Ann Arbor City Council discusses Comprehensive Plan, passes Green Rental Housing ordinance

Date:

The Ann Arbor City Council met in Larcom City Hall Monday evening to discuss the Comprehensive Plan, an outline of the city’s future regarding the sustainability, rezoning and affordability of Ann Arbor, and pass the Green Rental Housing ordinance, which sets an energy efficiency baseline for households. Councilmembers also discussed a resolution to partner with PFM Group Consulting and a documentary on an Ann Arbor Police Department investigation. The meeting began with brief updates from the Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority encouraging the use of public transportation and sharing future transportation plans.

During public commentary, Ann Arbor resident Kathy Griswold, former Ward 2 councilmember, spoke on Resolution 25-1062, which would approve the renewal of a service agreement with PFM Group Consulting for economic and financial analyses of city development proposals. Griswold said the council should prioritize pedestrian safety over consultant interests. 

“Our city’s persistent focus on projects, often at the expense of human-centric solutions, is directly fueling a preventable crisis,” Griswold said. “We demand an immediate and fundamental shift in priorities, invest directly in our resident safety, enforce common sense protections and cease allowing bureaucratic or project-driven decisions to jeopardize lives.”

The council then moved to discuss “DNA Dragnet,” a documentary that follows the story of the AAPD’s mass investigation and DNA-screening of hundreds of Black men following the murder of 32-year-old Christine Gailbreath in 1994 and the AAPD’s refusal to clear the DNA profiles of 160 innocent men. Councilmember Cynthia Harrison, D-Ward 1, said acknowledgement of the city’s involvement and role in the dragnet is important reparative work for the Ann Arbor community.

“This is why acknowledgement matters,” Harrison said. “The public remembrance, the discussions now happening through this documentary, that is reparative work. It is necessary, because part of reparations is truth telling. Telling the truth about what was done, about the way race, not justice, shaped the scope of this investigation; about the way systems designed to protect became tools of control and about the fact that it was this city that did this, not the federal government, but Ann Arbor itself.”

Ann Arbor resident Rita Mitchell, chairperson for the Ann Arbor Environmental Commission, spoke on the environmental implications of the Comprehensive Plan, stressing the importance of preserving nature in new development. Mitchell said the Planning Commission should apply more diligence in preserving Ann Arbor’s natural features. 

“The commission recognizes the complexity of including natural features, trees, plants, wetlands, preservation and mitigation strategies,” Mitchell said. “They’re not necessarily straightforward, but they do exist and they work. They work for us. We must avoid having to compensate in the future for loss of these important features that keep us alive, that provide essentials, including the joys of watching a pollinator move from plant to plant, the fresh feeling of air following a rainstorm and the energy savings from large trees that protect us and provide shade. We can’t replace existing natural features.”

During the second public hearing, many residents spoke out against the Green Rental Housing ordinance. The ordinance seeks to establish a minimum energy efficiency standard for households, including health and sustainability standards for the city. It requires rental properties to meet a minimum point threshold of 70 points in the first three years of the ordinance and 110 points after. The point system is determined through implementation of green policies, such as insulation or smart thermostats, provided in a checklist from the city. 

Local realtor Micayla Glennie said the council should ensure that, in trying to meet green quotas, the ordinance doesn’t raise tenants’ rents. 

“When I’m helping a renter, all of them have the same dream, and that’s to eventually buy in Ann Arbor,” Glennie said. “But every year, that dream slips further and further away, because rents keep climbing faster than the wages. That’s why I’m asking you to be absolutely sure that this Green Rental Housing ordinance won’t raise rents before you vote into law, because it could have real, lasting consequences to the people trying to build a life here.” 

Ann Arbor resident Viviana Andrade said she was concerned that the ordinance would force small-scale landlords with fewer properties to endure additional costs from compliance.

“The ordinance as written does not account for owners like us,” Andrade said. “Every dollar we have to spend on compliance either comes out of our pockets or gets passed on to the tenant. We are not opposed to energy efficiency. We’ve done improvements over the years, but we’ve done it thoughtfully on a timeline that fits both our budget and our tenants’ needs. This ordinance would force us into making changes on a rigid schedule with real financial consequences.”

After the hearing, City Council passed the Green Rental Housing ordinance. Councilmember Harrison said while the bill’s language justifiably raises concerns for landlords, rent control and climate action are necessary to ensure housing stability.  

“I do wish the messaging had been more direct,” Harrison said. “Yes, some tenants may see lower utility bills depending on what upgrades their landlords choose, but that’s not guaranteed, and neither is the idea that those savings will outweigh any rent increases. The truth is, in a state without rent control, landlords can legally pass compliance costs onto renters, and many will. Even with those concerns, I believe this city has a responsibility to legislate towards healthier living environments and toward meeting our climate goals, but that includes being honest with residents and backing this policy with protections to ensure renters aren’t the ones bearing the brunt of the cost.”

Summer News Editor Sarah Palushi can be reached at sarpal@umich.edu.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Share post:

Subscribe

Popular

More like this
Related

Gary Shteyngart’s ‘Vera, or Faith’ is sharp and sweet

A narrator can make or break a book....

Diane Keaton’s Singular Style: Audacious, Gutsy and Independent

She was the ultimate cool girl who defined...

Well-balanced USC offense tramples No. 15 Michigan, 31-13 

LOS ANGELES — From the opening drive, Southern...

Many failed third downs doom Michigan in loss to USC

Many failed third downs doom Michigan in loss...