community notice: meet the new water street development team

At City Hall, on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 25, from 4:00 to 7:00, interested folks will have an opportunity to meet the Joseph Freed and Associates development team now charged with turning Ypsilnati’s somewhat-toxic, occasionally flooded and possibly cursed Water Street property into viable commercial/residential real estate. (Dare we ask if it’s built on an Indian burial ground?)

According a Freed flyer, “Land Planners, Architects, Engineers, and the Developer will be on hand to answer questions and take comments.” Maybe I’m being too cynical, but I don’t see there being much opportunity for community input at this time, even though, in the same flyer, they invite us to, “Come and help shape the vision for this exciting and important site.” (I’m sure they’re great people, and that they really care about our town, but it rubs me the wrong way when I read boilerplate PR bullshit like that.) Regardless, I think it’ll be interesting and I’m planning to attend.

Word on the street is that much of what the Freed team will be showing, in terms of conceptual plans, are just re-workings of what we saw previously from Biltmore, the last developer to attempt this project (ultimately bailing out and charging us handsomely for their time). The one good thing is, I’m told their back, at least for now, to putting commercial space in the units fronting Michigan Avenue — something that a lot of us were lobbying for after having seen the Biltmore plans, which did not incorporate retail… Anyway, it should be worth checking out. I hope to see you there.