City of Ypsilanti, Michigan
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.
2001 view of site, with downtown Ypsilanti to the west (top of image)
Page contents:
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 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)
2008 Master Plan Update
UPDATE: The Planning Commission will hold a 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:
- Future Land Use Map - Water Street Area
- Target Area 4: Water Street
Additional information and materials will be posted on this page as the Master Plan and zoning process proceed.
Additional Resources
- Site location map
- Environmental assessment:
- ALTA survey of site (May 2007)
- Approved Brownfield Redevelopment Plan (September 2006)
- Tree survey and tree list (March 2003)
- City of Ypsilanti 1998 Master Plan and Future Land Use Map
- City of Ypsilanti Zoning Ordinance
Contacts
The contacts for this site are,- April McGrath, Assistant City Manager, City of Ypsilanti. Phone:
734-483-1810. E-mail: amcgrath@cityofypsilanti.com
- Richard Murphy, City Planner, City of Ypsilanti. Phone: 734-483-9646. E-mail: rmurphy@cityofypsilanti.com
- Jeremy McCallion, Brownfield Planner, Washtenaw County. Phone:
734-222-6877. E-Mail: mccallionp@ewashtenaw.org
Updated 24 April 2008 by Richard Murphy
on Dec. 3, 2008 8:01 pm
