ANN ARBOR, MI — Federal funds are coming to Ann Arbor to assist inexpensive housing websites go solar.
U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Dearborn, helped safe a $3 million earmark for town in a current federal funding invoice signed into regulation by President Joe Biden.
The cash is anticipated to assist transition Ann Arbor Housing Commission condominium websites “to nearly net-zero-energy sites that ensure safe, healthy and comfortable housing for residents in need,” based on town’s funding proposal.
That contains putting in rooftop solar arrays and backup batteries, deep energy-efficiency enhancements, upgraded electrical techniques, transitioning away from gasoline to electrical home equipment and including shared public electrical automobile charging infrastructure.
“We are extremely lucky and thankful that Rep. Dingell advocated for funding for our properties and we look forward to making improvements that are healthy for our residents, healthy for our operations and healthy for the environment,” Housing Commission Executive Director Jennifer Hall mentioned.
City leaders are actually strategizing easy methods to prioritize the $3 million, because the metropolis’s funding request was for $7.5 million for 10 websites.
Hall mentioned she plans to debate technique subsequent week with Missy Stults, town’s sustainability workplace director. Hall’s preliminary plan is so as to add solar to the fee’s two latest properties — State Street Crossing and Creekside Court on Platt Road — as a result of they’re already extremely energy-efficient and solar-ready with all of the infrastructure in place, she mentioned, estimating that will burn up about $600,000-$700,000 of the funds.
“Our next priority will be to analyze our remaining properties to determine what upgrades will be the most impactful and we will prioritize properties based on the highest impact,” she mentioned, noting town additionally will look to leverage further {dollars} to finish as a lot as attainable.
The metropolis’s 2030 A2Zero carbon-neutrality plan envisions transitioning buildings all through town away from reliance on fossil fuels via electrification and renewable energy. In addition to town’s personal municipal buildings, metropolis leaders need to residents, companies and others to do their half.
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“We are really excited to see these projects move forward,” Stults mentioned of upgrades to Housing Commission websites, calling it an thrilling second to manifest town’s targets.
Some of the websites into account embrace Miller Manor on Miller Avenue, Lurie Terrace on Huron Street, the Hikone complicated off Packard Road, Green Baxter Court on Green Road, Maple Meadows on South Maple Road, West Arbor on North Maple Road, Broadway Terrace on Broadway Street and Hillside Manor on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Many tenants make lower than 30% of the world median revenue, together with seniors and other people with disabilities and different particular wants, the Housing Commission notes.
“This project would allow ten supportive and affordable housing projects with 463 apartments housing more than 1,000 community members in the city of Ann Arbor to transition to net-zero-energy facilities or net-zero-energy-ready facilities,” the proposal states. “By doing this, we will be creating a replicable model while also making immediate gains towards our climate goals, lower operational costs at our housing sites which frees up resources to invest in capital improvements and services for housing commission tenants, improve indoor air quality and comfort for our tenants, put more dollars directly into the local economy, and advance our goals around equity and justice.”
The metropolis is asking voters in November to approve a 20-year tax to implement extra A2Zero climate-action measures.
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