As Ann Arbor commemorates Earth Day, the debate continues over what to do with the Library Lane parking structure parcel.
Earlier this year, the City Council approved a charter amendment to drop the plans for the Center of the City urban park and instead build a multi-use complex including housing and a new downtown library.
Voters approved the park in 2018. They’ll be asked on August 5th to support the change.
Mayor Christopher Taylor says the park isn’t practical for the location.
“It does not make sense as a matter for finance, as a matter of geometry, as a matter of urban planning. There will never be a beautiful central park on this location. It is the literal roof of a parking structure, upon which no mature tree can grow.”
But longtime activist and park supporter Alan Haber says it can happen and has been done elsewhere. He says next to the Kaiser Health Center in Oakland, California, there is a five-story parking structure with a forest on top.
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