May 6, 2016: ReImagine Washtenaw and Pittsfield Charter Township Pursue Safe Pedestrian Crossings. County and Pittsfield Township representatives recently completed a pedestrian and bicyclist count over two days in April in order to explore the feasibility of one or two mid-block crossings in the vicinity of the County Service Center and Glencoe Hills apartments, located east of the Carpenter Road intersection. This area is challenging, with numerous transit users and walkers accessing the area but with inadequate safe crossing locations. The 2014 Washtenaw Avenue Corridor Study already calls for multiple crossings in the area. The report of the pedestrian count study results has been submitted to MDOT for its review and analysis, with the intention to have the area approved for one or more mid-block crossings. The report observed 705 individuals, mostly transit users, accessing the area, and 37% (260) of those individuals crossing the area mid-block (not at a marked pedestrian crossing). This is not surprising, given the excessive distance of the Carpenter Road intersection to the next marked crossing at Glencoe Crossing shopping center traffic signal (3,400 ft. distance). Several articles recently were posted by Mlive.com about this stretch of the corridor, as well: April 26th, 2016 Article. April 28th, 2016 Article.

June 8, 2015: Press Release: ReImagine Partners Adopt Complete Street Plan for Washtenaw Avenue. On Monday, June 1st, the City of Ann Arbor became the fifth and final jurisdiction to adopt the ReImagine Washtenaw Corridor Improvement Study, giving the regional planning, land use, and transportation partnership new momentum for continued implementation of the long-term vision for the corridor. Download the press release issued by the Washtenaw County Office of Community & Economic Development here.

April 27, 2015: The City of Ann Arbor City Council postponed adoption of the Corridor Improvement Study during the April 20, 2015 meeting, and scheduled a public hearing for June 1st, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. Follow this link to download relevant supporting documents provided to City Council in consideration of ReImagine Washtenaw's request that the City of Ann Arbor adopt the Study.

The Corridor Improvement Study has been adopted by the City of Ypsilanti, Ypsilanti Township, Pittsfield Township, and Washtenaw County. As an important ReImagine Washtenaw partner, the City of Ann Arbor is also asked to adopt the study. With all stakeholders adopting the Study, the coalition can begin moving forward in unison to implement the future cross-sections that are illustrated in the Study. This includes ensuring proper building setbacks, dedicating additional public access, or right-of-way, as properties are proposed for redevelopment, filling in sidewalk gaps, improving bus stops, optimizing the traffic signals, and other improvements. Please consider coming to the June 1st public hearing before the Ann Arbor City Council to share your thoughts about ReImagine Washtenaw with local elected officials.

March 30, 2015: The City of Ann Arbor is hosting a business and property owner meeting at the United Way Building, 2305 Platt Road, Ann Arbor, 48104, at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, March 31st to discuss the Corridor Improvement Study. Here is the presentation that will be discussed. The City of Ann Arbor City Council is considering adoption of the Study, and postponed action until April 20, 2015, to allow additional feedback from the Washtenaw Avenue business community. A new Frequently Asked Questions has also been released regarding the Study, to better inform the public about the purpose of the proposed improvements.

March 5, 2015: The Golfside/Washtenaw Design Charrette was held in October 2014. The FINAL REPORT was completed in January and has been presented to the Pittsfield Township Planning Commission and Ypsilanti Township Board of Trustees. The report documents the three-day charrette, target market data and other new development regulations and design guidelines that informed the design process, and conceptual near-term and long-term build-out scenarios for the 70+ acres at the corner of Golfside and Washtenaw. The value in the charrette is to better understand some of the limitations and challenges that will be faced in redeveloping the urbanized corridor. These include adequate parking while designing mixed-use neighborhoods to be less auto-dependent, stormwater management, and complications from multiple parcel ownership, among others. ReImagine Washtenaw will be working with all of its governmental partners to use the designs to attract development interest and inform future redevelopment proposals along the corridor.

February 27, 2015: The Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development has released the Housing Affordability and Economic Equity Analysis. This study is the first affordable housing study since 2007, and provides a current picture of the increasingly challenging affordable housing picture in the Washtenaw County urbanized area. A regional working group is being formed to take on the affordable housing issues our region faces, and to explore all of the implementation recommendations in the report. The ReImagine Washtenaw Joint Technical Committee will participate in the process and looks forward to finding ways that corridor redevelopment can also address the regional affordable housing strategies.

October 17, 2014: Thanks to everyone who participated in this week's Golfside/Washtenaw design charrette. The three-day community design workshop explored redevelopment options for 75 acres of land at Golfside Road using current market data, form-based zoning code and design