Ann Arbor is in the midst of the largest downtown residential boom in the city’s history. Since 2004, 16 new apartment buildings and two new University of Michigan dorms have added nearly 6,000 beds in the downtown area. In addition, the number of new condos built in the downtown area since 2001 is approaching 400, with 140-plus more on the way.

In 2009, former Mayor John Hieftje was at the helm when the city adopted zoning laws that incentivized more residential high-rise construction. DDA Executive Director Susan Pollay, since taking the position in 1996, has seen Ann Arbor’s downtown change substantially.

In the above video, both describe how they’ve seen the face of downtown evolve over the years.

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