The City of Grand Blanc Adopted a New Master Plan. It Estimates a Need for 200 to 350 More Housing Units in 20 Years.

By Carrie Thompson, Strategic Marketing Real Estate Agent, eXp Realty, Grand Blanc, MI

The Grand Blanc City Council adopted a new Master Plan for the City of Grand Blanc on June 10, 2026, a long-range guide for land use and development that replaces the city's 2018 plan and estimates the city will need 200 to 350 additional housing units over the next 20 years (City of Grand Blanc council minutes, June 10, 2026; Grand Blanc Master Plan, adopted June 10, 2026). The plan is posted on the city's website alongside the 2018 version it updates (City of Grand Blanc, Master Plan page).

The council took two votes to finish the job

At the June 10 meeting, Council Member Chris Carr moved, with support from Council Member Andy Nyquist, "to approve the City of Grand Blanc Master Plan as recommended by the Planning Commission," and the motion carried. Another motion, by Council Member Chris Douglas with support from Council Member Jamie Weasel, approved Resolution #26-0601, "a resolution to Assert the Authority to Approve the Master Plan." That motion also carried (City of Grand Blanc council minutes, June 10, 2026). The minutes do not record a roll call on either vote.

The draft had been in front of the council since spring. On April 1, 2026, the council approved distributing the draft Master Plan, a required step before adoption (City of Grand Blanc council minutes, April 1, 2026). The plan was prepared with consultants SmithGroup and SAFEbuilt Studio, and Robert Courneya is listed as Planning Commission chairman (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 4).

Michigan law requires a community to review its Master Plan every five years (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 9). The city describes the document as a "long-range policy guide for land use, development, reinvestment, and community well-being" and lists seven goals, from strengthening downtown as the heart of the community to improving mobility, safety, and connectivity (City of Grand Blanc, Master Plan page).

The city's population dipped slightly between 2020 and 2025

The plan lists the City of Grand Blanc's population at 8,091 in the 2020 Census and 7,981 in 2025. It counts 3,494 households and 3,538 housing units in 2022 (Grand Blanc Master Plan, pp. 24, 31, 34).

The housing estimate is labeled preliminary. "Preliminary 20-year housing need estimates range from 200 to 350 additional housing units," the plan says, adding, "This translates into an annual target of 10-18 units" (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 37).

The plan also lists housing already in the pipeline, including "98 units in Grand Oaks Phase 2, consisting of rental townhouses," "152 single-family detached units as part of a golf course development," "20 upper-level residential units," "5 units in the Garden Building, in 2025," and 48 to 50 units at the Perry Road site (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 36). The plan calls for expanding "housing choice by aligning land use and zoning" and supporting "infill and redevelopment" (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 39).

Saginaw Street carries the heaviest load in town

Traffic on Saginaw Street is a theme throughout. "Saginaw Street has almost 10,000 more people traveling it daily than any other road," the plan says of the city's streets, citing 2023 traffic counts from the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments. It notes that several major streets end at Saginaw Street, sending a significant amount of east-west traffic onto the corridor (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 58).

Residents raised the same issue. From December 2024 to June 2025, the city ran a citywide survey that drew 191 participants with a 77 percent completion rate (Grand Blanc Master Plan, pp. 15 to 16). Respondents named a "vibrant, walkable downtown with diverse businesses, cultural amenities, and social spaces" as a top hope and "traffic congestion, especially on Saginaw Street" as a key concern (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 16).

The plan says to focus investment downtown

Goal 3 of the plan is to strengthen downtown as the heart of the community. One policy reads "Focus public and private investment in Downtown," and the plan supports "mixed-use development and upper-floor residential opportunities" (Grand Blanc Master Plan, Goal 3 and Policy 3.1). It points back to the city's 2023 Downtown Mobility Study, which focused on connectivity and parking (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 57).

The former General Motors site gets its own category

The plan creates a future land use category called Mixed-Use Campus. "The Mixed-Use Campus category includes large, historically industrial sites, including the former General Motors site and adjacent properties," it says. Those areas "are envisioned as employment-focused environments that may include a complementary mix of light industrial, research and development, office, institutional, and residential uses" (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 51). A future land use category is a guide for later zoning decisions, not a rezoning by itself.

On parks, the plan says the Grand Blanc community offers "more than 380 acres of parkland" (Grand Blanc Master Plan, p. 64).

What buyers and sellers in the City of Grand Blanc should check

If you are buying in the City of Grand Blanc, open the future land use map in the new plan and look at the parcels around the home you like, especially vacant land, older commercial sites, and anything near the former GM property or Saginaw Street. What the city says it wants there tells you what could be proposed later. If you are selling, read the same map so you can answer a buyer's questions about what is planned next door with facts instead of guesses.

Every listing I take gets professional photos and video, room sizes, targeted digital ads, and targeted buyer avatars. Call or text Carrie Thompson at (810) 893-3269.

About Carrie Thompson

Carrie Thompson, "Your Favorite Property Girl," is a Strategic Marketing Real Estate Agent (REALTOR®) with eXp Realty serving Grand Blanc, Genesee County and nearby Michigan communities, including the City of Grand Blanc, Grand Blanc Township, Burton, Fenton, and Holly. Michigan license 6501338662. Call or text (810) 893-3269.