Ann Arbor’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan, Zoning, and Historic Districts

As of 2024, Ann Arbor is in the midst of revising its Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP), which happens every couple of decades. The new plan is intended to guide development through 2050. The CLUP forms the basis for subsequent rezoning.

Historic preservation is an important part of land use planning. Ann Arbor’s extant plan, drafted in 2009, contains an entire section on historic preservation and models appropriate acknowledgement and support for historic districts and preservation. The new draft plan does not.

The AAPA is advocating for historic preservation best practices in the plan, drawing from national preservation authorities and benchmarking of peer cities. We hope you will use the resources below to learn more about the CLUP, historic preservation best practices, and the AAPA's input to the Planning Commission (Planning Commission is the author of the Plan; City Council may approve or reject it, requesting revisions). You are invited to use these resources to inform your own advocacy activities such as submitting comments to and/or speaking at Planning Commission and/or City Council meetings.

Resources

The Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP)

The CLUP: The City of Ann Arbor’s website on the CLUP. Includes the existing CLUP (2009) and drafts of the proposed new CLUP. Until January 5, 2026, suggestions for the new CLUP are to be sent to Planning Commission — the authors of the Plan — via the portal at this website.

City Council: Contact information for submitting comments directly to City Council, who are the final approvers of the plan. After January 5, 2026, suggestions should be sent directly to City Council.

AAPA Talking Points on Issues with the CLUP (two pages)

AAPA Requested Edits to the CLUP, Nov. 11, 2025 (ten pages)