Proposed development would bring 20 acres of housing and retail to Ann Arbor's south side

A plan to transform 20 acres on Ann Arbor's south side into "a new major gateway to the city," conveniently adjacent to I-94, has just been unveiled. Named Arbor South, the mixed-use development located on what is now a parking lot for the 777 Building at Eisenhower Parkway and South State Street will boast a host of new retail, restaurant, and entertainment choices. 

Ann Arbor-based real estate company Oxford Companies and Ohio-based real estate company Crawford Hoying are leading the development. They're touting the planned addition of 1,000 residential units as a big win for the community.

"This template that we're creating is the best solution we have to address housing demand in Ann Arbor," says Oxford Companies CEO Jeff Hauptman. "We're adding more affordable housing through this project than anything that's been done in years. We're going to add about 150 units at 60% AMI [area median income]."

He shares that support from residents and city council on the "large" and "complicated" project has been encouraging. 

"The city council recognized we could do a lot more in this neighborhood," Hauptman says. "They recognized that bringing this many units had potential."

Arbor South's genesis started about seven years ago, with the mission of creating a kind of drive-through neighborhood and getting cars off the road. Hauptman explains that the area doesn't have anything to really draw people in. At the same time, it is not very bicycle-friendly and most people who use the area arrive by car.  

Hauptman is grateful for the transit corridor, or TC1, rezoning of the State-Eisenhower area, which occurred in 2022 and makes projects like Arbor South possible. The rezoning is designed to increase density in areas outside of downtown Ann Arbor, focusing on adding accessible housing to the market. 

"One of our original goals was to make it so that someone who works around here can walk out of their building and instead of getting in their car, they can walk to a restaurant nearby," Hauptman says. "With TC1 we'll be able to add density, add housing, in a way that would mimic a downtown and make the area more walkable."

Hauptman says getting cars off the road is a current community concern. It's been a more longstanding one for his company, however, ahead of today's conversations about sustainability. 

"It's something that's driven us in the past, because we know that State-Eisenhower can do better. We can do better in this part of the city," he says.

Jaishree Drepaul is a freelance writer and editor based in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at jaishreeedit@gmail.com.

Photos courtesy of Oxford Companies.