[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6251148,"mediaKeyId","3196635-d73638f7ab868f87198ef2e3f7aaa346","parentId",3196635,"title","Ann Arbor landlords and climate advocates clash over proposed Green Rental Housing Ordinance","audioSeconds",1929,"startMs",709000,"endMs",2638000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3196635-d73638f7ab868f87198ef2e3f7aaa346&start=709&end=2638","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3196635-d73638f7ab868f87198ef2e3f7aaa346/thumbnail_709000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6251148/Ann-Arbor-City/Washtenaw-County/Michigan/Ann-Arbor-landlords-and-climate-advocates-clash-over-proposed-Green-Rental-Housing-Ordinance","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251148-a451d8c25ef645dd400c6f4eceb7c4af/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176504&Signature=PmNh7IkTs1T6~sc6HuRdhqtr0-tSf5fMM1KHfctVnnm0vG0sd7cNIcAjTe5krd2Xxvbe9AqdHs3EtYQ5wXT2jJbA7SfYkiPqgZzk2tj68kdBKLg3II-UWz~ru6xLH9qTgWDU4vhczWM91UmHi~aeTm91eVaLaoCIBZvkfCwYD3culoUA4USAiracQ3cuHliuZQ5zmohJ1L0A5x0pa5kZ2W7Cod6qolzqG-yawmJlm5ckL2lFcdtNUQU30fvr0QvNDzBNcuzq6mB-TJtezT4T6B0rZfn~fY2y9fMTWnWALjatyYwRfXdbp0HIEQ7EdiAiupGN1lw-CaBga9UNAGyd-Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","CTN Ann Arbor","date","2025-05-05T00:00:00Z","article","Dozens of landlords and property managers warned the Ann Arbor City Council on May 5 that the proposed Green Rental Housing Ordinance, as written, would impose significant compliance costs and could push small owners to sell rental properties, shrinking the city's housing supply.

The matter drew lengthy public comment from rental-industry speakers and sustainability advocates during the meeting's public comment period, with speakers asking council to delay a vote while the city collects more HERS (Home Energy Rating System) pilot data and identifies funding or incentives to support small landlords.

Amy Conley, a rental property manager who said she has worked with Reinhardt in Ann Arbor for 14 years, told council, “The scoring system heavily favors electrification, which appears to be a work around after the city's failed attempt to ban gas appliances.” She added the ordinance's FAQ that expects “many rental units will be able to achieve the requirements ... with little to no cost or effort” showed, in her view, a lack of experience with the local rental market.

Several property managers described concrete cost examples. One speaker said two otherwise similar units showed a roughly $30-per-month increase for an all-electric unit under DTE's budget plan. Angela Rasmussen, who said she manages 75 properties countywide, estimated that converting a furnace or water heater to electric could require electrical-panel upgrades that run “upwards from a thousand to $4,000 cost per larger appliance.”

Speakers representing landlords urged council to allow more time and incentives rather than penalties. Morgan Detve, director of a property management company working across Ann Arbor, recommended the city provide incentives, longer compliance timelines and more accessible waiver options so that small owners are not forced to sell.

By contrast, Melissa Spitz, program manager for the Washtenaw Ann Arbor 2030 District, said she supported the ordinance and emphasized its flexibility. \"Rental units in good condition with very basic energy savings measures like insulation are likely to meet the requirements of the ordinance already,\" she said, noting that rentals make up “55% of Ann Arbor's housing stock.” Mark Scurbo and Ken Garber, both residents and tenants advocates, told council the checklist option in the ordinance allows low- or no-cost steps that many landlords can take.

Several speakers asked council to pause a final decision until HERS data from the four pilot properties are published so the city can estimate actual compliance costs across older housing types, especially lower-rent units that make up much of the city's older rental stock. \"If compliance isn't feasible for many properties, we're going to risk losing some of those affordable units,\" said landlord Jordan Lehi.

The public comment record at this meeting was advisory; council did not vote on the ordinance during the May 5 meeting. Council members and staff were repeatedly asked to clarify the city's planned incentives and rebate programs, and to provide a clearer estimate of out-of-pocket costs for different conversion types, particularly for single-family rentals and older multiunit buildings.

Council members will have the ordinance, public comments and pilot HERS scores available before the next steps. Several speakers urged the council to prioritize funding supports from the city to reduce compliance costs for small landlords and preserve low-rent units.

The remarks came during the public comment period and were not part of a council vote at the May 5 meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Ann Arbor City Council 5/5/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Dozens of landlords and property managers warned the Ann Arbor City Council on May 5 that the proposed Green Rental Housing Ordinance, as written, would impose significant compliance costs and could push small owners to sell rental properties, shrinking the city's housing supply.","taxTitle","Ann Arbor City, Washtenaw County, Michigan","taxId",5773,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6251133,"Advocates urge Ann Arbor to deactivate flashing yellow turn arrows and fund quick-build road safety projects",288,2590000,2878000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3196635-d73638f7ab868f87198ef2e3f7aaa346&start=2590&end=2878","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3196635-d73638f7ab868f87198ef2e3f7aaa346/thumbnail_2590000.jpg","/articles/6251133/Ann-Arbor-City/Washtenaw-County/Michigan/Advocates-urge-Ann-Arbor-to-deactivate-flashing-yellow-turn-arrows-and-fund-quick-build-road-safety-projects","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251133-d6dae9635303566ed447ab97b163ee19/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176504&Signature=hX4gHZOUQ4SQ4b5Eu9cIalVP9QurVq57I3hcs37L2PyXAGEFKqvb~6fZZwZwEh0qT-4bcH78fAtvARnGWzHq9~tIgsasNrpg-7oByUYMEAgBukApsFc9dLRwQlZOvRw8szVmx~fUHIp5zWsKV6vlslplXULU0EOUHVB6AKLF7FYXN2oFIDRHjExTtfZaITt1dnZLqp5BguPW-cPwZwjxeQ~UrRRxXha2wjBtWNEzKyxp-mzX3ZLHPMfESQMGY8LOCbzGWJZSxHMDiOgBKj3~4bt4jZ5oMm2wp51VH8FYXGSHVI9mO-o4HQQxc~qi75tCbTy1if9XKQbOiCCaMi2ivQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Transportation and safety advocates told the Ann Arbor City Council on May 5 that intersections with flashing yellow left-turn arrows remain dangerous for pedestrians and should be temporarily deactivated until permanent fixes are installed.

Peter Houck, speaking as a member of the city's Transportation Commission, said staff has converted 17 of 26 intersections with flashing yellow arrows so those arrows cancel when pedestrians are present, but several remaining intersections require new hardware, software or coordination with the University of Michigan or MDOT. He singled out Huron and Division, where he said a pedestrian was seriously injured the prior week.

\"Deactivate these remaining flashing yellow arrows right now to protect public safety,\" Houck told council, asking Administrator Dehoney to support staff in removing roadblocks.

Separately, Adam Goodman presented a petition of roughly 300 signatures calling on council to allocate local funds for two-year quick-build pilot projects to reconfigure multi-lane sections of Stadium and Maple as part of an urgent Vision Zero strategy. Goodman said a Safe Streets for All federal grant the city expected was effectively frozen, leaving the city with no local quick-build line item in the proposed budget; he asked council to bring forward amendments to appropriate local funds.

Both speakers framed the requests as urgent public-safety measures. The comments were delivered during public hearings and public comment; no council action to deactivate signals or to reallocate funds occurred at the May 5 meeting.","Members of the public and transportation commissioners urged the city to deactivate certain flashing yellow turn arrows at pedestrian crossings until hardware and software fixes are complete and to appropriate local funds for quick-build safety projects, including reconfiguring multi-lane sections of Stadium and Maple.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6251138,"Community Land Trust buyers urge council to expedite approvals for affordable homes",261,2941000,3202000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3196635-d73638f7ab868f87198ef2e3f7aaa346&start=2941&end=3202","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3196635-d73638f7ab868f87198ef2e3f7aaa346/thumbnail_2941000.jpg","/articles/6251138/Ann-Arbor-City/Washtenaw-County/Michigan/Community-Land-Trust-buyers-urge-council-to-expedite-approvals-for-affordable-homes","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251138-c2d75585e18605bbc5c7da4b9444fbbd/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176504&Signature=Zl2JwU398CdR6X-mD5MHTl2joGBZePva6n~z9~O56i6Vwat1VG6YVxrNqQrZhayfs4V66R3IolhdacG0ZZVd3Bo-sDw3XdTKnBJNHZByMNl4kVGbCdalXjzON-CMa~yMWs4zUTf~f5sCUemSEtlmL88jbLyvrIW4rQgBBLgmc1tK63tcv1vJPHGMCXr803UvXCqODQ9IeR~h~RjT01t7sciR~WseRUh~8FYRfKq2GoGNg7cLqC8vHB5xqNO6CVIU6tl5YCHBi4qoAi-7lmGFjfv5yNlVwTsbhvBzBf~-YN02DaqOPiH0uOFxn0YGPFbqHZBXnxnVILdUQuK6Rp1pHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Potential buyers and organizers with the Ann Arbor Community Land Trust told the Ann Arbor City Council on May 5 that they are close to breaking ground on homes and asked council to expedite necessary approvals, including permissions to place two homes per site and housing TIF financing.

The community land trust has attracted buyers and said it has selected Norfolk Homes as general contractor; organizers described other municipalities that have used housing TIF and public-private partnerships to produce lower-cost for-sale homes and urged Ann Arbor to move quickly.

The council heard from Theodore Poling (via Zoom) and Sarah Lorenz, who said the land trust has lined up buyers and is nearly ready to break ground. \"We are almost ready to break ground,\" Lorenz said. She cited examples from other Michigan communities where similar approaches produced homes priced around $175,000 to $200,000.

A caller who identified as a recent land-trust lottery winner said the home would be life-changing and asked council members to \"help us, with these approvals so that I can live in a safe home,\" requesting help expediting approvals for adding two homes per site and obtaining housing TIF so the program remains affordable.

Comments were advisory; no council vote on approvals occurred at the May 5 meeting. Organizers asked staff and council to prioritize administrative steps for the land trust as part of ongoing housing and budget deliberations.","Buyers and organizers for the Ann Arbor Community Land Trust asked the council to speed approvals, citing urgent individual needs and the need to secure housing TIF and subdivision approvals so planned homes can move forward.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6251143,"Food Gatherers warns Ann Arbor Council federal cuts will force local funding gap of $2.5 million",176,2733000,2909000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3196635-d73638f7ab868f87198ef2e3f7aaa346&start=2733&end=2909","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3196635-d73638f7ab868f87198ef2e3f7aaa346/thumbnail_2733000.jpg","/articles/6251143/Ann-Arbor-City/Washtenaw-County/Michigan/Food-Gatherers-warns-Ann-Arbor-Council-federal-cuts-will-force-local-funding-gap-of-25-million","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6251143-6269dff217dabe6dc43ab4636027be6b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771176504&Signature=jgp8ohR9wzPjeORd7wK1HHrJ56wsNdcdJrRmsBYDIAwSQrB2OPnUJOGFTEb1jw1L7ZkdRYMMU6H1TbWPEBiVPIdfJ4-DBEEwhYuxNa2NVnUQKjlPeugR2TScvmQFDVKLXJ-7FPnxc~QC2t-MNmq0FPYw3A5dePKiLUrW7eCtK5xXDD6nCnB-KFC6WD6sfwKE7i9WdMphQ~M5W6JXuxz1DKW0OltWevfNgoEYWZlACn9zBBi4Y556lN3Blj~jD3xTixajuOluWlg1jXRJvMpthYFd7dE8-DTfX7FqPFW2zAC7SjkmEWnaLC5Mkk9BM0Nj6NVQoAgNAnkf6kJdn7DelA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Food Gatherers, the regional food bank serving Washtenaw County, told the Ann Arbor City Council on May 5 that recent federal funding changes have removed a significant portion of its donated food supply and that local support will be needed to maintain distribution.

Eileen Spring, speaking for Food Gatherers, said the organization delivered 9,900,000 pounds of food to 60,000 different people in fiscal year 2024 and recorded approximately 1,000,000 visits across the network. She said the USDA abruptly canceled half of a previously reliable food source in March, a supply that represented about 15% of Food Gatherers' total distribution and the equivalent of more than 1,200,000 meals.

Spring said a separate local food-purchasing grant that allowed Food Gatherers to buy from nearby farmers within 200 miles will end in September and will not be renewed. Food Gatherers has also seen federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program funding pause, she said, and the organization has been using reserves to maintain service levels.

\"We are actively advocating for the restoration of federal resources as well as seeking important support from local government entities and private philanthropy,\" Spring said. She asked the city of Ann Arbor to consider allocating funds to the local food safety net and estimated it would cost an additional $2,500,000 to replace the lost federal food sources.

Spring said Food Gatherers is surveying partners about prioritization—unhoused people, food-insecure households, children, veterans—and invited council input on which programs to scale back if replacement funds cannot be found.

Council members did not take a vote on funding at the May 5 meeting; the remarks were made in public comment to inform budget deliberations.","Food Gatherers told the council the organization lost half of a USDA food source and a local food-purchasing grant is ending in September, creating a $2.5 million gap to sustain current distribution levels serving Washtenaw County; staff requested city consideration of local funding supports.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Ann Arbor landlords and climate advocates clash over proposed Green Rental Housing Ordinance

Advocates urge Ann Arbor to deactivate flashing yellow turn arrows and fund quick-build road safety projects

Community Land Trust buyers urge council to expedite approvals for affordable homes

Food Gatherers warns Ann Arbor Council federal cuts will force local funding gap of $2.5 million