Candidates differ on comprehensive land use plan, TIF deal and how to expand affordable housing

At the League of Women Voters Ward 1 forum, housing and land-use issues drew extended exchange between incumbent Cynthia Harrison and challenger Rebecca Erenss.

Harrison said she supported the comprehensive land use plan (adopted March 2026) and favors gentle density and anti-displacement measures to let more essential workers live inside Ann Arbor. She told the forum that the city has about 1,200 affordable units in the development pipeline and pointed to the Ann Arbor Housing Commission’s work, saying, “we've put over $2 million towards this program over the last four years” to fund services that keep people housed.

Erenss pressed for greater neighborhood engagement before implementation and warned that reassessments tied to new development could raise property-tax bills for long-term residents. She said she would prioritize workforce housing and favors publicly owned housing, community land trusts and cooperatives over relying solely on subsidized units inside luxury developments.

The candidates also discussed the Arbor South tax-increment financing deal. The moderator noted the city foregoes up to $373 million in property-tax revenue over 30 years to reimburse development costs. Harrison said the project will provide 209 affordable units and argued for rigorous public engagement on future deals. Erenss said the vote had generated controversy in Ward 1 and urged close scrutiny of public benefit versus the size of the tax commitment.

Both candidates acknowledged displacement risks and the need for anti-displacement planning; they differed on sequencing—whether protections should be built into plans before adoption, or added afterward via separate measures.

Next steps: the city administrator will report back to council on aspects of implementation and the social-services plan tied to the comprehensive land use plan, per candidate remarks.