Plan for Joint Public Space Checks Many Boxes, But Faces Challenges

Is it too good to be true? Should the city move with caution when it's said time is of the essence?

Tyler Kinley is proposing a slick plan for a public gathering space behind the South Ann Arbor Street wing of Murphy's Crossing. The building houses Carrigan Cafe, The Studio, and The Cobblestone Rose on the main floor. Kinley has plans to turn the second and third floors into apartments and update the building with outdoor stairs and walkways similar to those found on the Ann Arbor Street building, which houses Macs and other businesses.

He was already planning to use property behind his building, on which he once planned another office building, to allow for a public gathering place with an outdoor cafe and other amenities. That land is adjacent to city-owned land which would nearly double the amount of space and be approximately the same size as the proposed public space in the West Henry Street lot.

Here's a concept plan for the possible public space proposed for the West Henry Street parking.

Kinley pitched a partnership to Saline City Council at Monday's meeting. 

When you compare the drawing above to the rendering atop the article, you can envision how much space the city can add to the project.

Why This Proposal Has People Excited.

Details are scarce and the timeline is tight. The number that's been floated is a $500,000 investment by the city. Kinley said he's working with the MEDC on a grant to fund up to 50 percent of the construction. A $500,000 investment from the city could be nearly matched by state funds. 

Why would this make sense for the city and make sense for downtown?

• City Manager Colleen O'Toole said the city had been expecting a $1 million cost for the public space on West Henry Street gathering space. So the city could potentially save substantial money.
• The parking issue has always been an issue with the West Henry lot. In the plans shown in July, phase one of the project would cost 15 public spaces. Phase two would cost 40. That was already going to stir a debate before Drop Top Pizza opened and filled the parking lot regularly. The new public space would eliminate few, if any, parking places. Business owners on the southwest quadrant of the four corners have voiced opposition to losing parking. Business owners in the southeast quadrant have expressed support for the new plan.

• The summer music series on Thursday nights just has not been able to recover the crowds and the buzz since they moved the concert off South Ann Arbor Street. Last year's series was held in the West Henry lot and bounced back a bit. There's a belief it could be held in the new space behind Kinley's building, along with the city property, in new public gathering space. Moreover, perhaps all the events could be shifted across the street, including the Farmers' Market, Oktoberfest, Summerfest and other events.
• Downtown has long lacked a public square and a place for people to gather other than parking lots.
• The space behind Murphy's Crossing is hidden from the traffic and noise downtown. 

Concerns and Why It Might Not Happen

Kinley said he is presenting an opportunity to council. He was planning to do his project independently either way. However, in order to get state money, he believes he needs council to decide by January.  The proposal ran into pretty tough questioning from the city council money.

• Answering a question from Councilmember Jenn Harmount about the timeline, Kinley said he believed that if council committed funds at the January meeting, there was a high likelihood it would win funding. The longer council waited, the less likely it would be approved. Councillor Nicole Rice said she needed to see more "pros and cons" and asked for "more succinct" information before she could make a decision.
• Rice asked about how the construction project would impact businesses in the area.
• Councilmember Janet Dillon said that "timing is everything and right now this is a big ask when we are asking our residents to take a seven percent, year over year utility rate increase, when we're talking about the Rec Center and the deficit" and other things. Dillon said she's wanted a community space since moving to Saline, but said there are issues to solve. One of the big issues is who will own the property or who will control the property. She also asked if Kinley would be giving up his development rights to the property. Kinley said he believed they can work through these issues.
• Dillon said the other issue the city is talking about spending dollars when it really has no idea how it will fund the project.
• Even if all those issues are solved, there's an even bigger issue out there. Councilmember Dean Girbach stepped down from the podium to issue is concerns during public comment. He and his brother own 112 E. Michigan Ave., a property once owned by his parents. The city-owned land in question was once owned by the Girbach family and it was taken by the city using eminent domain to build handicapped parking spots. Girbach said changing the property use would trigger the eminent domain "revert clause" that allows the original owner to reclaim their land.

Girbach raised an interesting question about why this is just coming to council in December when a decision is needed by January. Kinley has been working on this proposal with city staff for months.

Girbach also said the city council has had two separate three-council meetings, to avoid a quorum, in violation of the Open Meetings Act.

Kinley, who has a degree in urban planning, had been following the city's efforts to identify a gathering space while he was working on a plan for his property.

"The reason I'm even proposing this is because I think this has a much greater intrinsic value to the city," Kinley said. He pointed to all the local businesses, from Salt Springs Brewery to the bank

"These are all aspects of downtown that create vitality and vibrancy. Further, the space itself lends it self to creating a sense of place. That's what I am seeing and that's what I hope others might see," Kinley said.

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