We Can't Let Fear Define Our Future

Neighbors,

When I ran for City Council in 2022, I made a commitment to support more housing and a future where Ann Arbor works for more people. Right now, we have a rare chance to follow through. The Draft Comprehensive Land Use Plan gives us the framework to grow in a way that aligns with our values: affordable, equitable, sustainable, and dynamic.

Here’s what we’re facing right now as a community: rapidly rising housing costs, limited options, and more people—our friends, co-workers, city staff, adult children—getting pushed out of the city altogether. As one person wrote to me:

“I would like to have the option to actually live in Ann Arbor one day rather than outside it. No city should be a luxury good that is only available to the wealthy or long-time residents who simply had the good fortune of not looking for housing amidst a housing crisis."

This is a moment that calls for honesty, clarity, and real solutions.

Neighbors for More Neighbors A2 (MoreNeighborsA2) is a group of Ann Arbor–area residents organizing for a more inclusive city. They’ve come together under the umbrella of the Washtenaw Housing Alliance, a coalition of over 30 nonprofits and public agencies working to end homelessness in our community. In a petition, MoreNeighborsA2 urges City Council to adopt a land use plan that will allow more homes in all neighborhoods and promote a wider range of housing types, including subsidized housing. They point out what’s at stake: we live in one of the most economically segregated regions in the country. If we’re serious about equity and sustainability, we need to legalize more housing types across the city.

Avalon Housing, a local non-profit working to end homelessness through the development of long-term affordable housing, supports the petition, saying:

“We see every day the deep need for more housing in our community and know that greater density is one of the tools we can use to address this issue.”

You may have seen yard signs claiming that “your neighborhood is being rezoned.” That’s not accurate. A Land Use plan is a high-level policy document that outlines how we want the city to grow over time. It does not change zoning on its own. Rather, it provides guidance for future decisions like infrastructure planning and zoning updates that would go through a separate public process with more opportunities for input and a City Council vote.

More recently, critics of the plan claim it's a backdoor attempt to sell off public parks. That’s false. There is no plan or intention to sell parks or golf courses to developers. And more importantly, the City Charter prohibits the sale of parkland without voter approval. No parkland can be repurposed or sold without a public vote. Period.

These critics have even claimed that a house in a historic district is in danger of being torn down and replaced by a high-rise development as a cautionary tale about what would be possible under the plan. Again: not true. The Comprehensive Plan doesn’t override historic protections, and it doesn’t automatically allow tall buildings everywhere. These claims aren’t just inaccurate, they’re meant to scare people. It’s distressing to watch a small group of people exploit a national moment when many are already feeling anxious and mistrustful. We deserve better than that.

The truth is, the draft plan is a work in progress—shaped by nearly two years of public input—and offers a forward-looking vision that invites more people in and helps us prepare for change, rather than be caught off guard by it. Change won’t happen overnight. As legal scholar of affordable housing and land use Noah Kazis reminded the Planning Commission: “Fears of rapid change are not likely to be materialized... Change is unbelievably gradual.” But the decisions we make now set the direction for the next 10, 20, 30 years.

I’m grateful to the residents and organizations who are showing up to engage in this discussion with care and thoughtfulness. I’ll continue to support a plan that reflects our community’s values and makes room for more people to call Ann Arbor home.

Thanks for being part of this work. Let’s keep showing up for each other and for what’s ahead.

-Dharma