The newly proposed development of the former "University Village" now titled "601 Forest" is going to be larger than previously thought.  From the rendering below, it will be enormous.  I thought the project was not a bad idea originally, but I've changed my mind.  This looks like a project for Chicago or Manhattan, but not the campus area of Ann Arbor.  Now is the chance to wise up the decision makers so they realise Ann Arbor does not have the necessary critical mass in that area to make sense of this without destroying what is already there.

The Planning Commission meeting it tonight June 3rd at 7 PM in City Hall, 2nd Floor, 100 N. Fifth Ave., Ann Arbor.  This is the chance to have your voice heard.

Below is the recent Ann Arbor News Article:

Plans for South University Avenue tower in Ann Arbor grow several stories

Article by Stefanie Murray for "The Ann Arbor News"

"If you are going to limit the growth of the city on the parameters, there is only one place it can go, and that is up. If you want density, you have to go up." - developer Dan Ketelaar.

Plans to build a $150 million, skyline-altering, upscale student housing tower on South University Avenue in Ann Arbor have gotten a little taller.

The shape and name have also changed, as the developers adjusted site plans following input from the public and city planners.

What was once dubbed University Village is now proposed to be "601 Forest" - a L-shaped, mixed-use building with a 25-story corner tower and 20-story wings spreading south along South Forest Avenue and east along South University. Previous iterations called for connected 22-story and 15-story towers, and 26-story and 19-story towers before that.

If built, it will be Ann Arbor's second tallest building and likely one of the most expensive private downtown redevelopments in recent history.

The city Planning Commission will consider the project for the second time at its meeting tonight. The commission tabled a decision in March.

The site does not need to be rezoned, said city planner Matt Kowalski, who has handled review of the project.

The proposed 464,314-square-foot student apartment complex, at the southeast corner of South University and South Forest avenues, has been somewhat controversial.

The building will house 1,142 people in 342 apartments and have a total of about 250 vehicle parking spaces, including a dozen metered spots. A total of 16,140 square feet of retail space will be available on the ground floor.

Nearby residents are concerned about its height and increased traffic. Many local business owners, however, support the project because it would mean so many more people living on the main business corridor of the southern campus area of the University of Michigan.

"If you are going to limit the growth of the city on the parameters, there is only one place it can go, and that is up. If you want density, you have to go up," said Dan Ketelaar of Omena Real Estate Investments, one of 601 Forest's developers.

"You have to create enough density to create a marketability of value, an economy of scale, if you will."

The South University Area Association is backing 601 Forest.

"From the business community down here, this is exactly what we need," said Dennis Tice, president of the association and an owner of the Pizza House restaurant. "It is absolutely critical for this downtown to have projects like this."

Nearby student housing structures include the 18-story University Tower and the under-construction 10-story Zaragon Place.

Construction of 601 Forest would mean demolition of five buildings that sit on less than two acres of land, including a 39-unit apartment building and the Village Corner store. Ketelaar and Ron Hughes of Hughes Properties in Bingham Farms are leading a group of investors behind the project.

The developers plan to apply for 601 Forest to be certified through the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental design program, known as LEED. They are also pursuing brownfield tax credits.

A second-story terrace with green space will be built for residents, and much of the roof will be green, too.

"We've vertically broken up the towers throughout with different color and materials," Ketelaar said. "We've tried to create it so there is a street level rhythm on the facade, broken up in columns, and then we carried that through the towers so it has the appearance of three towers."

Ketelaar said the "U" shape of the building was changed to an "L" shape when architects removed the southern wing of the building so it would not loom over nearby residences on Forest Court.

Amenities of the apartments will include a fitness center, lounges, cafe area, pool tables, a computer center and 24-hour security and surveillance. Resident assistants will live on each floor. A typical apartment will cost $1,000 per bed per month.

If the project is approved by the city, Ketelaar said, he and Hughes hope to begin demolition later this year and installation of the infrastructure for the geothermal heating and cooling system by fall. After it gets through the Planning Commission, the site plan must go to City Council for final approval.

The developers had originally planned to have the project completed by 2010, but now say the building won't be open to students until fall 2011 at the earliest.