City of Ypsilanti, Michigan

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Water Street Redevelopment Area

The Water Street Redevelopment area is a 38-acre, City-owned site adjacent to downtown Ypsilanti, between Ann Arbor and Detroit Metro Airport (DTW).  The site is bounded on the north by Michigan Avenue (US-12 Business Route), and on the south and west by the Huron River. The City of Ypsilanti is currently seeking a developer for the site, or several developers for portions of the site.

Here is a 2001 view of prime real estate Water Street site, with downtown Ypsilanti to the west (top of image):
Birdseye view of Water Street, looking east to west

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General Site Information

To date, the City of Ypsilanti has performed property acquisition and assessment and begun demolition and remediation, using various Michigan and Federal grants and loan programs, as well as municipal bonds.  The Washtenaw County Brownfield Redevelopment authority has approved a brownfield plan for the site, with an estimated total of $20.6 million in reimbursable costs.  (See below). 

The City has recently been awarded with 3 Federal Grants from the Environmental Protection Agency for the Water Street Redevelopment Area.  Ypsilanti has been rewarded with three (3) hazardous substances cleanup grants at $200,000 each ($600,000 total) to address the properties on East Michigan Ave. and South River St. in the Water Street Redevelopment Area.

The community would like to see the site redeveloped in a mixed-use, urban form, in keeping with the adjacent historic downtown area and neighborhoods.  A biking and walking trail is envisioned for the Huron River frontage, connecting through the site from Riverside Park to the north to Waterworks Park to the south and serving as part of a 37-mile-long trail running through Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, and adjacent communities.

Aerial Photo (2005)
Water Street area aerial photo (2005)

2008 Master Plan Update

UPDATE:  The Planning Commission held the final public hearing on September 17, 2008, before adopting the proposed Master Plan amendments for the Water Street area.  The proposed amendments, staff report, and Washtenaw County review of the previous version, are available online in the Commission's agenda packet for the meeting. The meeting will be held at 7:30 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall.

As part of the ongoing efforts to encourage development of the site, the Planning Commission is examining amendments to the City's 1998 Master Plan. These amendments would update the Future Land Use Map and the Water Street Target Area to expand on expectations and priorities for the site. The Planning Commission will be holding a public hearing on these proposed amendments at its meeting on Wednesday, June 18, 2008; that meeting begins at 7:30pm.  Download the staff report and proposed target area language and contact Planner Richard Murphy with any questions or written comments - rmurphy@cityofypsilanti.com / 734-483-9646.

The Planning Commission will be making a recommendation to City Council regarding the proposed amendments; Council will review the amendments and then distribute them to surrounding communities for review and comment before a second public hearing and final adoption by the Planning Commission.

The Master Plan amendments are intended to cover high-level priorities and goals for the area. Specific details of site design or individual uses will be covered in more detail during zoning ordinance amendments, which will follow the Master Plan update process.

The current and proposed versions of the Master Plan are as follows:

Additional information and materials will be posted on this page as the Master Plan and zoning process proceed.

Water Street Property Sale Announcement through CBRE

The Water Street Property Sale Announcement is available through the CBRE Website.  If you are interested in purchasing Water Street property, please contact Arthur Itkis of CBRE at 248-351-2017, or view the CBRE Water Street Property Sale Annoucement.

Additional Resources

Contacts


Updated 12 May 2009 by April McGrath