City OKs Developers' Payment-in-Lieu-of-Parking Request, Says No to 10-Year Financing

A proposed retail and restaurant development at the former Amoco gas station site at Ann Arbor Trail and South Main Street cleared another hurdle Monday, yet it might have also hit a snag.

City commissioners voted Monday to allow a $160,000 payment by the developers in exchange for the building not having to provide 16 parking spaces in an oft-congested downtown, where public parking is . The vote took place at the commission's regular meeting at .  

The problem for developers Ed Dombrowski and Omar Hamdan is with the timetable for the payment. When a motion by Commissioner Ron Loiselle to accept the payment over a 10-year period failed to gain support among commissioners, another motion that would accept the payment as a lump sum eventually won the commission's approval. Mayor Pro-Tem Mike Wright and Commissioner John Barrett provided the dissenting votes.

Hamdan and Dombrowski declined to comment for this story.

The vote comes on the heels of the city receiving the results of a by Rich & Associates on Thursday, which indicated public parking downtown was in relatively short supply. The city hasn't yet made any decisions on improving the parking situation downtown, but it has discussed utilizing one of several public and private lots in the downtown district for employee parking to free up prime spots near businesses for customers. 

In other business

The City Commission unanimously approved an application by the  to offer outdoor patio seating. The space would be capped at 40 seats inside a fenced-in area facing Penniman Avenue. 

Commissioners also unanimously approved financing for the fire department's new primary pumper, as well as its new minipumper that is currently on order. Both will be financed at a 1.64 percent interest rate for five years. 

Commissioners also unanimously authorized the purchase of a vehicle exhaust extraction system, with Farmington-based Hastings Air Energy Control winning with a low bid at $26,000 for a system called PlymoVent. The purchase is part of the transition for the new joint fire operations with Northville that will begin Jan. 1.

The meeting, which was held outdoors at , drew a standing-room crowd under the park's pavilion. Hot dogs and refreshments were served to commissioners and attendees before the meeting.