Sign On in Opposition: Help Us Protect Local Decision-Making and Community-Led Housing Solutions
Chair BeGole and Members of the House Government Operations Committee:
As local leaders, we stand united in opposition to zoning preemption legislation that has been introduced in the Michigan House of Representatives and is currently before the Government Operations Committee. House Bills 5529 through 5532, and 5581 through 5585, if enacted, would strip locally elected officials of their decision-making authority, dismiss years of community planning work, and amount to a clear override from Lansing on local voices and voter-backed decisions.
State policies should uphold resident priorities, provide flexibility that considers the diversity of Michigan’s communities, and support zoning decisions consistent with infrastructure needs, robust economic growth, and public safety.
Local governance rewards participation and encourages problem-solving. It creates spaces for communities to wrestle with complex issues, adapt to changing conditions, and take ownership of the solutions they implement. Durable outcomes emerge when people have a voice, a stake, and a responsibility in shaping decisions that affect their communities and their families.
The state legislature must not preempt local decision-making. Citizens and their elected local leaders engaging in vigorous debate on matters that impact them every day is a transparent and participatory process. State preemption lacks that same accountability.
We encourage you to oppose this zoning preemption legislation that creates sweeping mandates, oversimplifies the problem, and ignores the importance of local decision-making.