Title
Resolution Accelerating Development of the Center of the City Community Commons and Recognizing the Self-Organized Open "Community Commons Initiating Committee" as a Community Partner in the Process
Body
Whereas, Ann Arbor voters amended the City Charter in November 2018, designating the Center of the City public land as a "commons," to be developed as an urban central park and civic center;
Whereas, The City Council appointed a Center of the City Task Force to determine how to implement this voter decision, and passed its own Resolution to facilitate commons development;
Whereas, The Task Force met beginning in August 2019 and discussed for 7 months adopting unanimously and submitting a Report on the City Council on February 28, 2020;
Whereas, The City Council received and accepted unanimously the Task Force Report and its Recommendations to help guide the development of the Center of the City Central Park and Civic Center Commons, with the understanding that citizen initiative would drive this process;
Whereas, Some of the Recommendations define work and responsibility primarily of the City Administrator, such as to gather a Center of the City Block Partners Group from related governmental agencies and occupants of other spaces on the block to facilitate development of the Commons, to terminate the parking use and improve facilities on the commons spaces, and to include the commons development in the City Master Plan and planning;
Whereas, Other Recommendations express an aspiration for initiatives from the Community, such as on-site programming, creation of a Council of the Commons, and developing community support for wider commoning efforts such as sustainable economics programs, affordable housing, local currencies and time banking, a public bank, eldercare, childcare, and lifelong education and training initiatives;
Whereas, A self-organizing open "initiating committee" has formed itself to facilitate community initiatives in the de...
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