Recently, there has been an increase in the development of apartment buildings, condominiums and hotels in Ann Arbor. These buildings bolster the local economy, though many citizens believe they jeopardize the character of Ann Arbor, turning it into a commercial icon. Some are actively fighting the city and commercial developers to add a proposal to the ballot that will reclaim a park in the center of Ann Arbor.

Alan Haber, peace activist and local park supporter, began collecting signatures to put a question on the ballot regarding the library lot, and whether to build a park or not. “I am an advocate of democracy so, it seems that if so many people wanted something and the government doesn’t want to give it to us, we have the right to petition,” Haber said.

This proposal aims to officially assign the area bounded by Fifth Avenue, and William, Division and Liberty Streets as the “center of the city.” This area is projected to include a park with a carousel and a cafe in the summer and a skating rink and a Christmas tree in the winter.

“So many people feel this that this place should not be another bloody skyscraper and there’s a lot of resentment around to all these skyscrapers,” Haber said.

Alternately, the city has two other proposals. CA Ventures and Core Spaces are two real estate developing businesses that are competing for the land on the library lot. Core Spaces is looking to gain ownership of the lot to build a 17-story apartment complex with both residential and hotel units. Similarly, CA Ventures would grant a 15-story building containing 100-200 apartments and 143 hotel suites with a restaurant/bar lounge. According to an MLive live blog about the development, “both developers also want to strike a deal to either purchase or lease 200 parking spaces in the city’s Library Lane underground garage on Fifth Avenue.”

This plot of land has been considered as a potential city center since the early 60’s when the old courthouse was torn down in 1954 and moved to its present location on the northeast corner of Main and Huron street. This old courthouse had a grassy lawn with shaded trees, and served as Ann Arbor’s commons. When the building was removed, it was regarded as, according to the Ann Arbor Observer, “a universal tragedy,” and “nothing replaced the heart of Ann Arbor.”

In 2008, developers built an underground parking lot below the library to increase parking in the downtown area, but what most people are unaware of is that they spent an unsolicited amount of money unwarranted to support the footing of the construction, along with enhanced electrical and sewer capacity to accommodate for the weight of a big building.

One concern with having a park is that it will serve as another homeless destination, similar to Liberty Plaza. Landscape architect and designer of Liberty Plaza, Lawrence Halpern, designed many of these multi-level plazas throughout the country. “They do not encourage cross-traffic or pedestrian activity,” said Lorri Spies, local park supporter. “They encourage loitering and vagrancy. They are unsafe because there are too many places to hide.”

Christine Tracy, local park supporter and retired journalist, is concerned with the little green space that downtown Ann Arbor provides. She believes that the town should create a park in the empty lot next to the Ann Arbor District Library that everyone can enjoy. City developers, however, would like to construct an apartment building in this lot to grant more housing and help the economy. “We all own this property and do we want to sell it right now? It’s like we’re selling our future away. Once it’s gone it’s gone, that’s it,” Tracy said.

There are numerous cities around the country which have installed parks in the center of their downtown areas. Another example is Saratoga Springs, Utah. This city contains a park which, according to Tracy, is very important to the community. The park contains a carousel, occasional public events and holds weddings.

Even though the city council does not recognize their proposal for a central park without a petition, it is evident that the majority of citizens in Ann Arbor want a park. When the Political Action Committee (PAC) ran a survey of 1608 people, 76 percent of them favored downtown parks and open space. Within Community High School, a survey of 30 people showed 28 preferred a park to an apartment building.