top of page

Ann Arbor for All:

Setting the Record Straight on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan

What is the Comprehensive Land Use Plan?

  • The CLUP is not zoning. It’s a vision document, required by state law, that guides how we think about land use over the next 20–30 years.
     

  • Zoning changes will still require votes by both the Planning Commission and City Council, along with full debate, public notice, and public hearings.
     

  • The CLUP helps Ann Arbor manage growth responsibly by advancing affordability, equity, sustainability, dynamism, and long-term economic vibrancy.

Untitled design (3).png
Claim: "The public has been sidelined."

Fact:
 

  • Michigan law requires just one public hearing. Ann Arbor has gone far beyond that with a multi-year process that began in 2023, including library workshops, online surveys, small group discussions, pop-up events, Planning Commission hearings, neighborhood meetings, and a 63-day formal review.
     

  • Every resident has the chance to weigh in—and thousands already have.
     

  • Public comments are still being received, reviewed, and incorporated into the plan through regular Planning Commission meetings and public comment periods. You can add your comments by emailing: planning@a2gov.org

Claim: "Ann Arbor's population isn't growing, so we don't need new housing."

Fact:

​​

  • Ann Arbor has 94,000 workers and 53,000 students competing for just 53,000 homes. That’s why prices keep climbing.

Missing Middle_edited.jpg

  • Census data shows that since the onset of the pandemic, the number of households in Ann Arbor increased by 7.1%. Yet during the same period (2019-2023), the number of housing units built in a year declined by 2.3%.
     

  • Growth projections don’t “force” new residents; they plan for the housing demand already here.
     

  • SEMCOG forecasts are not a cap on growth—they reflect how restrictive zoning has held back population growth.

Claim: "Triplexes and 3-story homes will destroy neighborhoods."

Fact:

​

  • Missing Middle Housing—duplexes, triplexes, townhomes—fits within the 3-story residential scale already allowed today.
     

  • These are not high-rises on your street. Tall buildings remain limited to downtown and major corridors.
     

  • Three story buildings are already allowed in low-rise residential neighborhoods.
     

  • Neighborhood character is defined by neighbors, not buildings. Allowing a few more families to live on a block makes neighborhoods stronger.

IMG_7046.jpeg
Claim: "The Plan won’t create affordable housing."

Fact:

​

  • Ann Arbor voters already passed an Affordable Housing Millage, funding deeply affordable homes.
     

  • Market-rate housing also helps: it frees up older homes and contributes tax revenue that funds our Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
     

  • Current restrictive zoning currently prevents organizations like the Community Land Trust from building affordable housing.
     

  • New housing today is tomorrow’s affordable housing. Without new supply, prices spiral upward and fewer people can stay.
     

  • Over 1,000 new affordable housing units are in the pipeline, under construction, or have recently opened—including 50 units at the Grove at Veridian that just opened and 63 units now under construction at 121 Catherine Street.

Grove.jpg

The Grove at Veridian. Photo: Steve Jensen

Claim: "Developers are the only winners."

Fact:

​

  • The CLUP benefits the entire community:
     

    • More housing choices for workers, students, and seniors.
       

    • Climate-friendly growth that reduces sprawl and car dependency.
       

    • More tax revenue for schools, roads, transit, and affordable housing.
       

  • Without new homes, only wealthy newcomers win—because they can outbid everyone else.

​

And let’s be clear: developers don’t get a free pass—they pay property taxes whether they live here or not, and those dollars fund the services we all rely on. For instance, just three recent Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) contributed nearly $18 million to Ann Arbor’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund—enough to support hundreds of new permanently affordable homes.

Claim: "The Plan ignores infrastructure and the environment."

Fact:

​

  • The CLUP explicitly prioritizes sustainability and climate goals.
     

  • Denser growth = less sprawl, fewer car trips, lower flooding risk compared to pushing development outward into farmland and wetlands.
     

  • Investing in compact neighborhoods protects trees and green space at the regional scale.
     

  • City Administrator Milton Dohoney has confirmed that Ann Arbor is already planning and investing in the water, sewer, and stormwater systems needed to support growth–see the City’s water and sewer infrastructure plans.

The Real Choice

​​

  • Pause Progress? = Keep exclusionary zoning, worsening affordability, forcing long commutes, and locking out the next generation.
     

  • Move Forward Together? = Plan responsibly for 2050, welcome neighbors of all incomes, and build an Ann Arbor for All.

​

Get the facts. Read the plan. Join the conversation.

bottom of page