- Northwest Michigan officials met with US Sen. Elissa Slotkin to brainstorm ways to overcome the region’s housing crisis
- Officials said they are applying for federal funds to help develop more houses in the region and are looking at programs that would aid rent and mortgage payments
- Petoskey was recently named a “luxury community,” with over half of the city’s home listings costing more than $1 million
When Jessie Shaw first started her job at the Emmet County Sheriff’s Office, she and her dog could only qualify for one apartment in the Petoskey area, costing around $1,800 a month.
“That’s one of my paychecks,” Shaw said. “I knew I wasn’t going to be able to last so long, especially when I hit my one-year mark and they raised the rent.”
Officials in northwest Michigan have been looking for ways to address housing prices that are becoming unaffordable for local workers. Leaders gathered recently and discussed applying for federal grants, relief programs to aid the cost of living and rethinking zoning and regulations.
Those ideas came out of a roundtable discussion between US Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, officials from Emmet County, Petoskey, and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians and local business leaders.
One of the region’s biggest struggles is retaining and attracting workers such as teachers, public safety officials, nurses and trade workers because of the expensive price tag on housing.
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“We have quite a bit of a turnover rate, as well as trying to get people,” Shaw, of the Sheriff’s Office, said. “With how law enforcement is progressing, we’re getting newer people straight out of college who can’t afford to buy a house.”
One idea mentioned during the roundtable was a relief program that would reduce the rent and mortgage costs for essential workers, such as public safety and education workers.
The tribe and the Northwest Michigan Habitat for Humanity have also applied for federal funding to support development projects in the region. The senator has been pushing for housing reform in the state, asking that local communities become “pro-growth” by reducing regulatory burdens and allowing denser housing developments, among other things.
In January, Slotkin introduced a bill declaring a “national housing emergency,” which would require local governments to meet a pro-growth requirement established by the Department of Transportation or risk losing federal funding.
No official action was taken during or after the roundtable discussion, but officials said it was good to brainstorm ideas to better the region’s housing issue.
Petoskey was recently named a “luxury community” by Realtor.com, with over half of the city’s home listings costing over $1 million. Other luxury communities include Bozeman, Montana, Kapaa, Hawaii and Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts.
Petoskey Mayor John Murphy said the city has seen an increase in housing units, with new apartments under development in the area. However, that doesn’t offset the high cost of living in the area.
He hopes to partner with local townships and Emmet County officials to address the issue as a region, not just as a city.
Murphy said he agrees with the idea of reducing regulations but also wants to ensure the region’s environment isn’t greatly impacted by new construction.
“We’re living here because we love the outdoors,” he said. “We love the animals, the fresh air and my concern is losing that because of addressing simply housing.”
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