Michigan Live reports that a contested 51-home subdivision in Ann Arbor is moving forward thanks to a settlement that will save 75 trees on the 8-acre site. Developer Peters Buildings Company and the property owner Robert Weber agreed to save the trees and not to demolish a historic house on the property before April 1, 2020, in order to give the city time to move or preserve the structure. At one point the city was considering buying the parcel.
City Council previously decided against using parkland acquisition funds to purchase the property for $4.76 million – the price at which they said the developer and property owner were offering it – with the hope of saving trees and a historic home from the 1840s from being cleared. Council members estimate the land is worth several million dollars below the asking price.
The developer’s plan in 2017 called for cutting down 183 of 208 woodland trees that were at least six inches in diameter and 44 of 57 landmark trees. The city’s agreement to the settlement also acted as final approval of the site plan.
Bannister urged her colleagues to consider alternative sources of funding to buy the property. She said the city could piece together funds through a potential special assessment district, neighborhood fund raising, a greenbelt millage and more. Bannister also questioned how the council could reach a settlement to tear down trees when it just set a goal of a carbon-neutral community by 2030.
