A view of the buildings that stand at 721 N. Main looking from the Summit Street side of the property. The large garage structure in the foreground is being considered for re-use, while two other storage structures will be demolished.
Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com
The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to accept a $87,704 hazard mitigation grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that will cover 75 percent of the costs. The city is expected to contribute $29,235 of its own money.
The two structures are located in the floodway of the Allen Creek. One is a 5,800-square-foot structure once used by the city for road salt storage, and the other structure is a 7,220-square-foot building once used for large vehicle storage.
This conceptual plan has emerged for future re-use of the 721 N. Main site as a greenway park, as part of the broader Allen Creek Greenway vision.
City of Ann Arbor
That facility is being studied for potential future re-use as the city develops a greenway park on the site.
Acceptance of the FEMA grant is contingent upon creating permanent open space by deed restricting the floodway portion of the 721 N. Main property, said Jerry Hancock, the city's stormwater and floodplain programs coordinator.
Hancock noted that's consistent with a City Council resolution from August 2005 that states the area of the city properties at 415 W. Washington and 721 N. Main within the floodway will be included in the new Allen Creek Greenway when the greenway is developed. A task force studying the property has proposed a plan that includes a series of trails and green open spaces on the site.
The city received a planning grant in 2005 to create a flood mitigation plan for the city. The council approved the plan in 2007, which made the city eligible to apply for the hazard mitigation grant from FEMA for the demolition of the North Main buildings.
Hancock said the floodway portion of the site already is encumbered by the Allen Creek Drain, an 8.5-by-14-foot arched culvert under the jurisdiction of the Washtenaw County Water Resources Commissioner, and a 36-inch city sanitary sewer main.
"Additionally, the floodplain and floodway at this site are under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and development potential is severely limited," he wrote in a memo to council. "Thus, deed restricting the floodway portion of the property is consistent with stated goals, actions and regulations at the city, county, state and federal levels."
Hancock said there's no timeline for the demolition, but he's shooting to get the buildings down down in tree to four months
City of Ann Arbor
Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.