dime go toward these projects,”
he said.
Now, in 2016, two projects
are competing for the space. A
memo was sent to Interim City
Administrator Tom Crawford
on Dec. 3 containing two dis-
tinct proposals from competing
real estate firms in Chicago for
the establishment of multi-mil-
lion dollar high-rise develop-
ments in the city-owned library
lot.
These
proposals
have
been under consideration for
months, but until now no direc-
tion has been given as to which
one will ultimately be chosen.
One proposal, from
real estate firm Core
Spaces
contains
two
possible
schemes.
Scheme B, a $10 million
proposal,
suggests
a
building that is 352,496
square
feet.
Scheme
C proposes a building
that is slightly smaller
— 22,524 square feet,
which costs $3 million
less. Schemes B and C
of this proposal have
purchase prices of $10
million and $7 million
respectively.
Alternatively,
a
proposal
from real estate firm CA/
Hughes, calls for a building
that is 273,334 square feet and
will come with a purchase price
of $5.11 million. It proposes an
updated design by removing
the majority of the retail on
the ground floor of the covered
plaza. It also calls for remov-
ing a staircase but keeping the
upper level terraces, with addi-
tional added rooftop terraces.
Though the council’s vote
will ultimately decide which
proposal is activated, Craw-
ford’s office has consolidated
information
from
relevant
departments within the city
and is making a final recom-
mendation that the council sup-
port the Core project.
Discussion as to how to
develop this lot has been ongo-
ing since the establishment of
the Library Lane underground
parking garage, the construc-
tion of which took place from
2009 to 2012. One thing, how-
ever, is certain: The land will
likely be a retail development,
not a park.
According to councilmember
Zachary Ackerman (D–Ward 1),
various city departments have
debated the merits of using
the land as an urban park, but
Crawford’s office is encour-
aging City Council to vote in
support of the construction of
a high-rise building instead.
Ackerman
noted
that
Ann
Arbor already contains over
2,200 acres of parkland, which
is difficult and expensive to
maintain.
He said officials in the Ann
Arbor Parks Advisory Com-
mission do not recommend
building a park in this location.
The damage the land incurred
during the construction of the
underground parking garage
connecting Division and 5th
streets between William and
Liberty streets is such that the
ground is no longer capable
of sustaining trees, which for
Ackerman makes the idea of a
park unrealistic.
“This space was not designed
with a park in mind,” said Ack-
erman. “To the north are the
backs of buildings, to the south
is a pretty solidly walled side of
the library and to the east and
west are one-way streets, creat-
ing very little visibility for the
park.”
Previous
councilmembers
have expressed similar sen-
timents, Rapundalo said the
inclusion of open spaces that
would serve as public domain
were shot down in earlier dis-
cussions based on the ultimate
cost to the city.
“While [the parks] are idyl-
lic, the fact of the matter is that
they do cost money,” Rapunda-
lo said.
The money required for park
maintenance would have to
come from the city, a financial
burden the council was unwill-
ing to adopt in the past.
The two proposals currently
in play for the property include
different
recommendations
as to how much land would
be reserved as common space,
but both meet the minimum
requirement set forth by the
resolution.
Councilmember Kirk West-
phal (D–Ward 2) said the idea
of utilizing the land entirely as
a public park would never have
gotten off the ground.
“The amount of open space
has been a tug of war
over
the
past
few
years,” Westphal said.
“A park covering the
full site was never an
option.”
Ackerman
said
he
sees the proposed plans
making use of the land
in an innovative and
productive way.
“There is the option
to see retail, commerce,
hotel and residential all
interplay at once, acti-
vating the area in a very
unique way,” Ackerman
said.
Because the city of Ann
Arbor currently owns the land
in question, Ackerman said
through the influence of other
city departments, the council
will be able to utilize the space
in a way that suits the needs of
this city.
“We own the land, so there
is a lot of flexibility about what
we can do,” Ackerman said.
To reap the most benefits
from the project, the city is con-
sidering selling the air rights
to the land above the Library
Lane Parking Structure, with
Core serving as the potential
buyer.
“The vote tally on Tuesday
might give an indication if there
is enough support to eventually
sell the land,” Westphal said.
Half of the sales price of the
lot would go to a trust fund des-
ignated for affordable housing
in Ann Arbor. Up to $5 million
could be placed in this fund,
2 — Friday, January 15, 2016
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
THREE THINGS YOU
SHOULD KNOW TODAY
For the first time in
almost 40 years, a
winter
hurricane
is
present in the Atlanic,
going by the name Hurrican
Alex. The storm is expected
to hit the Azores Islands
in Portugual, according to
CNN.
2
CAMPUS EVENTS & NOTES
Career expo
preparation
WHAT: Drop-in advising
and mini clinics will be
available throughout the
day to offer advice on
resumes, cover letters
and preparation for
the Fall Career Expo.
WHO: The Career Center
WHEN: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
WHERE: Student
Activities Building, room
3200
Drug discovery
WHAT: CDNM’s lecture
will focus on new medi-
cine strategies to attack
chronic kidney disease.
The focus will be on
molecular target inden-
tification and the newly
identified biomarkers.
WHO: Center for the Dis-
covery of New Medicines
WHEN: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
WHERE: Palmer
Commons, Forum Hall
British
actor
Alan
Rickman died Thursday
at the age of 69 due to
cancer, according to the
Independent Talent Group.
Some of Rickman’s biggest
roles include Professor Snape
in the “Harry Potter” films
and his role in “Die Hard.”
1
A capella
auditions
WHAT: WaterColors
Acapella student
organization will be
hosting auditions for the
winter semester.
WHO: Maize Pages
WHEN: 6 p.m to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Mason Hall,
room 3427
ISIS
claimed
responsiblity
for
the
Thursday
attack
in
Jakarta, Indonesia. The
attack took place in the middle
of a central commerical hub,
killing two and wounding 19.
This attack follows previous
terrorist attacks in Paris
and the suicide bombing in
Istanbul, NBC reported.
3
Chinese folk
dance
WHAT: This talk will
explore the styles of
contemporary Chinese folk
dance currently practiced
in China. Included will be
explanations, preformance
demonstrations and video.
WHO: Confucius Institute
WHEN: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.
WHERE: Michigan Union,
Pendleton Room
Astronomy
open house
WHAT: The Student
Astronomical Society will
offer free planetarium
shows, observatory tours
and viewings through the
telescopes located on the
roof of Angell Hall.
WHO: Department of
Astronomy
WHEN: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
WHERE: Angell Hall, room
5190
Preparing
historians for
the future
WHAT: The Symposium
will discuss whether
historians today are
prepared for future careers
outside of jobs at research
universities.
WHO: Eisenberg Institute
for Historical Studies
WHEN: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
WHERE: Tisch Hall, room
1014
Feel Good
Fridays
WHAT: Feel Good
Fridays provide a space
for University students to
relax and interact. Food and
activities will be provided.
WHO: Trotter
Multicultural Center
WHEN: 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
WHERE: Trotter
Multicultural Center
Writing with
Power
WHAT: LPD will host a writ-
ing seminar to improve busi-
ness writing skils and learn to
create reader-friendly layouts.
WHO: Learning and Pro-
fessional Development
WHEN: 8:30 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m.
WHERE: Administrative
Services Building
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to
be honored in series of events
Panelists, musicians
and lecturers to
celebrate his legacy at
symposium
By RIYAH BASHA
Daily Staff Reporter
Though classes will be can-
celed this Martin Luther King
Jr. Day, campus will be far from
inactive. The U-M Reverend Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Sym-
posium, which began Wednes-
day night with activist Alicia
Garza’s lecture on #BlackLives-
Matter, will be in full swing
this weekend as panelists, musi-
cians and lecturers take part in
over 40 events that both com-
memorate Martin Luther King
Jr.’s legacy and tackle issues
centered around the theme
#WhoWillBeNext.
“#WhoWillBeNext
repre-
sents two questions that arise
when injustice continues,” the
Office of Academic Multicul-
tural Initiatives’ theme state-
ment reads. “Who will be next
to suffer, and likewise, who
will be next
to lead and
carry
the
waters of jus-
tice as King
and
others
did
dur-
ing the civil
rights era?”
The ques-
tion of look-
ing forward
is especially
relevant
when applied
to the near-
ing presiden-
tial election, organizers said as
the symposium’s planning pro-
cess began last February, OAMI
Associate
Director
Lumas
Helaire said election season and
national
conversations
were
important factors in deciding
on a theme.
“As soon as we heard it, we
knew it would probably be a
great theme with everything
going on social-
ly and nation-
ally with issues
around
police
brutality,”
Helaire said.
Multiple
panels and dis-
cussions
are
centered around
the
upcoming
election,which
has seen can-
didates
take
controver-
sial stances on
issues of diver-
sity, race and immigration. The
Department of Afroamerican
and African Studies is hosting
a panel in conjunction with the
National Association for the
Advancement of Colored Peo-
ple on the impact of race and
ethnicity on voters, featuring
speakers like Ann Arbor Mayor
Christopher
Taylor,
several
professors and Rackham stu-
dents including activist Austin
McCoy and some undergradu-
ate students.
DAAS
Program
Assistant
Elizabeth James noted that
because
the
symposium
is
before Michigan’s presidential
primaries, students and attend-
ees have the opportunity to
build awareness before voting.
“With all the racial tension
in the country, it’s still impor-
tant that we have some sense of
solidarity as we all have to live
under whoever gets elected,”
James said.
The symposium, in its 30th
year, also aims to be a space for
campus to reflect on Martin
Luther King Jr.’s legacy and the
state of social justice at large
through various lectures. The
keynote Memorial lecture, tak-
ing place Monday in Hill Audi-
torium, is the traditional focal
point of the weekend and has
TUESDAY:
Campus Voices
THURSDAY:
Twitter Talk
FRIDAY:
Photos of the Week
WEDNESDAY:
In Other Ivory Towers
MONDAY:
This Week in History
LEFT: Ford senior Hattie McKinney
demonstrates her talent of apple pie
making at the Miss Phi Beta Sigma
Scholarship Pageant in the Union
Ballroom on January 8, 2016. (LUNA
ANNA ARCHEY/Daily)
RIGHT:
University
alum
Jessie
Lipkowitz, owner and director of aUM
Yoga Studio, leads the Michigan Yoga
Club’s first class of Winter 2016 on
Monday.(KRISTINA PERKINS/Daily)
NEED MORE
PHOTOS?
See more Photos of the
Week on our website,
michigandaily.com.
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News
See SYMPOSIUM PAGE 3
LIBRARY
From Page 1
“With all the
racial tension in
the country, it’s
still important
that we have
some sense of
solidarity.”
“There is a lot
of flexibility
about what we
can do”
See LIBRARY PAGE 3