The Atrium - Partnerships

Partnerships at The Atrium

In our community, locals achieve together what they cannot achieve alone, from buying a home to providing hope in the face of disaster. In that spirit, our proposal seeks partnership wherever possible. Here are our initial partners across amenities, community resources, and local government to bring The Atrium to life.

Our Residents Act Together

Through the community land trust model, our most important partners are our residents. The building is led by a board of residents, a collective approach that is proven to reduce default rates while also strengthening community cohesion. Neighbors who own a high-efficiency building together are also more invested in the health and operations of their building, so they will collectively ensure the building continues to operate at net zero over time.

The City of Ann Arbor

We see the City of Ann Arbor as a foundational partner to accelerate green building practices in our community. To that end, we have aligned our project's benefits with the city's A2Zero plan. Additionally, the city can fast-track homeownership opportunities at ABC by transferring the land ownership to a new nonprofit that will own the land parcel and manage it on behalf of residents, maintaining affordability while enabling residents to own their homes and build permanent wealth.

Ann Arbor's Sustainable Energy Utility

The Ann Arbor SEU is a community-owned energy utility that plans to provide electricity from local solar and battery storage systems installed throughout the city. We plan to host one of the SEU's first pilot projects at The Atrium, proving out the efficacy of local energy production and/or storage. Our site is an ideal pilot location because of proximity to residential areas, and our green building trainees will be able to help staff the project. We look forward to collaborating with the SEU and DTE to expand local opportunities to provide clean, reliable, locally built, and affordable electricity across Ann Arbor.

Training the Next Green Building Workforce

Today, Michigan has the lowest percentage of construction workers trained in high-efficiency building in the country. Our development is an ongoing opportunity to retrain local workers and build a green workforce to meet Ann Arbor's carbon neutrality goals. We will partner with the Michigan Energy Workforce Development Consortium (MEWDC) and our neighbors at the Ann Arbor Community Center to launch our first job training cohort to support construction of the building. This will be followed by ongoing cohorts trained in green building operations and management, made possible with funding such as the US Department of Energy’s Green Building Workforce Development Initiative and operated by our CLT nonprofit. Our building will become an active learning and training facility.

Building an Accessible Community Resource

Right around the corner from our development is the Ann Arbor Community Center, a recognized local resource and wraparound service provider. The nonprofit supports thousands of people every year, but its building cannot host them - they do not have enough space for their dedicated employees, let alone their clients. Our new community room will be made available to the Ann Arbor Community Center for local events and fundraisers. This will also help residents stay connected with the Center and learn about available, no-cost resources if needed.

Protecting Our Natural Landscape

We will be good stewards of the floodplain and floodway that share our site. We will partner with Washtenaw County’s Rain Garden Program to plant and upkeep an on-site rain garden with native plants to capture and clean stormwater. Rain gardens are proven to absorb runoff 30-40% more efficiently than standard lawns. Residents will have the opportunity to volunteer to care for the garden, supported by staff. We will also engage with the County throughout construction and operations to ensure our building does not negatively impact the floodplain.

Activating Community Outdoor Space

Residents want the opportunity to grow their own healthy, culturally appropriate fruits and vegetables. Our outdoor space will have a community garden, made possible in partnership with Project Grow, a local nonprofit leading the way on organic community garden sites.

Expanding the Treeline Trail

Our community is fortunate to live next door to The Treeline Trail, an urban trail connecting Ann Arbor residents to local river and park systems. Following the model of urban linear parks like NYC's High Line, we will partner with the Treeline to sponsor local activations and exhibits in our outdoor spaces. We will create a direct path linking our development with the trail so that our residents have direct access to a safe biking and walking path.

Creating New Mobility Solutions

We share the City of Ann Arbor's goal to expand micro-mobility solutions in our community. We will partner with a bike rental company such as MoGo, a nonprofit bike share system that is active in neighboring Detroit, to pilot a bike rental station at our development. Our goal is to offer no-cost rentals to our residents in exchange for siting the first bike rentals in Ann Arbor.

Greening Our Children's Playground

We plan to offer a functional playground for children to learn and play safely on site while also addressing the increasing stormwater management issue in Ann Arbor due to increased precipitation. We will partner with leading experts like Chicago-based Space to Grow to build a model of the next generation of sustainable playgrounds. Their designs incorporate the landscape to capture rainfall, replacing a traditional asphalt playground landscape with permeable surfaces, keeping local water resources clean and reducing neighborhood flooding. Space to Grow is currently seeking to expand, and The Atrium would be eager to partner and/or consult on best practices in developing rain-ready, engaging outdoor play spaces for our residents' children.

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