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Residents urge action on sidewalk funding, forest clearing, Hash Bash traffic and Earth Day permits
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Summary
During public comment, residents pressed the council to fund sidewalks and pedestrian safety work, criticized tree clearing and lack of notice for a Packard development, asked for a cultural easement for Indigenous practices, and raised concerns about Hash Bash traffic and event permitting for Earth Day and related activities.
Multiple Ann Arbor residents used public comment on April 6 to press the council on neighborhood and event concerns, focusing on pedestrian safety, development notification, cultural access and event permitting.
Kathy Griswold asked the council to prioritize CA‑10 (which she described as a roughly $4.7 million sidewalk project) and to fund citywide walk‑zone improvements. She cited the Ann Arbor Fire Department’s 2025 annual report and said it showed a 22% increase in vehicle‑versus‑pedestrian crash emergency calls; Griswold asked the council to budget “3 to $5,000,000” for A2 Safe Transport needs as a bundled CIP project.
Deja Chetta, who said she lives next to 2857 Packard, said heavy machinery had recently removed the understory from an eight‑acre forest and that trees were being felled without notice; she asked what residents should expect and raised traffic concerns for Packard and adjacent streets.
Jade Prang, identifying as an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux and a master's student in urban and regional planning, requested that the city sell or donate a cultural‑respect easement to an Anishinabek tribe or intertribal organization to provide legally recognized access for cultural practices and suggested Nichols Arboretum as one potential site.
Teresa Taylor described severe, repeated traffic congestion in the Lakewood subdivision during the Hash Bash Cup — a multi‑day event near Lakewood Elementary — and said congestion sometimes blocks emergency access; she said city staff are coordinating with the police and fire departments to explore mitigations for next year. Eric Brown and Alan Haber urged clearer, longer‑term permitting for Earth Day/Arbor Day events, with Brown proposing a week‑long permit or legacy group to streamline recurring community events and Haber asking for better in‑chamber hearing support for attendees.
What the council record shows
Council members acknowledged the public comments and some committed to follow up: Council member Briggs said staff will look into how parks might be used for cultural and Indigenous purposes and noted she would follow up on harassment and sound/assistive needs in the chambers. The consent agenda item CA‑10 (referenced by public speakers as a sidewalk funding item) passed as part of the consent agenda; the transcript did not record an immediate allocation beyond that vote.
For neighbors directly affected by the Packard clearing, staff follow‑up and any permit notifications would come from planning and permitting departments; the public record here documents residents’ complaints and requests for additional outreach and information.
