Why 2026 Is A Big Year for More Neighbors A2

Against disruption and violence in neighborhoods; Next steps for rezoning; An abundance of social activities

Author

Neighbors For More Neighbors
January 17, 2026

What's Inside

📣 Advocating for Safe, Inclusive Neighborhoods

Our friends at the original Neighbors for More Neighbors in Minneapolis and St. Paul have shared a message about ICE activities. We support their message and want to share it with our members.

While we recognize that southeast Michigan is not currently experiencing the same extent of activities that Minnesota is, we also know that members of our communities are being harassed and detained by ICE. This activity is in direct opposition to More Neighbors’ A2’s values and vision for our community.

How can we support our neighbors? Here are two local options:

Please read the message from the Neighbors for More Neighbors below.

Hello neighbors,

The last six weeks have been increasingly challenging for many people in our communities, with the increase of ICE agents in Minnesota causing serious disruption, violence, and psychological harm for many individuals across the state. We are outraged and grieving the killing of Renee Nicole Good and the violence against many of us and our neighbors.

Neighbors for More Neighbors works to ensure the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota are a place where everyone has a stable, humane place to live in the neighborhood they choose. We organize to create complete neighborhoods that are hubs of people and energy, creating the community that people need to thrive.

Current ICE operations in Minnesota are in direct opposition to this vision and these values. Please know that we are paying close attention to current conditions and are committed to supporting our community during this time.

Below are several resources we’ve gathered. Nothing is too small, and everything matters:

* A collection of ways to support Minnesota's Immigrant Communities.

* Unidos MN has a thorough “know your rights” resource that walks through several relevant situations.

* Sign the ICE out of schools petition.

* Printable resources to bring to work and your home.

🏘️ How You Can Help Address Ann Arbor’s Housing Crisis Now

City Council will likely approve the Comprehensive Plan in late February or early March. Upon approval, City Council will decide how to implement the plan with actual zoning changes.

How will implementation work, and how does your voice matter?

City planners have said that they plan to implement the Comprehensive Plan by rewriting the City’s entire Unified Development Code at once and that this process could take several years.

Rewriting all of the city’s development policies from scratch could be a good thing to do, but we urgently need zoning changes in the interim. To demonstrate that rapid zoning changes are possible, the More Neighbors A2 Policy Committee has sent City Council and the Planning Commission a proposal for a first package of zoning reforms that could be passed soon after the plan is adopted.

Our plan is to first push for zoning reforms in the Hub and Transition categories and then move on to the Residential category, where changes will be more controversial.

We need your help convincing the City Council to treat the housing shortage as a crisis that requires immediate action. Please email [email protected] and ask Council to start implementing the comprehensive plan with zoning changes this year. We can’t afford to wait any longer!

Optional Email Template:

  1. Introduce yourself and identify which ward you live in

  2. Ask Council to pass large-scale zoning changes in 2026.

  3. Explain how the housing shortage is affecting you on a personal level.

  4. BCC [email protected] so we can see how many people are writing in.

Don’t worry if your email is short or clumsy! Even a few sentences will count as support.

🤝 January Members Meeting

More Neighbors A2 Monthly Member Meeting is the third Sunday of each month at Bamboo downtown — that means this Sunday, January 18th! Looking to get a little more involved? New member orientation begins at 1pm and will cover volunteer opportunities. Full meeting begins at 1:30pm. We have a special guest speaker who is an expert in Community and Economic Development: Teresa Giulotti. Come out, meet some neighbors, and figure out how you can help move our city forward.

 ❄️ Conquer The Cold Challenge

We have formed a team for Conquer the Cold, a GetDowntown! commuting challenge. Read about it and sign up here. To join our team, you’ll need to register at that site and then send an email with your ID to [email protected].
Check out our current performance!

Our member Erich checking in from his wintry commute.

📚️ Reading the Future: A Book Club for Thriving Ann Arbor

Urbanism Book Club is getting organized, and it isn’t too late to sign up! Join other curious readers as we read and discuss various books about walkability, transit, housing justice, and other urbanism topics. We’ll discuss what makes for thriving cities, the history that got us to this moment, and what other cities are doing to build more vibrant and inclusive places. Through this lens, we can ask and discuss questions about Ann Arbor and the neighboring areas.

📸 Photo of the Day

Do you have a photo you’d like to share in the newsletter? Submit it to [email protected] or tag one of our social media accounts (Instagram | Facebook | Bluesky).

Thank you for being part of this movement. Together, we are making a real difference in the future of Ann Arbor.

—The Neighbors For More Neighbors A2 Team
🖥️ moreneighborsa2.org | Sign the Petition | | Donate (designate More Neighbors A2) | Order a T-Shirt | FAQs 

Questions? Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected]

Support in one Second: Forward this email to your friends and neighbors.