The planning process is now underway that will guide the City of Ann Arbor physical development, policymaking and programming over the next more-than 25 years. The new Ann Arbor Comprehensive Plan will provide a framework for achieving the City’s desired goals, ensuring its diversity, supporting investment and promoting desired change. A key component of the new plan process is public participation.
The planning process will take place over the next 18 months; and the City is encouraging community members to share input and participate in engagement opportunities, including:
- Apply to join the project Steering Committee. This committee will meet an estimated five to seven times through 2024 to help the project team:
- Establish timeframes and processes through the plan development.
- Assist in conducting research, checking assumptions and providing insight and feedback into the community.
- Help validate values, recommendations and concepts presented in the plan.
- Help to engage the community to ensure participation from numerous, diverse voices to result in a better vision and plan.
- Apply by Friday, Oct. 6, at https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=haWvSHVjcEG50enFaLuS877l6eenepNJoqpZpzAJFgFUNEFVMVMzSFJYVE0yU01EN0tLTDNBUk1XUy4u.
- Sign up to receive updates on the process, at https://plan.a2gov.org/compplanupdates.
- Visit the project website for ongoing information and resources, at https://plan.a2gov.org/plan24.
Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor notes Ann Arbor is experiencing an affordability crisis, identifying housing scarcity as one cause of this crisis. “I’m excited about the opportunity for the Comprehensive Plan process to find ways to bring more neighbors into our neighborhoods, throughout our city,” said Mayor Taylor. “The expansion of housing, with its affordability, carbon and desegregation benefits, will improve the quality of life for all members of our community.” Taylor encourages all residents to get involved.
The city is working with a consultant team on this effort, which will focus on cultivating a more affordable, equitable and sustainable community. Ann Arbor City Council has also outlined the following goals to pursue:
- Integration with and advancement of the A2ZERO carbon neutrality plan applicable to land use and development activity in the City.
- Initiatives to increase housing supply in single-family, zoned areas, and other areas and zoning districts.
- Policies that promote fewer zoning categories and that provide more adaptability for reuse and evolution over time.
- A land use framework that emphasizes values over specified land-use limitations when possible.
- Policies that reverse and/or seek to repair past land use policies and regulations that resulted in exclusion of people based on race, income or other characteristics and other inequities.
“The Comprehensive Plan is a guiding document on our priorities and will be a unique and excellent opportunity for an expansive conversation with the community on these priorities, helping to shape principles that guide our future land use,” said Ann Arbor Planning Commission Chair Wonwoo Lee.
Additional public engagement opportunities will be announced as the process progresses, including a community survey and open houses. For more information, visit https://plan.a2gov.org/plan24.
