Ann Arbor City Council adopts Comprehensive Land Use Plan to guide the city’s future development with 11-0 vote

The Ann Arbor City Council on Monday, March 16, adopted the Comprehensive Land Use Plan with a unanimous, 11-0 vote, establishing a long-term vision that will guide how the city grows, develops and invests in infrastructure over the coming decades.

The plan provides a framework for land use decisions, development patterns and public investment priorities through approximately 2050. Comprehensive land use plans are typically updated about every 10 to 20 years to ensure that a city’s planning policies reflect current needs, best practices and community priorities. The development of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan kicked off in the summer of 2023.

While council’s adoption of the plan marks a major milestone, it does not immediately change zoning or development regulations. Instead, the plan serves as a guide that will shape future policy decisions and legislative updates.

“The Comprehensive Land Use Plan envisions a more affordable, equitable and sustainable Ann Arbor,” said Mayor Christopher Taylor. “The plan charts a path to an Ann Arbor where seniors can downsize with dignity; where nurses, teachers and tradespeople can live in the community they've built; and where young people can come home to build family. It honors neighborhoods, trees and parks and will prove a great benefit to current residents and new neighbors alike.”

Next steps: Turning the plan into policy

With the plan adopted, city staff will begin developing and evaluating potential updates to the city’s ordinances and practices to align with the plan’s goals. Any proposed legislative changes will follow the city’s public process, including review by the Planning Commission and approval by City Council.

The city will also track a set of key metrics to measure how the plan is progressing toward its goals over time. Some of these indicators include housing production, the number of duplex and triplex units, the amount of affordable housing created, the time development takes from start to finish and median rents, among many others.

Supporting housing, mobility and neighborhood vitality

The Comprehensive Land Use Plan outlines strategies to address several of Ann Arbor’s most important priorities, including housing affordability, climate action and economic resilience.

Among the plan’s goals are:

• Expanding the diversity of housing options across the city, including “missing middle” housing such as duplexes and triplexes.
• Prioritizing and streamlining the development of subsidized affordable housing.
• Encouraging “complete neighborhoods” where residents can access small-scale commercial services close to home.
• Supporting redevelopment of underutilized or car-centric shopping centers.
• Aligning new development with public transit service.
• Promoting environmentally responsible development that reduces energy use, manages stormwater and lowers carbon emissions.

The plan is designed to support a future where more residents can live near jobs, services and transit options — making it easier to walk, bike or ride the bus instead of relying on a car.

A roadmap for future decisions

Unlike zoning, which applies specific rules to individual properties, a comprehensive plan provides a broader policy framework to guide long-term decision-making about land use and public investment.

By establishing shared goals and priorities, the plan will help the city balance competing interests and align infrastructure spending, housing policy and economic development strategies.

“The plan gives Ann Arbor a clear direction for the future,” said City Administrator Milton Dohoney Jr. “It will help us make decisions in support of more housing opportunities, increased environmental responsibility and thriving neighborhoods across the city.”

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Media Contact: 

Steve Kilar, Communications Director, skilar@a2gov.org