The Ann Arbor City Council met at Larcom City Hall Monday evening to hear presentations on recent progress from various city departments and civic organizations and discuss future city projects, including the Fourth Avenue Project and the 350 South Fifth Avenue project. The council heard presentations from the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, the Downtown Development Authority, theSustainable Energy Utility and Supportive Connections. The council also heard sustainability proposals from city officials as part of the newly launched 5 Ideas program.
The meeting began with a presentation from Shannon Polk, president and CEO of the AAACF, who spoke about the results of the 2025 Washtenaw County Housing Affordability and Stability Study. Polk said that despite high housing costs in some parts of the county, there is plenty of variation in affordability within the area.
“When you look through price and affordability, some places are pricey, but it’s not incredibly exorbitant,” Polk said. “For most people, they will find some place across the county where they can live.”
The study found Washtenaw County to be in need of 10,895 affordable rental units and 4,010 ownership units. Based on the ratio of household incomes to housing supply, the study says the overall countywide market is relatively healthy, and that there is not a countywide housing crisis.
Councilmember Lisa Disch, D-Ward 1, said although the study didn’t technically classify Ann Arbor’s housing market as a crisis, housing affordability in the city is still a serious concern.
“We can debate at what point do you call something a housing crisis, but when one looks at the rate at which rents are rising faster than income, it’s alarming,” Disch said. “If you look back to 2015 it was better than it is now, so it’s alarming that, in a decade, you see the acceleration we’ve seen.”
Maura Thomson, DDA executive director, then described the Fourth Avenue Project, which would reconstruct Fourth Avenue between William and Liberty streets to improve accessibility for pedestrians boarding buses.
“The idea will be to either have a large installation or a series of installations to add creativity, warmth and a sense of place to this critical transit block,” Thomson said. “It’s a block that houses our transit hub, and it should have the attention it deserves.”
Thomson said the operations of The Ride, Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti’s shared public transit system, will be significantly impacted by construction around the Blake Transit Center, which is expected to last through most of 2026.
“(The Ride) has been considering moving operations — they’re actually looking for other space,” Thomson said. “It’s a huge impact. They almost can’t operate during construction in that location.”
The area surrounding Blake Transit Center is expected to be further impacted by construction due to the 350 South Fifth Avenue project, a housing development projected to include approximately 330 units of affordable housing.
Jonathan Laye, Supportive Connections program director, which provides social services to assist people in crisis, proposed a mental health crisis response team to the council. The unarmed response team would work with the Ann Arbor Police Department, aiming to train more than 20% of officers in crisis response and intervention. Laye said Supportive Connections’ work is part of a broader shift toward community-based crisis responses.
“Across the country, communities are recognizing that the vast majority of behavioral health crises do not need enforcement — they need support,” Laye said. “They need de-escalation. They need someone who will show up and say, ‘Tell me what’s going on,’ and then, ‘How can I be of service to help you?’”
Finally, the council introduced a new program called 5 Ideas, which provides time during City Council meetings for city officials to offer new and unconventional proposals that may or may not become official projects.
Jennifer Lawson, Ann Arbor water quality manager, began the 5 Ideas segment by proposing the construction of a sponge park at 721 N. Main St. The park would be built with plants, soil and permeable surfaces to absorb rainwater runoff from nearby urban areas and reduce the burden on drainage systems.
Deputy City Administrator Mariah Walton praised the 5 Ideas program, saying it will make the council more flexible to constituents’ needs.
“Innovation is not new in Ann Arbor, it is what keeps us sharp, keeps us responsive and ready to pivot to address the community’s needs,” Walton said.
Daily Staff Reporter Niko Wilson can be reached at nikow@umich.edu.