Stages of the Westland 2050 Strategic Plan Process

The Westland 2050 Strategic Plan will serve multiple purposes, from governing how land should be used in the future to prioritizing the City’s capital investments over a decade or more. These plans (also called Comprehensive or Master Plans) are the legal basis for zoning and the State of Michigan encourages their review or updated every five years.

There are several required steps a Michigan municipality must take before, during, and after its Plan preparation:

  • STAGE 1: Engage the Public and Various Stakeholders

    2023 - 2024

    Effective and responsive community planning efforts must meaningfully engage affected stakeholders. For this plan, the stakeholder group is broad, including all residents and property owners. The information gathered during public engagement is used to prepare consensus plans, set the course for how the community will change, and to guide vision statements and priorities for municipal investments for future generations.

  • STAGE 2: Study Current Physical, Social, Economic, and Related Characteristics

    January – June 2024

    Master Plans must have a comprehensive understanding of the community, including physical characteristics and trends and statistics about the Westland community now and in the near future.

  • STAGE 3: Create Draft Policy Recommendations

    Summer 2024

    With a focus on implementation, the Plan will contain recommendations for the entire city, including proposals for specific neighborhoods and places. To function as a tool for future zoning decisions and regulations, the Plan will include a “Future Land Use Map”, which guides how individual parcels may be used over time.

  • Stage 4: Feedback by City Officials

    Fall 2024

    Westland leaders are charged with giving careful consideration to alternative concepts, creative ideas, and potential problems to be solved during the planning process. To receive ongoing feedback, the project team will engage the Planning Commission and city administration in the creation and review of Master Plan recommendations.

  • Stage 5: Adoption per Michigan Statute Governing Master Plans

    Late 2024

    The Michigan Planning Enabling Act provides requirements for the adoption of these Plans by municipalities, which includes review by neighboring jurisdictions and regional planning agencies, a public comment period, and a public hearing on the draft plan. Once the required steps have been taken, the City of Westland will be able to adopt the Plan and get to work on implementation.

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Westland's 2050 Strategic Plan is an initiative of the City of Westland, Michigan, with assistance from McKenna. 

For more information, please contact the City of Westland at: njones@cityofwestland.com