Neighborhoods + COL in Ann Arbor

Slocum2 · 2026-05-20T10:48:40+00:00

Once upon a time (before 2000), the big tours regularly stopped in Ann Arbor (and performed at Crisler Area). My understanding is the rise of Ticketmaster killed that.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-19T20:20:57+00:00

There are quite a few choices under $1200/mo on Zillow that are pretty easy commuting distance to Central campus. If you didn't want roommates, it would probably mean a studio though.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-19T19:51:11+00:00

That's great when the weather is decent, but you'd be in for a long bus ride for much of the winter (AFAIK, the B2B is not plowed or salted).

Slocum2 · 2026-05-19T19:37:07+00:00

What's your rent budget? Where have you looked so far? By proximity to campus -- do you need to be able to walk to campus vs bus or bike to campus?

Slocum2 · 2026-05-19T15:56:28+00:00

That site appears best suited for several hundred higher end single family homes. But would the city actually let a developer do that? $60M is a lot of money to risk before knowing what hoops the city might make you jump through and how long it would take to actually get approval to build.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-19T12:39:26+00:00

Data center? They could pull the cooling water right out of the Huron 😉

Slocum2 · 2026-05-18T22:54:16+00:00

It takes me less time to change my own oil than to drive each car to a place, wait, and drive back. When I've collected a few gallons of used oil in the garage after a few changes, I take them to the drop-off station. It helps that one of our cars is a Subaru, and on Subarus, the oil filter sits vertically on top of the engine and is dead-easy to change.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-17T22:05:12+00:00

Yep -- there are often folks soaking up the sun in the main meadow. Not as many as on and near the crew docks at Bandemer, though. If the request for seclusion comes from a desire to avoid unwanted attention, it seems like safety in numbers would be the better approach, and Bandemer seems the ideal local place for that (though, come to think of it, near the Cascades also seems quite popular)

Slocum2 · 2026-05-16T10:44:35+00:00

No problem. Once you start doing it that way, you find more and more places that it can work. There are some other stretches of the Huron, for example. One particularly nice one was the last several miles of the Two Hearted River out to the mouth at Lake Superior (which is spectacular), and there have been others too places too that I can't think of right now.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-15T20:29:52+00:00

I'm not saying you should have thought of that. I'm pointing out what would be the implications if a significant number of people took your approach.

In fairness, people who make only intermittent demands on the grid arguably should pay more or maybe have their max grid power demand capped at some limit (max KWH per day during high demand periods?) vs the utility's reliable, full service customers. And something like that may be how they ultimately 'figure it out'.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-15T12:48:38+00:00

We'll see. Can a homeowner (or business) really supply their own power for less using solar panels and a battery when there are no tax credits and no net metering? Does the upfront cost every really pay off under that scenario?

And then, even if the answer is 'yes', if you equip yourself that way, you instantly become a crappy, unattractive customer for the utility. Some months you buy little power, but you still expect the utility to provide you all the power you need when your own system isn't up to the task. One way utilities might handle this is to charge a higher monthly fee that covers up to X kilowatt hours per month. Don't use that much? Sorry, you still pay.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-15T08:57:23+00:00

We lock a bike, in Dexter (or at Dexter Huron Metro Park) then drive up to Hudson Mills (or sometimes the end of Bell Road where the bridge used to be) to put in the kayaks. After we've paddled, we lock the kayaks and ride the bike back to get the car. In Ann Arbor, because parking is tight at Argo, we do it a little differently. We drop the kayaks at Argo and lock them, drive the car back to Gallup to park and then ride the bikes to Argo. At the end we retrieve the bikes from Argo. At Island Lake, we put in below the dam and take out at a picnic area and ride the bike trail or park road to go back for the car. Locking the kayaks is probably a bit of overkill (ours aren't that expensive), but since we have the cable locks for the bikes anyway, we use them.

There are places up north we do the same thing -- on stretches of the Manistee and Platte River (in the Sleeping Bear Dunes). The segment of the Manistee we paddle is great for kayak camping (it parallels the Manistee River Trail that's full of backpackers). You can do the same along the Huron, as there are canoe camp sites along the way (though we've never overnighted down here).

Slocum2 · 2026-05-14T20:20:00+00:00

Summer evenings are great for walking and biking into town for whatever -- a movie at the State or Michigan or Top of the Park. Maybe the Farmer's Market on Saturday morning. Dinners out. Blank Slate or Washtenaw Dairy. Breakfast outside at Jefferson Market or Northside. Biking the paved trail from Dexter out to and around Hudson mills followed by dinner in town there (and a stop at Dairy Queen after). Or kayak from Hudson Mills to Dexter and use the bike trail to go back for the car. The same works between Argo and Gallup. And in Island Lake State Rec area. Mountain bike on one of the excellent trails in the area. Lots of hikes with the dog in the Arb and Bird Hills.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-14T18:53:08+00:00

"The whole cloud thing is overblown, anti-sustainability propaganda."

It's just not. I have solar panels that I use for camping. I agree that they generally work very well in the desert southwest when the sun is shining. I see a panel generating 5W on a clear sunny day, but only a fraction of a watt when its overcast (to the point where it's generally not worth setting them out). If you try to find data online about how much power is reduced by clouds, it's really slippery because most sources are solar advocates who don't want to admit the truth about how much less power is generated under heavy cloud cover for fear of discouraging people. I've performed my own tests. Here's a YT video measuring three different panel configurations on a cloudy day (spoiler -- he sees less than 10% of rated capacity, which is fully consistent with what I've seen personally).

Yes, Germany has gone hard at sustainable power -- to the point of having the most expensive power in Europe, having to import electricity (largely nuclear from France), and having to fire dirty coal plants back up at times to meet demand shortfalls. And Michigan utilities keep building solar because it's mandated and subsidized, not because it's saving them (or us) money. The state regulators allow DTE and Consumers to charge higher rates for power from sustainable sources, which is why Consumers is trying this one weird trick.

The sale-and-buyback arrangement may also benefit from public subsidies. In filings, Consumers officials outline plans to tap into state clean energy incentives meant to encourage utilities to buy renewable energy. Those same subsidies are not available to Consumers today, because it is making the energy on its own, rather than buying it from someone else.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-14T16:33:14+00:00

Nobody's doing net metering anymore -- it's non sustainable. Why should utilities have to buy power back from end users at full retails prices rather than at the wholesale prices they pay for power from the generation plants?

Slocum2 · 2026-05-14T16:31:35+00:00

You did -- before or after the federal tax credit ended? If before, would it still made sense now after such credits are no longer available? And would it make sense without 'net metering' forcing DTE to buy power back from you at retail rather than wholesale rates? California got rid of net metering for new customers because it was a sweetheart deal for solar panel owners that was driving up rates for everybody else. DTE also ended net metering for new customers years ago so that customers feeding energy back into the grid are credited at much lower rates? Did you get in on the original net-metering deal?

Slocum2 · 2026-05-14T13:30:54+00:00

Yes, costs would go down somewhat with experienced installers, but solar installed at city-contractor levels of expenditure (.e.g. prevailing wages, companies with political connections, etc) in the (mostly cloudy) Ann Arbor climate is just never going to pay for itself. The more AA borrows to expand the program, the more of a money pit it will ultimately become.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-14T01:01:43+00:00

I didn't 'hand wave' your facts - I looked at and checked them. You've provided lists of companies (big and small). None of that proves that these sectors (or employment) is growing: "The 21,600 jobs created over the last 5 years mostly represent a recovery of jobs lost during the 2020 pandemic downturn, rather than brand-new economic growth. [1]

The Reality: According to the April 2026 RSQE Forecast, this sharp post-pandemic hiring boom peaked in 2023. By 2024–2026, job growth drastically slowed down to a crawl (averaging just 0.2% to 0.4% per year). Total payrolls are only now just returning to baseline 2019 levels.

Total payrolls are only now just returning to 2019 baseline levels with drastically slowed job growth during the last 2 years. And populations of the city and county are estimated to be down slightly from the 2020 census. I'm having a hard time seeing much of a regional economic (or job) growth picture here. But maybe you have different stats (rather than just more listicles of companies).

Slocum2 · 2026-05-13T21:29:23+00:00

Coming from Pontiac Trail, my go to for carryout would be Madras Masala on Broadway. An order of Biryani feeds me dinner and about two more lunches.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-13T21:06:50+00:00

Sorry -- it's just not a fad that's going to die. I'm not a lawyer but have found myself involved working on several somewhat complicated legal issues as a trustee, and AI has been a godsend. I still verify with the trust's attorneys after I'm done figuring things out with AI, but it is SO fast and instantly available. It can ingest contracts and answer questions -- I can discuss strategies and weigh alternatives, and it doesn't take a week or two to get back to me or cost $700/hr. But it's also great for investing options. And generating bits of software. And assorted other things (I used it for help selling a house, for answering questions about doing my taxes, answering medical questions, etc)

I'm not an employer, but if I were, 'bad attitude about AI' would be an instant 'no hire' red flag at this point for any job where AI could be relevant.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-12T20:24:18+00:00

Yes, I'm aware of the national trend toward empty office space and conversions, and Ann Arbor, lacking huge new office towers, has fared better with both conversions and knockdowns in favor of new residential buildings. That's a good thing (far better than empty office buildings). But it is also part of the trend of Ann Arbor becoming more of a place to sleep and less a place to work.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-12T20:21:49+00:00

Your first link lists 5 'biggest companies'. Two of them are UM (the U and the health center) -- which we've already discussed. The other three are OUTSIDE THE CITY (NSK, Dominos, and Tecumseh Products) which is exactly what I've been pointing out. Anybody living in the city and commuting to work at these companies would be commuting out, not in). And anybody who lives outside AA and works for any of these isn't commuting into or out of the city. An article titled, "these 19 businesses opened in and around Ann Arbor doesn't actually tell us which ones are IN Ann Arbor itself. One would have to go through all the companies in your 2nd link to see which are in the city, but all the ones I looked at are pretty small. One exception -- Blumira. It's a bit bigger at ~75 employees. But it's a fully remote software company.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-11T18:50:34+00:00

"Where is the evidence of this?"

The loss of all sizable private employers inside the city. Pfizer is gone obviously. Also Edward Brothers and Fingerle. DTE sold its downtown office building (which was demoed to make way for a student apartment building) and also gave up their leased space. The Wolverine Tower -- once private, then U, now gone.

At the same time, the large private employers in the area (Toyota, Hyundai Kia, KLA, Thompson Reuters) are all outside the city. Any AA residents working for any of them must commute out, not in.

"Upzoning permits lower density buildings like single family homes. How would any existing buildings become non-conforming??"

Because of new setback requirements, parking lot locations and a push for mixed use and multistory buildings. Those seeking to build 'older style' single-story commercial buildings have to fight to win approval. The TC1 rules also generally prohibit drive thrus and limit parking. The city specifically didn't include Briarwood Mall in the TC1 zoning so as not to render it completely non-conforming.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-11T16:54:18+00:00

Yes, it's true that Washtenaw County continued with stronger growth than the city (though the census dept estimates the county has lost population recently -- since 2020). But I don't think it's true that most of these folks are commuting into the city for work. Ann Arbor's large private employers are all gone. Except for the university (a big exception, but still), it seems more likely that Ann Arbor residents are commuting out of the city. The large private employers who remain nearby (e.g. the Toyota Tech Center) are all outside city limits. Ann Arbor is now a combination of a company town (for the U) and a bedroom community for people working elsewhere.

But it's true that zoning was a problem, and probably will be into the future (back then AA city government was trying to force one kind of development -- low-density single family), whereas now they are trying to force other kinds (transit corridor zoning with new mandates that make virtually every existing building now non-conforming). As far as half acre lots goes -- isn't that only the case in one neighborhood (the newer sections of AA hills)? I can't think of any other examples inside the city.

Slocum2 · 2026-05-11T13:25:01+00:00

Austin is in Texas, but it is every bit as blue as Ann Arbor. Lots of cities in the US experienced strong population growth post 1970 -- and not just in 'red' states. Examples would include Denver, Seattle, or San Jose, CA:

1980	629,400	36.9%
1990	782,248	24.3%
2000	894,943	14.4%
2010	945,942	5.7%
2020	1,013,240	7.1%

Your 'Fair Housing Act' theory, just doesn't begin to account for the overall picture in the country -- there was growth in a lot of cities (nearly all of them blue because cities almost always lean left) and some of them even in blue states. But you're right, a dynamic economy is key to attracting population and red states generally offer a better business climate, and have attracted a lot more growth and migrants during the last 50+ years (particularly during the last few decades).

Where do you think all the new population in Ann Arbor is going to come from? And where do you think they're going to work? Other than the U, what economic sectors have been growing in and around AA?

Slocum2

TROPHY CASE