🏗️The Kline’s lot just sold for $14M

Morning, Ann Arbor! A downtown parking lot is about to become 450 apartments, a garage bay is now an Italian cocktail & wine bar, and 20 inches of city dirt has somehow turned into a three-year legal fight. Plus, public power is officially November-bound, the West Park bandshell is coming down, and one of the world's great sopranos is singing on campus. Let's roll!

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🏗️ The Kline's Lot Is Becoming 450 Apartments

City Council voted 10-0 Tuesday night to sell the Kline's lot at 309 S. Ashley St. to development firm Hines. The city gets a minimum of $14.175 million, and plans call for a two-phase high-rise with at least 450 apartments and 10,000-plus square feet of ground-floor retail. Council also widened the alley The Ark depends on, protected the venue's access during construction, and capped short-term rentals at 10% of units. The site plan still has to clear the normal approval process. City of Ann Arbor

🏪 Downtown Logged 19.7 Million Visits Last Year

The DDA's new State of the Downtown report counts 19.7 million visits in 2025, a 2.5% bump over 2024, with pedestrian activity up 11%. Residents are downtown more than before the pandemic, up 12% since 2019. The second-busiest day of the whole year? The Zach Bryan concert, which drew 106,442 visits. Retail rents have held around $38 a square foot for four years running, and 375 new apartments opened downtown. 2025 Report

SPONSORED BY U-M SCHOOL OF MUSIC, THEATRE & DANCE:

🎭 A World-Famous Soprano Is Singing on Campus

The SeAH Korean Art Song Gala is a high-profile Korean Performing Arts Initiative event presented by the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD). The first half of the concert will feature student performances of Korean song, interwoven with historical and cultural narration by Professor Matthew Thompson, and will end with a performance by SMTD alumnus Jack Morin (’25), whose Korean song performances have garnered millions of views online. The second half of the concert will showcase the world-renowned Korean soprano Sumi Jo, joined by Thompson at the piano. Reserve your tickets here!

🏈 Michigan Upsets No. 11 Oklahoma
Two weeks, two nail-biters, but this time no controversy. Michigan took down No. 11 Oklahoma 17-10 on Saturday, leaning on a defense that came to play. Senior corner Jyaire Hill sealed it with a fourth-quarter pick, returning it to the Oklahoma 5 to set up Jordan Marshall's game-winning score two plays later. The D bottled up star QB John Mateer all afternoon while Bryce Underwood did his damage on the ground (18 carries, 87 yards). The Wolverines are 2-0 and host UTEP next Saturday. ESPN

🚲 Twenty Inches Under the Oldest Building in Town

The Anson Brown Building on Broadway (home to Sic Transit Cycles) went up in 1832, making it Ann Arbor's oldest commercial building. Back in 2023, owner Jim Koli's survey revealed his buildings sit on about 20 inches of city right-of-way. Three years and $78,000 in legal fees later, it's still unsettled: Koli wants a permanent easement rather than a revocable license. The Michigan Daily

🍸 Aperitivo Celebrated Their Grand Opening All Weekend Long

Aperitivo, the new Italian cocktail and wine bar at 200 S. Ashley St., is through its opening weekend and on a regular schedule now. The move is a negroni and a board of charcuterie and olives, which they promise "aplenty." Prefer to drink closer to home? Doors open at 4 p.m., the patio seats about forty, and Friday and Saturday run to midnight. Aperitivo

🏀 Michigan Basketball Got Its Championship Rings
Michigan's national champion men's basketball team got their rings Friday, three apiece, for the Big Ten regular-season title, the Final Four, and the national championship. The details are something: engravings nod to the team's "April Habits" motto and its 37-3 record, and the Final Four ring even opens up to reveal the Indianapolis court. The champs were honored at Saturday's Oklahoma game.

⚡ Public Power Is Headed for the November Ballot

A three-judge Court of Appeals panel ruled Wednesday, Sept. 2, clearing the way for the public power vote. The ruling dismissed the DTE-backed coalition's claim that the city clerk improperly certified the proposal (she'd counted 5,383 valid signatures in July). Voters decide in November whether to create a city-run electric utility, with board members chosen starting in 2028. ClickOnDetroit

🎪 The West Park Bandshell Comes Down

Council approved a roughly $438,000 contract with Inner City Contracting to demolish the 88-year-old West Park bandshell. Built in 1938, it's been fenced off since 2021 as its foundation crumbled, and moving it out of the Allen Creek floodway would have run over $2 million. Parks plans birch trees and new plantings where it stood, plus a broader rethink of the whole park. Yahoo News

🎷 Edgefest Turns 30

Kerrytown Concert House (415 N. Fourth Ave.) marks three decades of its avant-garde jazz festival Oct. 7–10, themed "Freedom at the Edge." More than 40 performances are booked, including saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell and pianist Craig Taborn, with some sets moving over to the Community High auditorium. Tickets are $20 ($10 students), or grab an all-access Edgepass for $240. Tickets

🎻 The Symphony Locked In Earl Lee Through 2030

The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra just extended Music Director Earl Lee's contract through June 2030 as he begins his fifth season. Lee, winner of the 2022 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, has led the orchestra since 2022 and says Ann Arbor has "welcomed me with open arms." The A2SO opens its 98th season this fall. See the season

☕ Hazel Coffee Has a Vintage Market and a New Fall Menu
Hazel Coffee (2111 Packard St, Suite 130) hosts its first vintage market Sunday, Sept. 20 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with 313 Thrift Co leading the vendors and Daphne's Bagels popping up, so you can dig through the racks and grab a sourdough bagel without moving your car. While you're there, the fall menu goes past the usual pumpkin routine: pumpkin cream cold brew, apple pie matcha, a s'mores latte, and a double apple cider matcha. Instagram

On the Market

2036 Delafield Dr — $410,000 3 bed | 1 bath | 1,212 sqft - A 1954 Huron River Hills ranch with refinished wood floors, a four-season sunroom with a gas fireplace and a fenced backyard filled with mature gardens.

637 5th St — $499,000 3 bed | 1 bath | 1,680 sqft - A 1928 Old West Side brick Craftsman with hardwood floors, arched doorways, a wood-burning fireplace, and a screened front porch, just a short walk from downtown.

1030 Spruce Dr — $2,150,000 4 bed | 4 bath | 5,129 sqft - A 1959 Ted Smith mid-century modern on nearly three wooded acres, with a rooftop deck, jetted pool, four-season studio, and a separate apartment above the garage. 

Adoptable Humane Society Pets

Aberdeen — 7 years 1 month | Spayed Female | Mastiff Mix. An extra-large tan pup with a shy, sensitive nature. Meet Aberdeen.

Ashley — 3 months | Spayed Female | Cat. A small white and grey kitten with a curious personality and plenty of exploring to do. Meet Ashley. 

Biscoff — 2 years 8 months | Neutered Male | Pit Bull Terrier Mix. A medium-sized brown-and-white pup with lots of energy and love to give. Meet Biscoff.

That's all for now! Have a great week in Tree Town!

— Ryan, James, and the Michigander Team

P.S. - We just hit 3k followers on Instagram. 5.1k of you read us here, so by our math (which is admittedly worse than our writing), a whole lot of you are missing out. Come hang with us on the 'gram. → @michigandernews

P.P.S. — The A2ZERO Green Fair takes over Main Street this Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. for its 26th year, with EV test drives, a clothing swap, and a bike parade rolling out of the Farmers Market at 4:30. Details 

P.P.P.S. — Espy Café (404 W. Huron) just launched Crumb Club, a bread program where you pre-order artisan loaves for pickup, including their house-made Palestinian taboon flatbread. Reserve yours and swing by for a coffee while you're at it. Crumb Club

P.P.P.P.S. — The Student Advocacy Center of Michigan hosts an Ann Arbor School Board candidate forum Thursday at the Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center (4135 Washtenaw Ave). Dinner and mingling at 6 p.m., forum at 7, with childcare on site and a virtual option if you'd rather stay home. Register

P.P.P.P.P.S. — Pittsfield Township throws its first-ever Fall Market on Saturday, Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Lillie Park South (4365 Platt Rd). Free, with Michigan makers, artists, food producers, and lunch under the trees. Fall Market

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