Downtown's New Buildings

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“However,” he continues, “I have to say great strides are being made downtown in adding buildings and adding density. And thanks to the good work of the DDA and especially [executive director] Susan Pollay, I think the future looks very good for Ann Arbor.”

“In five years, there’ll be ten more significant projects downtown,” Mike Quinn confidently predicts. “But people will still drive down Liberty or Main and feel that this is the city they know.”

As usual, Carl Luckenbach is the most pessimistic: “All these buildings—Corner House Lofts, Ashley Terrace, and so on—suffer from a market that doesn’t really value good design.”

DDA board member Mouat, on the other hand, is more optimistic than most. “The future is exciting,” he says. “We’re a very progressive city and a great place to live, and we need to keep it great.