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David Fair: Voters in Ann Arbor again passed two proposals that will change the future of what many call the Library Lot. I'm David Fair on on a post-election Wednesday. This is 89.1 WEMU. Proposal A allows for transfer of the city-owned Library Lane property to the Ann Arbor District Library. Proposal B officially rescinds the 2018 voter-approved city charter amendment that called for establishment of a Center of the City commons, a space to be used as an urban park and gathering space. Earlier in the program, we spoke with Library Green Conservancy President Rita Mitchell about her disappointment with the outcome. Now, we'll get a different perspective. Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor has been a strong proponent of the plan and advocated passage of A and B. And I'd like to thank you for joining us, Mr. Mayor!
Mayor Christopher Taylor: It's my great pleasure! Thanks for having me!
David Fair: Well, both measures passed by a comfortable margin. Still, I wonder if you had any moments of doubt as you awaited final results.
Mayor Christopher Taylor: Well, you never know what's going to happen to the voters tell you. And so, there's always apprehension on Election Night. I'm just grateful that Proposals A and B passed, and I'm excited about the prospects for what will be able to bring there for the community
David Fair: What about this made you such an advocate for passage of A and B?
Mayor Christopher Taylor: This has long been a, frankly, desolate part of our downtown. We also have an amazing public library with its central downtown branch with major infrastructure problems. The downtown library was no longer in a position to serve the community as well as it could. We had an area right next door at the Library Lane parking lot that has been desolate and fallow for years now, designed to hold a structure, but that potential not realized. This was a great opportunity to solve these two problems at once in a way that brings a great deal of activity and benefit to the community without raising taxes. And I'm just so delighted that we're going to be moving forward!
David Fair: You can officially say now that this is the will of the people. As I mentioned, both proposals passed by a comfortable margin, but the will of the people back in 2018 was to create an urban park and civic commons. The Center of the City Charter Amendment passed, and those who voted for it thought that was the future of the property. You and some of the members on City Council have been accused of intentionally derailing that version of the will of the people. Is that the case?
Mayor Christopher Taylor: Definitely not! No matter what the vote in 2018 was, one could not change some immutable facts. The parcel was never designed to be a park. The parcel is designed to a parking structure to support a 20-story building--the foundation's built to support a 20-story building. An urban park needs to have activity. It needs to have natural points of connection. That site was the side of the library across the street from the bus station, looking at the backside of Liberty and the sort of the gappy area to the east. There is no natural transit in that area. It needs to be activated. And we never had the millions of dollars necessary to put together some kind of urban space there, never had the millions necessary to program some kind of space there. The proposal back in 2018 was just simply not realistic, and it doesn't make sense to blame Council for the fact that it was never realistic in the first place, that there was never any plan to pay for it in the first place, and that the promises of finding private resources to fund the division were never realized.
David Fair: This is 89.1 WEMU, and we're talking with Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor on a post-election Wednesday. Now, I certainly don't need to tell you this election created a lot of community conversation. Passions were on high. The matter of density, housing, community character, all at the center. Was this, in your opinion, an extension of the ongoing and passionate community debate over the city's drafting of a new Comprehensive Land Use Plan? You know, a lot the same elements are there.
Mayor Christopher Taylor: I mean, it certainly was brought up in that context. I think they're separate topics, frankly. You know, the question of what we do with the downtown, what we with this roof of this parking structure, how we're able to utilize it for the long-term benefit of the library and the greater community, I think that's a fairly discreet question. I know opponents of the proposals were trying to ally these issues. We are going to continue to move forward in the way to promote equity, promote sustainability, do what we can to promote affordability. We know that, in Ann Arbor, median rents have increased over the past 10 years at two-and-a-half times the rate of inflation. Home ownership costs: the median home has increased at four times the rates of inflation. And we also know that supply and demand is real, and that housing supply at all income levels is needed in order to bend the curve and in order keep housing costs lower. One thing I'm excited about this project and about excited about Proposals A and B, it's going to, of course, enable a new, state-of-the-art library over the two parcels. It's going to provide 10,000 square feet of public accessible open space. But it's also can provide hundreds of units of new, mixed-income housing up above--desperately needed. And it's going to activate the downtown in a way I think it's going to be to the benefit of everyone.
David Fair: And I want to talk more about the future of what that is going to bring to the city. But before I get to that part of our conversation, I do want to cover a suit that was filed alleging the wording in Proposals A and B perpetrated, what it called, a fraud on the electorate. There is still a hearing on that matter scheduled for August 27th. Are you comfortable the election will stand in the process of moving forward will continue?
Mayor Christopher Taylor: I am. I'm going to let the lawyers deal with the lawsuit. In my view, the suit was merely an extension of the campaign and not a straight-up extension of campaign as well. The election has occurred. The voters have spoken. The city and the library are going to move forward to activate this part of the downtown, build a new downtown library for the community, provide housing to folks at mixed-income levels and increase the attractiveness and the vibrancy of what is already a great downtown.
David Fair: Well, let's talk about the property. As you mentioned, mixed-use development with housing, retail, a new library, and you mentioned some 10,000 square feet of what is called "programmable open space." Help me out. What's programmable open space?
Mayor Christopher Taylor: Sure. As folks know, the parcel next door to the library is a parking structure. It's a concrete box. The roof of this concrete box is approximately 10,000 square feet. This is areas where you just can't build up above because of the nature of the construction by design. And so, there's going to be open space there. It's going to be open space that the library will have under its control. It'll be a First Amendment public space, and the library will be able to program it. It will be able to organize events, structure its usage, provide for programs and activities on that site. It'll of course be available for the everyday use of regular folks without utilizing the programs, just in the way that people can come to the library for any purpose. But we know how innovative and exciting what the library has to offer throughout the community. And we also know that they'll be able to utilize this open space in a way that's good for everyone.
David Fair: Our conversation with Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor continues on 89.1 WEMU, so let's talk about the work that lay ahead. You have a working relationship in the city and the Ann Arbor District Library Board. What are the first steps in getting this off the ground?
Mayor Christopher Taylor: So, now that Proposal A and Proposal B have passed, the city and the library have to get together and finalize how the transfer is going to occur. I'm committed to getting that done as quickly as prudence allows. Once that's accomplished, and maybe even before that's accomplished in light of the fact that this is the direction, the library will be getting the work started to put some on the bones to design the the open space, to design the building, how it's going to work on the two parcels, to go out to the public and see what it is that the public is looking for. The library has had a great history of building new libraries throughout our community in a way that recognizes what people need and provides the best of library services. And I'm just so excited and optimistic that they'll do exactly that here in our downtown!
David Fair: Well, there's a lot of planning and work that lay ahead, but I'm wondering if you could paint me a word picture of what you foresee in your mind's eye, not only for the property, but its impact on that part of downtown and on the city as a whole.
Mayor Christopher Taylor: Yeah. I think, candidly, that part of the downtown has been underutilized for decades now. You have a node of activity on State Street, you have a node of activity on Main Street, and some kind of connection between them on Liberty. But in between, not so much. I think that's going to change. I think, five, seven years from now, you will see major structures on that site, major structures over the Library Lane parking lot, major structures where the current library is located. You'll see 10,000 square feet of public open space, people coming and going, programs and activities established for people to enjoy. You'll see a new, state-of-the-art downtown library spanning the two parcels. It'll have, of course, all the regular library services. It'll also have meeting space and performance space and some business incubation as well. And above, you'll see mixed-income housing. You'll see hundreds of people living at this location coming and going, bringing all the sort of the natural activity and vitality of people in their everyday lives. It will be transformative for our downtown, and I'm incredibly excited!
David Fair: Well, thank you so much for sharing your time and your perspective today, Mr. Mayor! I appreciate it!
Mayor Christopher Taylor: It's a delight! Anytime!
David Fair: That is Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor, a strong advocate for passage of Proposals A and B, and the majority of voters agreed on a new future for the Library Lot. For more information, you can stop by our website at WEMU.org when you have a minute. I'm David Fair, and this is your community NPR station, 89.1 WEMU-FM Ypsilanti.
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