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ANN ARBOR
From Page 5B
doesn't neccessarily translate into
an awkward community fit.
"Residents are good, traffic is
good, 24 hours is very convenient
for all of the students around here
... So it makes everyone happy over
here," said owner Vipul Patel of his
recently opened 7-Eleven on South
Main Street.
"I'm very confident that over
some time we'll be very welcomed
by the community," Patel added.
' on Up
Though the tally between chain
and local businesses might be hard-
er to detect, more noticeable within
recent years has been the city's ver-
tical expansion encompassing the
addition of Zaragon Place on East
University Avenue (with its sequel,
Zaragon West, already under con-
struction) and Sterling 411 Lofts on

Washington Street. This develop-
ment marks a rash of "mixed-use"
- a combination of retail and resi-
dential space - real estate in the
city.
According to Pollay, previous
zoning restrictions forbade devel-
opments of the buildings' respec-
tive heights. But while working on
a "Green Belt" initiative in 2003,
the city realized that developing
its "core" - the more central area
of downtown, and not its outskirts
-helped combat urban sprawl by
providing increased downtown
residential options.
"The zoning was changed to
enable mixed use and residential...
both of which are seen to be assets
to downtown," Pollay said. "The
more people that live here, the
more likely our retailers are to sur-
vive and thrive."
The efforts culminated into a
six-year rezoning process, accord-
ing to Hieftje.
Unsurprisingly, the development
had its detractors: In particular,
the construction of Zaragon Place

required the demolition of the
84-year-old Anberay Apartments
complex - a move which, accord-
ing to a February 2007 article in
The Michigan Daily, struck a nerve
with those attached to the historic
building.
Even today, a few years after the
project's completion, not all are
pleased. For some, low-rise devel-
opments are preferable.
"That's what Ann Arbor was,"
said Ann Arbor resident Don
Danyko. "If you want a big city, go
to New York. This isn't New York,
it's Ann Arbor."
Pollay concedes that there are
those "not comfortable" with
high-rises. However, she thinks
the project's completion signals an
understanding toward the impor-
tance of density, sustainability and,
with the presence of ground-floor
retail to grab individuals' attention,
a pedestrian-friendly city.
Also, she feels that mixed-use
high-rises contribute to the diver-
sity and character of Ann Arbor.
"That's downtown's strength,"

she said. "Same way that you have
an older building next to a new
building. Same way that you have
a tall building next a smaller build-
ing."
Still, similar to a distinct, small
business, the historical low-rises
further cement the city's welcom-
ing appeal.
"I think maybe from the gen-
erational standpoint it's a remem-
brance of good times or 'that's the
way things always used to be,"
Shaffran said. "Not that we want to
freeze dry everything."
While the city cannot legally
block any development that meets
zoning requirements, the mayor
noted that developers must adhere
to aesthetic criteria outlined in
the Downtown Ann Arbor Design
Guidelines. The extensive report
dissects the style of each area,
encouraging developments to
"reflect the design context and tra-
ditions of its character districts,
blocks and streets on which it is
located."
"It makes me feel pretty com-

fortable about some taller buildings
going in downtown also knowing
that we have 14 historic districts in
the city so there are some parts that
are never going to change," Hief-
tje said. "So when you get back to
it, how can we have this economic
activity going on in the city and also
protect this culture and heritage
that we have? That's part of the way
we're doing it - parts of the down-
town will be preserved."
Looking forward, Hieftje
remains focused on, among other
initiatives, continually strength-
ening the city's green identity
- through, for example, improv-
ing public transit to eliminate the
number of automobiles entering the
city - and, by extension, its overall
diversity.
Ultimately, any strand of
downtown evolution highlights a
complex intersection of policy, eco-
nomics and identity preservation.
"What we can do is plan for
(change) and try to direct that
change in a good direction," he said.
"And hopefully we're doing that."

OW"NTOWN.

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Reserve your seat at 4:10-5:00pm at the
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poetry series presents
An Evening with Pulitzer Prize-winning Poet
Franz Wright
September 23, 2011, 7pm
Reading from his newest work
Reception and book-signing
to follow.
CONTACT: Sarah Messer LOCATION: 7101 W Liberty Rd. Anse Arbor
Capper Colored Mstuntain Arts All Readings and Conversations are FREE
Emait: sarahtttec'arts.org and open to the public.
Telephone: 734-904-7487
One Pause Poetry and its prograins
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