Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Childcare topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ann Arbor council makes it easier to open child-care centers by changing zoning rules
Summary
Council voted to amend the Unified Development Code to permit child-care centers in single- and two-family residential districts (and restore them in certain nonresidential districts), maintaining a 7,500 sq. ft. lot-area minimum; council members cited severe local childcare shortages.
The Ann Arbor City Council on Dec. 16 approved an ordinance amending sections 5.15 and 5.16 of the Unified Development Code to allow child-care centers as a permitted use in certain residential districts and to restore them in some office and light industrial districts. The change removes a special-exception requirement that council members and staff said added significant time and cost to opening new facilities.
Council Member Disch and others framed the measure as an economic-development and family-support action: they cited regional studies and local needs, saying there is roughly "one licensed child care slot for every eight children under 5," and pointed to the high cost and time burden providers face when seeking special-exception approvals. Disch noted an example from a provider that incurred more than $23,000 in permitting and $90,000 in lost revenue due to a delayed opening.
Planners confirmed the ordinance preserves a minimum lot area (7,500 square feet) for child-care centers — a threshold meant to ensure adequate outdoor play space for center-based care (facilities licensed for 12 or more children). Council members said the change aims to make smaller-scale, neighborhood child-care options more viable, including the possibility of home-scale centers in areas designed for gentle density.
The ordinance passed; council added a friendly amendment replacing the planning-and-development-services enforcement assignment with authority to the city administrator or designee (to provide staffing flexibility for enforcement as needed). Several council members said the ordinance would reduce barriers for providers and likely increase available child-care slots in the region.
Ending: The ordinance passed on the vote and staff will proceed with implementation consistent with the code amendments; planners will continue to support development and clarify licensing/lot-size questions for prospective providers.
