Near North's developers want the city to ignore its zoning and planning because their project would create 38 one-bedroom apartments. This would include 14 subsidized "supportive" units targeted at people with various problems, many of them formerly homeless.
This is the kind of housing Avalon has always provided, and we know they do it well - they already operate a seven-bedroom “supportive” house on this block, at 532 N. Main. They've been good neighbors to us, and we've been good neighbors to them.
But until the Near North project was introduced, none of us saw any sign that Avalon wanted more supportive units here. In fact, we had the opposite impression.
That's because Avalon already owns a second house on this block, at 618 N. Main. Yet instead of using it for more supportive housing, they've chosen to rent it to Dawn Farm.
Avalon could add another five supportive bedrooms on this block overnight simply by reclaiming that house. The fact that it has not done so suggests that until the 3 Oaks Group approached them, Avalon saw no need for more supportive housing here.
If that has changed, and Avalon now wants to maximize supportive housing here, it could, and should, propose a purely supportive project. As Margaret Schankler and Steve Glauberman have previously pointed out, they could construct 24 units on this site under current zoning. This would solve all of the worst problems with the supersized Near North PUD - while providing ten more supportive units than Near North.
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This comment was recieved via e-mail from Jean Henry. It was posted her with her permission -by Margaret Schankler.
ReplyDeleteThe five bedroom space leased to Dawn Farms by Avalon is used for transitional housing, not supportive housing. It is my understanding that transitional recovery housing works best in a group home setting, while supportive housing works best in single occupancy spaces. Both functions, transitional and supportive housing , are vital components of our social safety net, but they are different functions and require different living arrangements. Apples to Oranges.
That Avalon does not use that particular property for supportive housing should in no way be seen to construe that they did not see a need for supportive housing in and near downtown until this project came up. They have been working to increase supportive housing in Ann Arbor for a very long time. Generally speaking, social service agencies do not invent needs. I trust Avalon, based on their established record of productive and thoughtful service to this community, to assess their needs realistically.
I believe your best argument lies elsewhere.
Jean Henry