Title
Resolution to Direct the City Administrator to Engage with the Federal Government on the Redevelopment of Federal Plaza at 200 East Liberty Street
Memorandum
This resolution directs the City Administration to engage with the federal government on the redevelopment of the plaza in front of the federal building at 200 East Liberty Street. The General Services Administration (GSA) has been pursuing a redevelopment of the plaza for several years, and recent discussions about the future of the federal building have led to the potential for a new vision for the project. The GSA is engaging a planning and design team this summer, and City leadership and the GSA believe there is an opportunity to build an expanded federal plaza utilizing the 200 block of Liberty Street that affronts the northern edge of the federal building property and incorporating it into the plaza. The current right-of-way would remain City property but would be developed jointly with the federal government. This expanded federal plaza would be pedestrian only and could be used as community gathering space for special events such as concerts, fairs, or civic gatherings, and could also be a space for bordering restaurants and retailers to serve and vend when weather is permitting.
Staff
Prepared by: John Fournier, Deputy City Administrator
Reviewed by: John Fournier, Deputy City Administrator
Approved by: Milton Dohoney Jr., City Administrator
Body
Whereas, The federal building located at 200 East Liberty Street hosts a small but notable plaza that the federal government is intending to redevelop in the coming years;
Whereas, The General Services Administration (GSA) has been meeting with city stakeholders and signaling an intent to reimagine the plaza for the last two years;
Whereas, Through discussions on the future of the federal building site, the City of Ann Arbor and the GSA have realized there is an opportunity to redevelop the federal plaza with a new vision that provides a higher value amenity for Ann Arborites;
Whereas, Incorporating the existing right of way along Liberty Street into the plaza footprint may provide a higher quality installation for residents and visitors, provide an important opportunity to create a pedestrian plaza, and provide a community gathering space for special events such as concerts, fairs, or civic gatherings, and a space for bordering restaurants and retailers to serve and vend when weather and events are permitting;
Whereas, The development of such a plaza would be in line with the City’s transportation goals by creating a safe pedestrian space along a key block in the downtown area, and help facilitate a transition away from car-centric infrastructure and toward a more sustainable and people friendly design;
Whereas, The City and the DDA are also commencing a year-long circulation study in the downtown this summer, which is partly intended to identify sections of right of way in the downtown that would be good candidates for fully pedestrianized blocks such as this one; and
Whereas, Working in partnership with the GSA, the opportunity exists to explore multiple options for creating a more vibrant and welcoming pedestrian plaza on the 200 block of East Liberty;
RESOLVED, The City Council directs the City Administrator to engage with the GSA to develop a combined vision that may incorporate portions of the right of way along the 200 block of East Liberty Street for a new and expanded federal plaza; and
RESOLVED, The City Council directs the City Administrator to ensure that the circulation study and this federal plaza design process are sufficiently coordinated with each other so as to ensure that one does not pre-empt the other, and each benefits from the input and analysis of the other and from community and downtown stakeholder input.
Sponsored by: Mayor Taylor and Councilmembers Akmon, Eyer, Disch and Briggs
As Amended and Approved by Ann Arbor City Council on June 20, 2023