This Tuesday, April 14, at 7 PM, the Planning Commission will hold a working session to discuss how to implement the Comprehensive Plan with zoning changes. This meeting is important because the implementation strategy they choose will have a tangible impact on the number and types of homes built in Ann Arbor in the coming years. You can make your voice heard through this email campaign and by speaking in person or on Zoom.

Last month, Planning Commissioner Dan Adams put forward a proposal to rezone the Hub category and surrounding Transition areas by the end of 2026. The next step would be rezoning the rest of Transition, followed by Residential, with the entire city rezoned within three years. The proposal also calls for the new zoning districts to be based on the example districts drafted by members of the More Neighbors policy committee. We appreciated this proposal because it would begin implementation with speed and the proposed new zoning districts would make it easier, not more difficult, to build more homes.

This week, staff put forward their own proposal with three options for implementing the plan. The More Neighbors A2 policy committee and board believe that the Adams proposal would set the Planning Commission up for success, while the three options in the staff memo could delay important changes by reopening questions settled by the Comprehensive Plan. If you’re interested in learning more about the proposals, you can read this analysis written by a member of our policy committee.

The Comprehensive Plan already identifies areas that are “appropriate for rezoning” on its Future Land Use Map, and it calls for new zoning districts to implement this map. Now it’s time to move forward and create the new districts. Reopening already settled questions, like which areas should be rezoned, could lead to years of unnecessary delay.

Please join us in asking the Commission to support the Adams proposal!