4 GROUNDCOVER NEWS LOCAL NEWS JANUARY 12, 2024 Did the City of Ann Arbor renege on its affordable housing promise? In the 2020 general election, Ann Arbor passed Proposal C with nearly 73% of voters in favor of what was considered to be “the most significant expansion of affordable housing in the region in over 40 years,” according to the City of Ann Arbor website. Affordable housing has always been a touchy issue in Ann Arbor and many cities around the country. It certainly raises eyebrows when a former city attorney questions whether monies appropriated to supply more affordable housing to citizens who live below the median income are being used appropriately. Proposal C assured taxpayers that that monies generated from the 2020 millage would be used for building, maintaining and acquiring new affordable housing units which would be permanently affordable to low-income households making up to 60% of area median income, and providing social services, not to exceed 20% of the millage revenues over the entire term of the millage, for the residents of such housing. Yet, according to an MLive article which ran this past November, former city attorney Bruce Laidlaw filed a lawsuit against the City of Ann Arbor claiming that the city misappropriated the millage funds which were intended for affordable housing. In his lawsuit he accuses the city of playing “a political shell game” with taxpayer dollars. At a time when housing shortages LIT KURTZ Groundcover vendor No. 159 are at an all time high, especially for unhoused individuals who need to find permanent housing, one might question why any of the funds allocated for providing more space to those who are experiencing this crisis would not be used to their fullest. Yet, it appears as though the city has fallen short on its promise. This past September MLive ran an article announcing the city’s plans to renovate a new elections center and TV studio on Miller Rd. in order to ensure the integrity of elections. The decision was unanimous. $5.2 million of the overall project cost involving the former YMCA parking lot is coming from the affordable housing millage funds. Another $800,000 is coming from the sale of city property at 350 S. Fifth Avenue to the city’s Housing Commission. According to MLive, Laidlaw is questioning the legality of the city’s move to essentially sell the 350 Fifth Avenue property, formerly home to the YMCA, to the city housing commission, noting that the housing commission is part of the city government. (The empty parking lot has long been problematic, with the city failing to garner enough support for any of the proposed uses for it.) Housing Commission Executive Director Jennifer Hall made a convincing argument to the City for the commission to oversee the property, citing that over the past 20 years “ … the site has been at the center of legal battles with developers and political disagreements on council.” The city agreed and the eventual cost was set at $6.2 million with one million coming from stimulus funding. While this is underway, Hall revealed plans to progressively include other affordable housing units on the various other planned sites within the city over the next few years. There are nine properties owned by the City available for development including: 353 S. Main, 121 Catherine, 404 S. Ashley, 721 N. Main, 309 S. Ashley, 350 S. Fifth Ave., 415 W. Washington, 1510 E. Stadium, and 2000 South Industrial. While this sounds promising, it seems doubtful that in coming years the city government will use all of its available funding resources to implement this or other plans for affordable housing. If this past year is any indication, it seems that the future funding of affordable housing under the auspices of city government is destined to shrink as the city becomes infatuated with other projects and is further distracted from the housing crisis and the need for affordable housing. GROUNDCOVER NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATION Interested in volunteering with Groundcover News? Join us for a public volunteer meeting on January 19, 5:00 p.m. to learn more! As a volunteer, you can help contribute to the paper via writing or editing; attending and making food for article reviews; distributing papers to vendors; and more! We value our volunteers so much; come join our community! Friday, January 19, 2024, 5 p.m. Groundcover News office 423 S. 4th Avenue (basement of Bethlehem United Church of Christ) We are football champions: Let's dance to the drum beat of victory! In the summer of 2023, I predicted the Michigan Wolverines, my favorite football team, would win the National College Football Championship. I was not the only person who made this prediction. Many other Michigan football fans hopeful like myself wished to see our Wolverines take it to another level. The Michigan Wolverines took it to the next level by defeating the Alabama Crimson Tide in the semi-final playoff game 27-20, and then played the Washington Huskies for the College Football Championship on January 8. WE DID IT!!!!! The Michigan Wolverines defeated the Washington Huskies 34-13, and are now NCAA College Football Champions. Go Blue!!! 10-7 Los Angeles Rams in the NFL Wild Card Game this Sunday at Ford Field. The Detroit Lions have made a comMIKE JONES Groundcover vendor No. 113 On a related topic, the Detroit Lions are back in the NFL Playoffs for the first time since 2016, and clinched the NFC North for the first time in team history. The Lions will host former quarterback Matthew Stafford and the plete turn around under the leadership of Dan Campbell since he assumed the role of head coach 2021. The 1991 season was the last time the Lions won a NFL Playoff game and that was the only time since 1957 in which the Lions won a playoff game. The Lions finish this year's season 12-5 after defeating the Minnesota Vikings 30-20. I am going to put it on the line, the Detroit Lions are going to take it to the next level and win the conference championship and make their first appearance in the Super Bowl. U-M football fans no longer have to party like its 1997 — they can party like its 2024!
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