Ann Arbor City Council Preview: March 17, 2025

 

Gentle readers, it's #a2Council night in Ann Arbor. Here's the agenda. 

The evening kicks off with a stacked, 23-item consent agenda. Of note, there are 4 street closures: CA-1 for UMix, CA-2 for MUSIC Matters SpringFest, CA-3 for the Forever Go Blue Bash, CA-4 for The Event on Main. Also, CA-7 is for approval for a contract for the Bicentennial Park splash pad, and playground improvements. CA-10 is resolution to direct negotiations of the amended 2857 Packard Consent Agenda. If you're looking for a refresher on 2857 Packard/the Weber Property, here's a an article from the archives: Let's talk about the Weber Property. 

There are 2 public hearings on the docket this evening. PH-1/B-1 is on the second reading of a township island annexation at 1146 S Maple. Excitingly, this is not being annexed as residential, but instead as a PUD. PH-2/DS-2 is for the 1146 S Maple site plan and design agreement. The plan is for a 4 story, 39 unit apartment with 100% affordable units. All the unite will be 652 sqft 1-bedroom units. 

A rendering of the proposed 1146 S Maple building called Hickory Way III

There are 4 ordinance fist readings on tonight's agenda. C-1 is an ordinance to update the fire prevention codes. C-2 is an ordinance to add the Sustainable Energy Utility ordinance to the city codes. C-3 is an update to the UDC to allow pinball parlors in D1 zones. I for one, can envision a future where Ann Arbor is full of arcades. It's very exciting. C-4 is an ordinance that would mean hearings before the design review board would no longer be required. I've heard that this will be postponed tonight though. 

On to the resolution. DC-1 is a resolution to authorize the City Administrator to negotiate city participation in the Arbor South Project. This would help set up a TIF district for the South State TC-1 district. DC-2 is a resolution to revise the 2025 Council Calendar. 

In Praise of Mama Pizza

 

Mama Pizza in the summer

Mama Pizza and Curry House is an incredible, hole-in-the-wall Indian/Pizza fusion restaurant on Hamilton at Michigan Ave. in Ypsilanti. The food is great (try the chicken tikka masala pizza), the setting unpretentious, and the price point is truly incredible. For example:

• Large cheese or pepperoni pizza, $7.99
  
• Chicken wings, 10 for $10.00
• Beer bottles, $2.00 each
• Basic Pizza Slices, $1.50

You can get a beer and two slices of pizza for $5. These are 2015 prices. 

Chicken Tikka Masala Pizza

Their basic cheese pizza is great with a good toothsome dough and flavorful sauce. Importantly: my kids love it and will devour it. It also reheats great the next day. As mentioned above, where Pizza Mama really shines is in the creativity. We've had and enjoyed both the chicken and paneer tikka masala pizzas. The chutney wings are great too. My kids also love the mango lassi which is quite rich and has a hint of cardamom. The menu is far too creative for me to do justice here and includes things like Detroit Style PBJ dessert pizzas or the infamous tuna melt pizza. 

Interior, Mama Pizza and Curry House

If you can, I recommend you dine-in at Mama Pizza. It is a truly unique experience. The small storefront has 4 plastic tables with plastic chairs. Sam, the proprietor, is a gracious host who will enlist diners in testing his latest experiments. We've been invited to try everything from rice pudding and dosas to spicy honey pizza. It might not seem like much, but my family loves eating or pizza in the restaurant and watching the parade of people come in to pick up their togo orders while we sample Sam's latest creations. I really can't recommend Mama Pizza enough. 

Mama Pizza on a frosty night

Ann Arbor City Council Preview: March 3, 2025

 

Gentle readers, tonight is the first #a2Council meeting of March. Here's the agenda. 

The meeting kicks off with a stacked Public Commentary. I'm counting 29, which means 15 will speak before the consent agenda, and 14 will speak at the end of the meeting. 

Then we get to the consent agenda. CA-5 is a contract for street resurfacing. It is strangely controversial because at one of the intersections where this is happening, the neighbors are opposed because they don't feel like they have been consulted enough. I appreciate their concern, but the city is able to make this intersection safer and save money. It is important for the city to prioritize the safety of the broader community. CA-1 is fun, it's approval for the Monroe Street Fair. 

There is one public hearing on the docket this evening. PH-1/B-1 is on the second reading of an ordinance to rezone 0.6 acres from R1C (single family) to PL (public land). 

There is one ordinance first reading on tonight's agenda. C-1 makes some changes to the city's non-conforming structure ordinance. 

On to the resolutions. DC-1 and DC-2 are tabled business from last meeting. They both pertain to the Public Power discourse. The former is to authorize a $1.7m contract to complete an electric grid asset valuation and municipalization study. The latter is to authorize the city to put a ballot initiative forward to authorize the purchase of DTE's infrastructure in the city.  

DC-3 is a resolution to order an election and determine a ballot question for a charter amendment to authorize the sale of the Library Lot to the AADL. For background on the Library Lot Saga, please check out Desolate and Uninviting—The Failure of 2018’s Proposal A and the Future of the Library Lot by Dan Adams. DC-4 is a resolution to determine an election to repeal 2018's Prop A, which established the "Center of the City." Could this be the beginning of the end of the Library Lot Saga? Only time will tell, but this is nevertheless exciting. 

If you want to follow the blow by blow tonight, make sure you check out the #a2Council hashtag on Bluesky.