What is a Comprehensive Land Use Plan (Comp Plan)?

A Comprehensive Plan is a document that sets out the city’s future vision and priorities to guide development to 2050. The plan includes decisions on land use policy and spending priorities for public projects over a 20 to 30 year horizon. Cities make or update these plans about every 10 years so their vision to guide growth is current and follows best practices (more on the relationship between the Comp Plan and zoning in the FAQ).

Why is the Comp Plan important?

• It provides justification for decision-making - an objective and values-driven basis to support land use and zoning decisions.
• The Comp Plan is then used as the basis for updating the Zoning Ordinance, which is local law that regulates land use.
• It is how a community can balance competing interests.
• It helps determine how best to allocate and leverage resources (i.e., infrastructure, incentives).

What are the city's core values for the Comp Plan?

Ann Arbor strives to be...

• Affordable: ALL should have the opportunity to call Ann Arbor home and thrive, residents and business alike
• Equitable: Ensure community health, safety, and equal access to essential services and amenities for ALL, with additional resources for disinvested communities
• Sustainable: Committed to promoting balance between ALL of our natural and human systems to support a healthy and biodiverse ecosystem, today and into the future
• Dynamic: To be vibrant, continuously evolving city to meet the changing needs of ALL of its people and communities

The Comprehensive Plan will replace five existing plans.

• The Natural Features Master Plan (PDF) - 2004
• The Land Use Element (PDF) - 2009
• The Downtown Plan (PDF) - 2009
• The Sustainability Framework (PDF) - 2013
• The State Street Corridor Plan (PDF) - 2013

The Comprehensive Plan will complement three existing plans.

• The Treeline Allen Creek Urban Trail Master Plan (PDF) - 2017
  
• The Moving Together Towards Vision Zero - Comprehensive Transportation Plan (PDF) - 2021
  
• Parks and Recreation Open Space Plan (PDF) - 2023

Engagement by the Numbers (through 2024)

• 43,000+website views
• 3,100+ survey participants
• 20+interviews (49 individuals, 15 agencies)
• 8 events at downtown and branch libraries
• 580+ attendees
• 30+ stakeholders in small group meetings
• 12+ pop up events
• 200 + meeting in a box responses

Groups the City Met With

• Neighborhood associations
• Elk's Lodge
• Groundcover News
• Neutral Zone
• U-M students and faculty
  • Taubman College
  • Urbanism Club
  • Ford School
  • The Diag
• Delonis Center
• Mallet's Creek library (ESL class)
• Westgate branch library

Materials for Public Engagement Sessions

• Survey Results
• Values
• Meeting in a Box Exercise
• Balancing Priorities
• 20-Minute Neighborhood
• Mad Lib Game
• Density Prioritization
• Potential Future Land Use Districts

History of the Height Discussion

See Council Resolution

One of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan’s directives is to increase housing supply and housing types across all areas of the City, including single-family zones. During community conversations at our engagement sessions in 2024, it was asked to what extent the city plans to densify single-family neighborhoods. Would it be by height? By unit count? By setback? To help residents visualize what this could look like, 35 feet was suggested as a height limit for the proposed residential district (the current height limit in 30 feet in R-1 and R-2 zones) and a maximum of four units. There was general agreement among engagement participants that this type of “gentle” density was desirable, even if height limits were not explicitly discussed.

At a later date, 48 feet (4 stories) was suggested for the residential district to help to increase housing supply and align with building code. This has caused many residents to write in and attend public comment in opposition to an additional story for fear of being out of scale with the surrounding housing types. As such, City Council has passed a resolution that has asked for the Comprehensive Land Use Plan to limit heights to 3 stories and suggested other ways to regulate housing so that they maintain a good fit in existing neighborhoods. The draft plan was created prior to this recent action by the City Council. Planning staff anticipates height limits will be addressed during the first edits currently being considered.