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Ann Arbor Farmers Market Office To Be Torn Down

Ann Arbor Farmers Market Office To Be Torn Down

Morning, Ann Arbor! Today’s newsletter is dedicated to all of the sleep-deprived U of M students in the thick of finals season. May the curve be in your favor.

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ANN ARBORITES SHOULD KNOW

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👨‍🌾 Farmers Market Demo: Due to recently identified structural issues, the farmers market office (315 Detroit Street) was deemed unsafe and will be torn down this summer. During the teardown, staff will work from a temporary trailer in the parking lot. While the office demo was unexpected, the city will use this opportunity to launch a community study on future plans for the market. The farmers market will remain open during the teardown. And here’s a picture of the office opening in 1984.

🕹️ Pinball Pete’s Move: After it was announced that their current location at 1214 S. University Ave. would be demolished for a 17-story apartment highrise, Pinball Pete’s has secured a new, 20-year lease at 500 E. Liberty Street (the old Aveda hair salon). Between the ground floor and basement, the new Liberty location will have 12,000 square feet of space (a few thousand square feet larger than the current space). While the timeline for construction hasn’t been finalized, Ted Arnold, Pinball Pete’s Co-Owner, hopes to open the new location before the old location is forced to close.

♻️ Clean-Up Days: Washtenaw County has released dates for four county-wide clean-up days where residents can drop off bulky waste like mattresses, old furniture, tires, household appliances, and more. County residents can attend any of the clean-up days:

June 15 - Augusta Township
June 29 - Northfield Township
July 27 - Pittsfield Township
August 24 - Ypsilanti

To attend, residents must register in advance. Augusta Township’s registration opens next week. Here’s a fun drone video of a clean-up day 2 years ago.

🏡 Affordable Housing: With $62.4 million in state loans secured, the Union at A2, a four-story, 250-unit affordable housing apartment complex, is set to break ground this summer. Located at 2050 Commerce Drive, the complex will feature a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom units designed for families earning 30% to 70% of the area median income. Due to the nature of the project, city council deemed the complex exempt from property taxes.

MICHIGANDERS SHOULD KNOW

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🚗 Vehicle Taxes: As electric and hybrid cars become more common (and therefore state fuel taxes decrease), Michigan is considering a pilot program to measure the feasibility of a vehicle mileage tax. A vehicle mileage tax would charge residents not based on the amount of gas they consumed, but on the number of miles they drove. While officials like the idea in theory, most have data privacy concerns (specifically on using any in-car tracking devices or odometer readers).

🏈 NFL Draft Records: With more than 775,000 fans attending the 2024 NFL Draft, Detroit smashed the previous attendance record of 600,000. And regarding the Wolverines, Michigan sent the most players of any school to the NFL this year with 13 players drafted. I won’t list out all 13 landing spots but Harbaugh did draft two former players: Junior Colson (#69) and Cornelius Johnson (#253).

🏡 March’s Housing Market: RealComp, a Michigan real estate data company, released a report on the state’s housing market. Last month’s year-over-year (YoY) highlights:

Median Sale Price:
- Michigan: +7.8% YoY ($250,000)
- Washtenaw: +13% YoY ($405,000)
On-Market Listings:
- Michigan: +2.8% YoY
- Washtenaw: -37.8% YoY
Avg Days on Market:
- Michigan: -9.1% YoY (44 to 40)
- Washtenaw: -24.0% YoY (50 to 38)
Closed Sales:
- Michigan: -15.4%% YoY (7,411)
- Washtenaw: -16.8% YoY (237)