American Rescue Plan Act Funding

Approved Pro​​jects

In 2021 the City of Ann Arbor was informed that it would be awarded $24.2 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds. Following that notice, the City Council directed the City Administrator to prepare a plan for allocating the funds. On October 1, 2021 the City Administrator sent a plan to Council outlining potential eligible projects and recommending a public engagement campaign to help prioritize the funds. Following that, City Council adopted resolution R-21-396 which directed a public engagement campaign and directed the City Administrator to provide a final allocation plan by March 1, 2022. Staff engaged in a robust public engagement campaign in January and February of 2022 which resulted in more than 250 attendees at virtual town halls and more than 2,500 participants in an online survey. On February 25, 2022, the City Administrator communicated a report on the outcome of the public engagement campaign and final draft recommendation for Council's approval.

On April 4, 2022 Council approved the following allocation of ARPA funds:

  • Housing for Homeless Households $1,000,000
  • Unarmed Response $3,500,000
  • Galvanized Water Service Line Replacement $2,000,000
  • Property Acquisition for Affordable Housing $3,500,000
  • Coordinated Funding Support $1,682,630
  • Gallup Park Bridge $2,300,000
  • Universal Basic Income $1,600,000
  • Solar on City Facilities $4,500,000
  • City Clerk Election Center $1,000,000
  • Funding for the Arts $500,000
  • Community and Law Enforcement Data Platform $500,000
  • Vision Zero Plan Implementation $2,000,000
  • Liberty Plaza $100,000​
​​The city created a dashboard that provides an overview of how ARPA funds have been budgeted. It includes high-level information about each project and its expenditures to date. The dashboard can be found at the following link: ARPA Funding Dashboard​.

Potential projects that were considered

City Clerk Election Center     Solar on City Facilities    Housing for Homeless Households    Property Acquisition for Affordable Housing     Vision Zero Implementation     Miller-Catherine Bike Facility     Galvanized Water Service Line Replacement     Community and Law Enforcement Public Safety Data Platform     Fire Station 4 (Huron Parkway) - First Net Zero Fire Station in Michigan     Coordinated Funding Support     Universal Basic Income     Gallup Park Bridge Replacement/Road & Trail Renovation  Unarmed Response Program ​​

City Clerk Election Center

This project will create a new election center that would provide the needed space for staff to prepare for elections and conduct high-speed tabulation of ballots, which is necessary due to the higher number of absentee ballots.
Estimated to require $2,000,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube​ video explainer 

Solar on City Facilities

This project would install over 4 Megawatts of solar on 19 city facilities, saving the City operating costs, enhancing resilience, and reducing climate pollution. Sites identified include nearly every park with a major facility, the water treatment plant, City Hall, the water recovery facility, the airport, and the public works building. The installations would also be designed to eventually accommodate energy storage, which would enable these facilities to operate even during power outages. This is especially important for critical facilities, such as the water treatment plant and public works.
Estimated to require $8,500,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube video explainer ​

Housing for Homeless Households

This project will provide new housing for homeless households and will leverage funds from other sources to access rental subsides and supportive services. For this project, the Ann Arbor Housing Commission will partner with Avalon Housing to provide permanent supportive housing. This will not be transitional housing.
Estimated to require $1,000,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube video explainer 

Property Acquisition for Affordable Housing

This project would acquire property to build affordable housing. This project would involve identifying a suitable property, conducting due diligence on that property, and acquiring the property. Renovation would been done, as needed, or if the land is vacant, the project would require developing a site plan and going through a site plan approval process, followed by construction.
Estimated to require $3,500,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube video explainer 

Vision Zero Implementation

This project proposes to fund a significant number of projects identified in the City's newly adopted "Moving Together Towards Vision Zero" Transportation Master Plan. This includes projects that reduce speed, enhance system design, and provide education. Specifically, this would help complete the Eisenhower park path, fill missing Border-to-Border trail linkages along and under Fuller Road, install a citywide bike network sign program, conduct and implement a citywide speed study, reconfigure lanes on S. Main, Packard, Earhart, and Green Roads, install protected bike lanes, install bike boulevards along Washington and Elmwood Streets, install green bike lanes, expand bike parking, add ADA accessible pedestrian push buttons, upgrade traffic signals, install streetlights, and upgrade crosswalks.
Estimated to require $9,500,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube video explainer ​

Miller-Catherine Bike Facility

The Miller-Catherine bike facility would be a high-comfort/low stress bicycle facility along Miller Avenue and Catherine Street from west City limits to the University of Michigan.  As part of this project, traffic calming measures would also be included to address safety concerns regarding speeding vehicles and pedestrian crossings.
Estimated to require $4,000,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube video explainer 

Galvanized Water Service Line Replacement

This project would replace up to 3,000 galvanized water service lines in the city that were once connected to lead pipes. The State of Michigan requires the replacement of all publicly and privately-owned water service lines that are, or used to be, connected to lead pipes. Lead can accumulate in galvanized pipes and release when the pipe is disturbed, creating the potential for lead in drinking water.
Estimated to require $3,750,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube Video explainer 

Community and Law Enforcement Public Safety Data Platform

This project will help provide the data collection needed to determine police biases and support training and education for officers that focuses on critical decision making that honors the sanctity of human life. The Ann Arbor Police Department's dedication to achieving a meaningful and systematic change

to policing in the city requires the correct tooling to measure progress, impacts, and outcomes.
Estimated to require $1,245,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube video explainer 

Fire Station 4 (Huron Parkway) - First Net Zero Fire Station in Michigan

This project would build the city's first carbon-neutral facility, a net-zero fire station at the current Fire Station 4 location. This facility will produce energy through geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels, and an architectural design that encourages energy efficiency. The facility will also be gender-neutral to accommodate fire fighters of all genders.
Estimated to require $3,000,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube video explainer 

Coordinated Funding Support

This project would provide support to families living at or below the poverty line as this pandemic continues, providing basic safety net services to residents, with a focus on addressing poverty, racism and trauma in our community.
Estimated to require $4,000,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 
YouTube video explainer 

Universal Basic Income

This project would establish a universal basic income pilot program, which would provide direct aid to a group of families for three years, with review from social scientists to document the impact this aid has had, not just on the families, but on the whole community. This program may set the foundation for a for a larger, longer program that could benefit all families in Ann Arbor.
Estimated to require $1,500,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 

Gallup Park Bridge Replacement and Road and Trail Renovation​

The existing Gallup Park pedestrian and vehicle bridge will be replaced with a new ​design (PDF) that significantly expands the paths for bicycles and pedestrians while maintaining the single vehicle lane. Additionally, the Border-to-Border Trail portion of the project would be widened to accommodate its heavy use and advisory bike lanes for commuter cyclists would b​e added to the park road to provide separation from recreational trail users.  The park road would also be modified to shift parking off-street. 

Estimated to require $2,306,800 from ARPA funds to move forward. 

YouTube video explainer 

Unarmed Response Program ​

An unarmed response program would divert armed officers from responding to non-criminal and non-violent calls to medical professionals, social workers, or other human services professionals that are better suited to meet the situational needs.  ​

Estimated to require $2,000,000 from ARPA funds to move forward. 

​YouTube video explainer 

Documents and resources


Wednesday​, Jan. 12, 2022 public meeting

 

Thursday, Jan. 13, 2022 project specific meetings

Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022 project specific meetings

Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022

Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022 public meeting​ (YouTube video of the session​)
​ Subscribe for updates 
734.794.6435
RescueFunds@a2gov.​org

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