Birmingham Releases Second Draft of Master Plan
(City of Birmingham, Oct. 13, 2021)
Birmingham, MI – The City of Birmingham is working on a Citywide Master Plan for 2040 – a comprehensive, citywide update to the 1980 Birmingham Plan. The City’s lead project consultants, DPZ and McKenna as well as Gibbs Planning, recently released the second draft of the Master Plan. The community is encouraged to view the plan and share feedback about the document at www.thebirminghamplan.com. This important document will help shape the future of Birmingham for the next 20 years. While a master plan does not rezone property, it is a framework setting the course for what the City may or may not do in the future.
The second draft of the Master Plan is more concise than the initial draft, and a number of recommendations from the first draft have been modified or removed. In addition to input received during public meetings, the consultants have collected public input provided through surveys, the project website, and through emails sent to the City. The second draft of the Master Plan was written in consideration of all input received and will be reviewed during a series of upcoming meetings. The Planning Board will receive and plan the review process on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. The Master Plan will then be reviewed at four Planning Board meetings, and at one joint Planning Board and City Commission meeting.

“We are very excited to have received the second draft of the 2040 Plan after a long year of uncertainty, challenges and change. The second draft of the 2040 Plan has been written with the past two years of public input in mind, and addresses many of the concerns of the residents, Planning Board, City Commission and other stakeholders in the City of Birmingham,” said Nick Dupuis, Birmingham Planning Director. “We hope residents will take some time to read this important document, and we hope to see community participation during the review to help shape the future of Birmingham for the next 20+ years.”
The process to update the Master Plan began in 2019 and has included extensive public engagement opportunities such as: community surveys, round-table discussions, a drop-in clinic, subject matter experts, and charrettes. At the height of the pandemic, the community participated in virtual Planning Board meetings and submitted feedback on the project website.

Residents may download the second draft of the Master Plan at www.thebirminghamplan.com. The site also includes relevant data, surveys, documents and an email communication option to send comments directly to the planning team. Information about how to participate in upcoming Planning Board meetings, both virtually and in person, can be found at www.bhamgov.org/participate.
Following the review process for this updated version of Citywide Master Plan for 2040, the consultants will confirm any requested changes with the Planning Board and City Commission. Changes to the second draft will be incorporated into a final Master Plan for adoption next year.
City of Birmingham – A Walkable Community. Visit the city’s web site at www.bhamgov.org.