The Greenbelt Program is the common name for the City's Open Space and Parkland Preservation (OSPP) program described in Chapter 42 of the City Code, funded by the 30-year Open Space and Parkland Preservation Millage, both established in 2003. The Greenbelt Program preserves farmland and open space/natural area in designated areas outside of the City of Ann Arbor limits. These areas are defined by two "boundaries" or "districts" known as the Greenbelt and, as of 2024, the Bluebelt.

Greenbelt

The Greenbelt boundary is defined by township sections, but contains approximately the area 4-5 miles outside of the city. The land preserved here ensures a local agricultural economy, recreation opportunities, and natural resource and habitat protection.

Bluebelt

Public engagement during a 2019 strategic planning process revealed a united interest in local water quality, especially drinking water. To respond to this public interest, Greenbelt staff proposed and City Council approved an amendment to Chapter 42 in April 2024 that added a second boundary to the Greenbelt Program, called the Bluebelt, that narrows in on preservation of land that protects the City's drinking sourcewater quality.

The Bluebelt boundary is defined by the Huron River watershed upstream of where the City draws its drinking water, limited to Washtenaw County. Due to the enhanced water quality function focus of the Bluebelt, there are more eligibility criteria that a property must meet to qualify for a conservation easement than there are for the Greenbelt boundary.