Code Sections and Policy Documents

This webpage is a compilation of local land use regulations and policies that City Staff have determined to be most relevant to the 2021 Housing Study. Please note that the links provided below are meant to highlight the current policies and regulations which Staff, based on their research and institutional knowledge, believe to be the most relevant and influential. This list is designed to provide an overview of current policies and is not necessarily comprehensive.   

The sections of the East Lansing Code of Ordinances most relevant to the 2021 Housing Study can be found below: 

Code Sections

Policy Documents

Master Plan - The City’s Master Plan is a visioning document developed by and in partnership with the community which seeks to answer two questions:

  1. As a community, where are we now?
  2. As a community, where do we want to be?

This question is asked in the context of the City’s economy, transportation infrastructure, neighborhoods and everything else that make the City “tick”. The plan is revisited every five years and is designed to be the principal guiding document for the city’s zoning code. View the City's Master Plan (PDF).

Consolidated Plan -  In support of its ongoing efforts to provide housing, services and infrastructure improvements for its residents, the City of East Lansing receives an allocation of federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds each year. The Consolidated Plan is the blueprint for the City’s use of these funds. It is updated every five years. View the latest update to the Consolidated Plan (PDF).

Policy Proposals

In January 2017, City Council authorized the creation of a Downtown Housing Policy Committee.  The goal of the Committee was to update the 2006 downtown housing policy that had previously been adopted by the Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Both documents seek to develop a market profile for housing in the City's downtown and to make recommendations for future development: