With the proposed redevelopment of the LIVE nightclub and The Last Word property expected to come before the Ann Arbor City Council on July 6, opponents are intensifying their efforts to persuade council members to reject the project. For longtime Ann Arbor resident Dan Gunning, the vote represents much more than the fate of a single building—it is a test of how the city makes decisions about development, neighborhood character and public participation.
The proposed 10-story mixed-use development at 315 W. Huron, which received a unanimous recommendation from the Planning Commission in June, would replace the building housing LIVE nightclub—home to the popular “Geezer Happy Hour” concerts—and The Last Word cocktail bar. If approved by the City Council, the project would add hundreds of apartments to downtown.
While supporters say the development will increase the city’s housing supply, Gunning believes it reflects broader questions about how city government makes decisions, how residents are involved in the planning process, and what kind of community Ann Arbor wants to become.
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Following the Planning Commission’s unanimous recommendation to approve a Planned Unit Development (PUD) for the project, Gunning said he expected the proposal to move forward.
“I was not surprised when this proposal reemerged because everybody I talked to told me that the developers would come back and try to get the location rezoned,” he said. “This is a ten-million-dollar project. The Planning Commission is appointed by the mayor and approved by the City Council—which tends to vote lock-step with the mayor—so I went into the meeting expecting it to pass.”
Gunning said the Planning Commission passed the 315 West Huron proposal unanimously in June. They are recommending City Council approval of the proposed mixed-use building at the southwest corner of First and Huron streets.
Although the recommendation did not surprise him, Gunning said the project has become symbolic of much larger issues facing the city.
Ahead of the July 6 vote: Concerns over transparency
A recurring theme in Gunning’s criticism is what he calls a lack of openness in the city’s decision-making process.
“I think the current mayor and city council are anti-democratic in nature,” he said.
Gunning believes city officials missed an opportunity to engage residents after a heavily attended public meeting about 315 W. Huron last summer.
“After the well-attended meeting at the Grayline in July of last year, the city should have recognized that there was a lot of concern among neighbors and residents and attempted to include them,” he said. “Instead, they did just the opposite.”
He said later meetings between city officials and developers were not broadly publicized, and argued that legal notice alone was insufficient to ensure meaningful public participation.
“The sign was put up a few days before the meeting as required by law,” he said. “In general, the city’s website is extremely opaque and hard for the casual observer to find upcoming actions. It is not set up to be searchable.”
Gunning added that agenda items often identify projects only by street address, making it difficult for residents unfamiliar with planning documents to realize what is being discussed.
“For instance, this project is just referred to as ‘315 W. Huron,’ the address of the Atrium building. There is no reference to LIVE or The Last Word on the agenda item.”
The role of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan
Gunning also views the proposal within the context of Ann Arbor’s recently adopted Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), which he believes will significantly influence future development.
“Although the Comprehensive Land Use Plan doesn’t dictate any specific development, it functions as a blank check,” he said.
He described the 167-page plan as “a powerful weapon that could be used to transform the city” and argued that its implementation depends heavily on who occupies elected office.
He expressed similar concerns about the Planned Unit Development process itself. While acknowledging that PUDs can allow flexibility in exchange for public benefits, he believes they must be applied consistently.
“The PUD is a powerful tool that can be used to good effect and can be abused—even by being withheld,” Gunning said. “The city has not been consistent in its handling of PUDs. We need new leaders whom we can trust to implement these changes fairly and intelligently.”
He also warned that the Comprehensive Land Use Plan could eventually allow rezoning beyond individual properties.
“One of the great dangers of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan is that it can be used to rezone large areas at will, instead of the PUD’s single property rezoning.”
Is it truly affordable housing?
Supporters of the development have emphasized that the project would increase the city’s housing supply while including affordable units. Gunning, however, questions whether the proposal will significantly improve affordability for working residents.
“The inclusion of ‘affordable housing’ in this argument is misleading because the building is basically designed as luxury apartments,” he said.
He argues that the city’s affordability standards remain too high to benefit many of the workers most affected by housing costs.
“The project is winning a handful of concessions from the city by designating 15% of the units as ‘affordable,’ but Ann Arbor defines affordable as 60% of average income, which is out of the reach of the schoolteachers and restaurant workers they claim to be concerned about.”
Instead, Gunning believes the city should rethink its approach.
“The city should change that standard to 30% (as affordable housing) if it wants to help those workers.”
He also challenged the assumption that simply adding more housing will drive rents down.
“Building massive amounts of new housing will not substantially reduce rents in Ann Arbor. It can only help to sustain the status quo.”
Rather than relying solely on new market-rate development, Gunning believes Ann Arbor should pursue alternative housing models.
“I believe that co-ops like Arrowwood are excellent examples. Arrowwood is truly affordable. Both lower-income earners who provide essential services, musicians, and seniors can afford to live there and have housing security.”
He also suggested exploring boarding houses and repurposing existing apartment complexes in ways that remove them from market pressures.
Preserving businesses and community character
While many discussions have focused on the size and height of the proposed building, Gunning said his greatest concern is what would be lost. “My biggest issue with this project is that it displaces two businesses that are successful and are performing worthwhile functions.”
He called LIVE’s Happy Hour performances “a valuable showcase for hundreds of local musicians and… a community-building gathering place.”
He was equally skeptical about suggestions that The Last Word could relocate into the new development.
“Anyone who has ever been to the Last Word knows that it is an intimate, dimly lit bar with a speakeasy vibe, not a rooftop nightclub,” he said. “Plus, what about the staff? Are they supposed to just wait for three years, for the building to be built, in suspended animation? It’s just a bunch of promises, misdirection and magical thinking.”
Beyond the businesses themselves, Gunning believes the existing buildings help define Ann Arbor’s identity.
“It may not have a brass plaque near its front door, but it’s still a historic building,” he said. “It’s one of the older commercial buildings in town. These old brick buildings are what give Ann Arbor its character and charm.”
Recalling downtown during the 1970s, he said preservation efforts helped transform the area after businesses began leaving for suburban shopping centers.
“It took a small army of visionary businesspeople to turn downtown into a desirable destination,” Gunning said. “They took the paint off the brick walls and removed metal panels to reveal the historic storefronts, and then the city passed laws preserving the buildings and restricting height. That’s why downtown is successful now.”
Politics and the future of Ann Arbor
With mayoral and City Council elections approaching, Gunning believes development policy has become a defining political issue.
“I believe that this election is about the Comprehensive Land Use Plan,” he said.
He pointed to public testimony during Planning Commission meetings as evidence that many residents feel excluded from major planning decisions.
“There are a lot of people who are very unhappy with the way people’s opinions are solicited and then ignored,” he said. “This disregard for people’s voices undermines democracy.”
Although he opposes the current proposal, Gunning said he is not opposed to all new development.
“There is a vacant lot right across Huron Street from the LIVE building,” he said. “I wouldn’t object if they built a 5-story building there.”
Instead, he believes the city should seek growth that complements existing neighborhoods while protecting historic buildings, local businesses and public gathering spaces.
The Planning Commission has recommended approval, but the proposal now heads to the Ann Arbor City Council, which is expected to consider it on July 6. Because the project requires a Planned Unit Development (PUD) rezoning, council approval is required before construction can move forward.
For Gunning, the upcoming vote is about more than one redevelopment proposal.
“This housing affordability crisis is a national problem,” Gunning said. “This election could be our opportunity to address this problem head-on. With young intelligent leaders who are concerned about this issue, we could collaborate with researchers from the University and local citizens to analyze what happened to make things this way and figure out how to change it.”
Whether Council ultimately approves or rejects the project, the July 6 meeting is likely to become one of the most closely watched development debates of the summer as residents weigh competing visions for Ann Arbor’s future.
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
