Commissioners postpone vote on Arbor South brownfield plan after residents and experts raise questions

The Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners on May 6 voted to postpone consideration of the Arbor South brownfield plan after a lengthy public comment period in which residents, trustees and attorneys raised questions about eligibility, recent environmental testing and the scale of proposed tax capture.

Multiple speakers asked the board to wait for a new environmental assessment and challenged developer‑provided valuation and obsolescence claims. Attorney Tom Weider urged commissioners to obtain the fire‑services bureau’s new tank assessment and city or county assessor data before approving a plan that, as public commenters noted, would redirect substantial future tax revenue away from local services. Several speakers warned that the magnitude of the subsidy could reduce funding available for colleges, libraries and other taxing jurisdictions.

The motion to postpone was put forward by Commissioner Ravi and supported by Commissioner Sanders; after discussion about what additional information staff should gather, the board approved the postponement on a roll‑call vote. Commissioners asked staff to seek updated site assessments, clarify the developer’s remediation timeline, and provide independent valuations from public assessors and Brownfield Authority engineers before the May 20 meeting.

What this means: the postponement gives the board time to evaluate whether the site qualifies for brownfield tax capture under state criteria, to review new environmental testing if required, and to re‑run fiscal impact tables with updated assessor input. The project remains on the board’s agenda for May 20, pending the additional documentation requested.

Quote from the meeting: "I would like to make a motion to postpone this item to our May 20 meeting," said Commissioner Ravi when moving the delay; the motion carried on a roll‑call vote.