A company from Livonia wants to develop the land at 865 N Ann Arbor St, 6.58 acres, into a multi-family rental unit to fit 51 residences. As individuals living in the area, we oppose this construction for the following reasons: 

1. This plan is asking Saline City Council for the 100 foot perimeter buffer between streets and other structures to be waived because of overcrowding of structures in order to fit additional living domiciles. This means the buildings will be immediately lined up against the street of N Ann Arbor St. This requirement has been waived by the Saline Planning Commission, so the buildings could be built right next to Ann Arbor St. 
   
   
2. These structures facing N Ann Arbor St will be 3 story units, which will tower over all of the other buildings in the area. They will be the first thing people see entering Saline from N Ann Arbor St - a wall of rental homes with sparse foliage. 
   
   
3. These will be rental units so it is in the advantage of the builders and owners of this property to fit more units in this area instead of a modest plan with fewer buildings. Renters will not be paying taxes, but pay them indirectly through rent, so the more residences the better for profit.
   
   
4. The plans do not include a sidewalk on N Ann Arbor St. Update: The plans now include a sidewalk on N Ann Arbor St that the public can utilize. 
   
   
5. The city of Saline has already mentioned the possibility of connecting our independent water system to Ypsilanti's due to too many connections as the city expands. Adding 51 residences will push us towards relying on another city's water system and not maintaining our own independent system.
   
   
6. These rentals will not help with the housing issues we have in this area as rent will be based on market prices, which will mean they will be subject to the increases seen elsewhere.

The above points are drawn from the document available at Saline's Documents on Demand site (1)

Due to these reasons, we ask the Saline City Council to oppose this plan in its current form. If a structure/s are built in this area, they should fit what our city embraces - nature focused areas that maintain our scenic values, smaller homes that fit the aesthetics of our city and not further burden our systems.  

References: 

1. <https://salinecitymi.documents-on-demand.com/Document/6ce18c8b-c055-ef11-a415-000c29a59557/08%2014%202024%20AGENDA.pdf>

2. <https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/2024/08/builder-asked-to-tweak-plans-for-51-rental-townhomes-in-saline.html>