The Ann Arbor Planning Commission voted 6-0 yesterday to sign off on a site plan that would swap out the former University Inn for a six-story apartment building and three townhome buildings at 2424 E. Stadium Boulevard, just steps from Trader Joe’s and Lamp Post Plaza. The plan clocks in at roughly 307 units total, with a 295-unit mid-rise plus 12 townhomes, and calls for hundreds of new parking spaces and expanded bike storage. It would also take down several landmark trees on the four-acre parcel. Developers and city staff framed the project as a push for more non-student rental housing, even as the application pairs energy-efficient systems with an emergency backup diesel generator.
As reported by MLive, commissioners largely cheered the infusion of long-term rental options and urged the team not to drag its feet. Planning Commissioner Lisa Disch said the project offers "a housing type that there isn’t a lot of in the city," while Commissioner Sara Hammerschmidt told the developers, "I hope you break ground soon. Good luck." The outlet also noted that the development team is pursuing brownfield tax incentives to help finance cleanup and redevelopment of the former motel site.
Project details
City planning materials list the site plan (SP25-0030) as including 295 apartments in the six-story building plus 12 units in three townhome buildings, for a total of 307 dwellings. The layout would provide parking for 417 vehicles and space for 156 bicycles in and around the structures. According to the City of Ann Arbor project page and staff report, the apartments are proposed to be all-electric with heat-pump systems for heating and cooling. The development team will also be required to offset tree removals and satisfy stormwater rules as the plan moves into the permitting phase.
Design and developer
Farmington Hills-based Beztak, a multi-generational, family-run developer that manages thousands of units around the country, is leading the proposal. The company’s public materials tout a long history of large apartment and senior-living projects. The design team says it intends to follow national green-building principles and to use locally sourced materials where practical, while still including standard resiliency features such as an emergency backup generator.
Next steps
City planner Alexis DiLeo told commissioners that a development agreement now has to be drafted and approved by City Council before any construction can start. The commission’s yes vote moves the project forward but does not clear the site for immediate work. The staff report and application remain on file with city planning, and the developer is expected to return with a negotiated agreement and final permitting documents in the coming weeks.
The commission also signed off on a separate five-story SpringHill Suites hotel at 2295 S. State St., a 118-room project included in the same staff packet, signaling that multiple corridor developments advanced at the July meeting. Neighbors and Stadium Boulevard businesses will now be watching for the development agreement and permit filings that will lock in a construction timeline for the former University Inn site.
