Ann Arbor Puts Up a Fight Against the Moravian

The South side of downtown Ann Arbor, officially known as Germantown, is lined with old, moderately sized homes occupied by professionals, workers, students, and families. At 201 East Madison, between Fourth and Fifth Streets, developers have been pushing to build The Moravian, a four-story apartment complex. They are being met with resistance from Ann Arbor residents and city planning officials alike.

Jeff Helminski, a developer at the Moravian Co. said he plans to market his building to “young professionals.” He proposed the construction of a 63-unit, residential building with 164 bedrooms, 90 underground parking spaces, and three work units. In order to get zoning rights, law requires that Moravian Co. must demonstrate that the building is indeed beneficial to the city. At a recent meeting of the Ann Arbor City Planning Commission, Helminski pointed out that the current zoning allows for a gas station to be built on the potential site of the Moravian, something that the neighborhood would have a much harder time fighting. 

Opponents have criticized the plan saying that it is really just student housing in disguise. Others fear that if built, the Moravian will draw other similar large-scale apartment buildings to the area, as well as to other downtown areas that have resisted such types of development, drastically changing the appearance and demographics of certain neighborhoods. 

At the recent Planning Commission meeting, Commisioner Erica Briggs expressed her feeling that "It's a neighborhood and it's really hard for me to see this scale of building next to the homes that are currently there." On average, the Moravian would be 3 stories taller than the buildings currently in the area. At this meeting, the Planning Commission postponed approval of the Planned Unit Development (PUD) rezoning and site plan for The Moravian at the request of city staff.  

Many Ann Arbor residents are protesting by adorning their lawns with signs that plead “No Moravian PUD.” 
 
The major difference between a PUD and a condominium is that in a PUD, you own some of the land, while in a condo, you do not. Thus, you are able to landscape the limited land you own.

The Germantown Neighborhood Association cites several reasons for their opposition of the PUD. They claim that “affordable housing in the structures slated for demolition will be lost and there will be no true increase in affordable housing.” As the plan currently stands, eight houses containing 19 units will be demolished. They also note that “green open space will be lost as well as mature trees…The miniscule pocket park and foundation plantings [that are a part of the current plan] do not compensate for the net loss of canopy trees and open space.” This town is called Ann Arbor for a reason. They also claim that “the proposed building is in the floodway and the floodplain of the Allen Creek. State law prohibits residential construction in a floodway. This project should be a non-starter for this reason alone.”

The project has already been redesigned several times. The originally proposed plan was for a building called The Madison, which was 14 stories tall and featured a design that was more sleek and contemporary than that of The Moravian, which is intended to better blend in with the surrounding homes. The Madison was then cut down to 4 stories with a lower level of parking. The latest rejection of the plan is not the end of The Moravian; the developers will likely present a revised plan in the future.

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Tue Jan 5 2010 05:36

The Moravian will be voted on at the Planning Commission on January 5, 2010. No notices were mailed or emailed to local residents. Unfortunately, the developer, Mr. Helminski, specifically asked for this date which has proven effective for catching people off guard right after the holidays and before the resumption of classes. He used this strategy twice before: holding a neighborhood meeting on December 23, 2008 and during the Spring Break for the U of M and Ann Arbor Schools in 2009. The Moravian is larger than most buildings in the Downtown and will wreck a historic neighborhood. It violates zoning and is incompatible with the Central Area Plan. The planning commission should vote it down once and for all.

Brian Biglin

Sat Nov 21 2009 10:54

This really brings out the worst in Ann Arborites, and that's too bad. But a four story building, which will probably be constructed of low-quality modern materials, really isn't worth it when you're talking about 19th century houses going by the wayside.

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