In November 2003, Ann Arbor residents voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Open Space and Parkland Preservation Millage, commonly referred to as the Greenbelt Millage. A portion of the funding is used to purchase new city parkland and a portion is used to protect farmland and open space outside of the city, within the Greenbelt District. Since the millage passed in 2003, an additional 71.99 acres
have been added to the city’s park system. Collectively, these parcels have helped to provide linkages between existing parks, added to existing parks and protected some of the remaining critical urban natural areas. To date, the Greenbelt Program has protected over 5,060 acres of farmland and open space surrounding the city of Ann Arbor, and has leveraged the city’s funds with an additional $24 million from grants, landowner donations and other locally funded programs. As of March 2017, the Greenbelt has expended funds to protect 44 working farms through the purchase of development rights and nine open space parks, in collaboration with Washtenaw County Natural Area Preservation Program. Our local partners have included Ann Arbor Township, Legacy Land Conservancy, Lodi Township, Scio Township, Pittsfield Township, Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation and Webster Township. The City of Ann Arbor has also worked with The Conservation Fund, a nonprofit focused on environmental conservation and economic development, since 2004 to implement the Greenbelt Program. The matching funds for the purchase of development rights on agricultural land have been in large part due to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm and Ranchland Protection Program. Since 2005, the City has been awarded nearly $10 million in grants to offset the City's costs for purchase of development rights on 25 farms.
