On June 1, I took an initiative in behalf of the many of the Ann Arbor Public who have spoken for keeping the entirety of the Library Lot as a Public Space.

The City Council has contracted with a broker to solicit and evaluate private offers to buy and develop the public land, (keeping a portion to be set aside as a future urban park.)  They will recommend the best the private offers.

However, the terms of the “offering memorandum” OM, allow the City 180 days to make a decision .  That allows the Public 180 days to bring forward a “public option” to “not sell” but to keep the land for public development.

My letter to the City Council is attached below.  I hope you will read it. It describes some of my vision and others for our central downtown place, –an Ann Arbor Community Commons, with a Green Park, Plaza and Civic Center Building– and how to achieve it and the sad history of the City policy process to this point.

I asked the City Council to wait the full length of time allowed in their contract with the broker, to allow the caring public to bring forward a public proposal, better than whatever the private market might offer.

Are you interested?

I set up a new email address to gather interest: public.ann arbor@gmail.com

Unless we public citizens can produce an alternative, this center of town will be sold to some private developer and some maximum density, high as possible, building will be there, like it or not.

Of course, to make an alternative requires a “public process,” what  people asked for from the beginning.

Unfortunately the City Government has shown itself not  able to do that. First they don’t want it.  Second the staff is fully committed and seem not to have the diverse skill set to do it, Give them a problem, they hire a consultant or team of consultants,  And third, the powers-that-are seem committed to Taxes and TIFs above all else

I am audacious and optimistic enough to believe  the necessary resources, talent, creativity and initiatives exist in our community to do all that needs to be done, without calling on the City Budget or City Staff to do what we the people can do for ourselves.

To develop such a viable, compelling “public option, –beautiful, open, safe, diverse and funded — will require a number of concurrent working/ and interest groups  to plan and prepare implementations.

• vision– all the good ideas
• design — how to put them together
• architctual drawings — translating concepts into doable details
• building and construction — landscaping and planting,
• water systems best practice
• energy systems all green
• programming –what’s to go on, and how,  24/7, all seasons.
• governance, decision making and liaison with the city and other groups
• culture of peace, non-violence and security
• economics  and funding

I’m sending this invitation, inclusively, to as many people in my E-mail memory as seem local and might be interested.  That’s how  you got it.  I hope you are interested,

What can you offer? what do you need? are two beginning questions.

I hope you will do the same with your friends and email memory.  This is a successive reaching out process.  On the basis of replies and interest, we’ll design the next step.  Consider this participatory democracy in action.

Reply to: public.annarbor@gmail.com

Alan Haber

Ann Arbor