Developer Ryan Talbot discusses his plan for a high-rise development where the Live nightclub and Last Word bar stand in downtown Ann Arbor during a meeting with residents at Zingerman's Greyline on July 8, 2025.

ANN ARBOR, MI — Local musician Jerry Mack, band leader for the Terraplanes, had a simple message Tuesday night for the developer proposing a high-rise where the Live nightclub and Last Word bar stand downtown.

“Stop making Ann Arbor suck!” read the sign he held up during a July 8 meeting hosted by the developer at Zingerman’s Greyline.

Mack, who performs at Live and has been part of the club’s popular “Geezer Happy Hour” featured in The New York Times, said he has lived in Ann Arbor over 52 years and has seen the town change.

“And it doesn’t look good. It looks ugly,” he said of all the new high-rises. “It’s no longer Anns’ Arbor.”

Developer Ryan Talbot of Michigan-based Talbot Development faced a tough crowd filled with more skeptics and opponents than supporters as he and his team laid out plans for a 10-story building at the southwest corner of First and Huron streets.

Local musician Jerry Mack, band leader for the Terraplanes, speaks in opposition to plans for a downtown Ann Arbor high-rise proposed to replace the Live nightclub where he performs.

Some residents complained it’s too tall, arguing it would be a massive eyesore, and some expressed concerns there’s not enough onsite parking for the amount of housing proposed.

Plans call for a corner cafe and 280 apartments geared toward young professionals, including 42 affordable housing units.

The western end of the high-rise would extend down to Washington Street by the YMCA and there would be access drives off both Washington and First streets to an interior parking area with 106 car parking spaces.

Buildings to be demolished include Live and Last Word, the adjacent HanJan Pocha House and the Arbor Atrium that houses Destination Ann Arbor and other commercial tenants.

Talbot said he’s working closely with the owners of Live and Last Word to buy their properties and provide financial assistance to make sure they can relocate and reincarnate somewhere else.

Residents weigh in on plans for a high-rise development where the Live nightclub and Last Word bar stand in downtown Ann Arbor during a meeting at Zingerman's Greyline on July 8, 2025.

“The ownership at Live and Last Word wanted to make sure that everybody understood that here,” he said.

They’re still early in talks, but there’s a possibility Last Word could become part of the high-rise as a rooftop cocktail lounge, Talbot said, and the hope is Live finds another home downtown, possibly within a block or two.

Residents in attendance still had concerns about losing current spaces they cherish.

Older residents mostly spoke against the project, while some younger residents expressed support, saying there’s a housing shortage and projects like this are needed.

Michigan- based Talbot Development is behind the project, working with Nederveld and Hobbs and Black Architects.

Nishant Kheterpal, a PhD student who grew up in Ann Arbor, shared others’ concerns about losing Live and the Last Word at least temporarily, but he said he’s happy about the project and appreciates the affordable housing.

From left, David Nims of Hobbs and Black Architects, Ryan Talbot of Talbot Development and Brandon Chaney of Nederveld discuss plans for a high-rise development where the Live nightclub and Last Word bar stand in downtown Ann Arbor during a meeting with residents at Zingerman's Greyline on July 8, 2025.

The only reason he can afford to live in Ann Arbor is because of help from family, he said, saying his other PhD student friends live in Ypsilanti and have to commute.

Michigan- based Talbot Development is behind the project, working with Nederveld and Hobbs and Black Architects.

Kheterpal drew boos from the crowd when suggesting the developer should try going up to 12 to 15 stories.

Some of the businesses and organizations that would be displaced if the project goes forward are tenants who said they didn’t know about the plans before they were publicly unveiled in June.

Developer Ryan Talbot lays out his plan for a high-rise development where the Live nightclub and Last Word bar stand in downtown Ann Arbor during a meeting with residents at Zingerman's Greyline on July 8, 2025.

HanJan Pocha House owner James Lee, who along with his wife Jamie is a year into renting the space that houses their Korean restaurant, said it’s unfair they’re finding out now they may be forced to shut down and vacate their space. A lot of Asian community members and University of Michigan students have been happy the business is there, he said, addressing the developer Tuesday night.

Talbot responded by telling Lee he hoped they could talk privately later.

Destination Ann Arbor, the local convention and visitors bureau that a decade ago was displaced to make way for the hotel building where Tuesday’s meeting took place, also is unsure of its next move.

President and CEO Sarah Miller said any relocation will be at the advisement of the organization’s board, but Destination Ann Arbor is committed to having a continued presence in Ann Arbor, in addition to its office in Ypsilanti.

Liberty Street resident Nishant Kheterpal expresses support for a high-rise development where the Live nightclub and Last Word bar stand in downtown Ann Arbor during a meeting at Zingerman's Greyline on July 8, 2025.

“As a countywide organization, our mission stays true to drive economic impact through the power of tourism,” she said.

Local musician Jerry Mack, band leader for the Terraplanes, holds up a sign saying "stop making Ann Arbor suck!" in opposition to plans for a high-rise proposed to replace the Live nightclub where he performs. He was among many residents in attendance for a meeting hosted by the developer at Zingerman's Greyline on July 8, 2025.

Talbot discussed other features of the project, saying it would be an all-electric building with rooftop solar panels and as sustainable as possible within budget constraints, including using a lot of recycled steel for the building frame.

The affordable housing would be for people earning up to 60% of the area median income.

As for the proposed cafe, it would be a mix of a lobby for the apartment building and a cafe all in one space open to anybody who wants to walk in, Talbot said.

One resident expressed concerns some people may not feel comfortable going into someone else’s building lobby for coffee, while other residents argued it’s a prime spot and there should be more retail.

The plans include some townhouse-style apartments on the ground floor.

Talbot is working on the design with Nederveld and Hobbs and Black Architects.

The apartments throughout the building are planned to be predominantly one-bedroom units, as well as some studios and two-bedroom units.

In addition to studios that might be about 400 square feet, there could be some micro units around 325 square feet, Talbot said, saying the building’s market-rate units would have rents similar to other new construction, and studios right now in Ann Arbor can go for about $1,900 to $2,200 per month.

Talbot cited the high cost of construction as a reason for prices being expensive.

Responding to residents who suggested a smaller building would be more palatable, Talbot argued the level of density proposed is needed to make the project numbers work and still incorporate the affordable housing and sustainability features.

“We’re trying to check as many boxes here to make this a project that works not just for the folks who live there, but also for the community,” he said.

On a personal note, Talbot said he’s a Detroit-area native and 2008 University of Michigan graduate who loved his time in Ann Arbor where he met his wife.

“In fact, our second daughter’s middle name is Ann, after Ann Arbor,” he said.