"Local developer Fred Beal sat near the back of the council chamber Tuesday night while the Ann Arbor City Council moved forward toward approving three downtown residential projects -- two involving nine-story buildings and the third a 12-story and a 14-story tower connected by a four-story base.
Beal, a member of the Downtown Development Authority's board, said he remembers just a few years ago he attended a committee meeting of the city's Planning Commission when a four-story limit for new buildings was discussed.
When was the last time he was at a City Council meeting when that kind of development wasn't disputed?
He smiled. 'Never.'"
