The University of Michigan, like all public universities in Michigan, is exempt from local zoning ordinances. It has the ability to purchase land anywhere in the state and determine what it will be used for with minimal interference.
However, Washtenaw County state legislators are looking to change this, noting the University has purchased more than 300 acres of land in the last two years.
State representatives Jimmie Wilson Jr. (D-Ypsilanti), Jason Morgan (D-Ann Arbor), and Morgan Foreman (D-Ann Arbor) introduced a three-bill package last week — House Joint Resolution X and House Bills 6120 and 6121 — that would extend local government zoning authority to University property bought after 2027…