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Resident urges committee to prioritize preserving Water Street's wild river access
Summary
At the meeting, Ward One resident Shay Hadron urged the committee to consider whether Water Street should be developed at all, asking that the RFQ prioritize preserving the site's river access, wildlife habitat and informal public uses.
At the committee meeting one public commenter urged officials to prioritize preserving Water Street's wild character and river access rather than immediately advancing development plans.
"I am Shay Hadron and I'm a resident of Ward One," the commenter said during the public‑comment period. She described walking along the trail near Water Street and said the green space and access to the river were a key reason she moved to Ypsilanti. "We're asking how to develop Water Street, but not whether we should," she said, urging the committee to weigh the river and ecosystem in the RFQ and to preserve as much wild space as possible.
Hadron said the land provides stormwater absorption, wildlife habitat and informal access to nature, and that restoring and preserving those functions could deliver long‑term community benefits that exceed near‑term tax revenue.
Committee members acknowledged the comment and continued into a multi‑hour presentation and RFQ discussion with consultants and staff; no formal instruction to change the RFQ scope was recorded in this meeting, and staff said redline edits and visioning input will be solicited before RFQ release.
