Design Concept shows the corridor as having a series of distinct roles, transitioning from residential neighborhood to the downtown area to the campus area.
- Detailed overhead plans are in three sections:
- Selected cross-sections and side elevation detail
- Side elevations, looking north and looking south
Current activity - Fifth Avenue and Division Street
The design plans for Fifth & Division were approved by the DDA Board in October 2006. Highlighted project goals include the installation of north/south bike lanes, bulb outs at intersections to foster pedestrian crossings, LED lights to reduce City energy costs, and design elements at the gateway points on these corridors. The next step will be for these conceptual plans to be developed into construction drawings to they can be reviewed by City staff, put forward for site plan approval by the Planning Commission and City Council, and then submitted to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) with an application for grant funding.