(SANILAC COUNTY, MI – January 19, 2024) The Thumb Area Business & Community Leaders Forum will present a “Developers Day” event for local real estate agents, brokers, developers, builders, city managers and planning officials to discuss ways to bring mid-level housing to our local communities. It will be held on Wednesday, January 31st from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm at the Marlette GST Michigan Works administration building at 3270 Wilson Street in Marlette.
The Thumb Area Business & Community Leaders Forum started in the spring of 2023 with a group of employers, city managers and others to identify and look for solutions to issues that are hindering economic growth in the area. The lack of affordable, mid-range housing options was identified by the Thumb Area Business & Community Leaders Forum as a top problem in workforce development and expansion of businesses. Good jobs are going unfilled due to the lack of housing for the workers, including manufacturing employees, medical professionals, teachers, managers and other workers.
The housing shortage was also determined to be a top barrier for economic growth in the area in the 2024 Sanilac County Master Plan. With new construction single family housing costs increasing each of the past 5 years, the dream of building a new home has become out of reach for many middle-class families. Residents and high school students were surveyed in 2022 about different types of alternative housing they could see themselves living in during the next 5-10 years, if they were available.
Four housing styles stood out in the surveys, three of which are not currently allowed by zoning in the area. Cottage Courts and Pocket Neighborhoods were most popular, in which smaller homes are built facing each other with a common area in the center, with streets and parking running behind the homes, like a reverse cul-de-sac. These were very popular with homeowners ages 50-65, who wanted to downsize from their traditional single-family homes, as well as younger singles and couples as a starter home.
Barndominiums were popular with all ages, especially people with home-based businesses and farms. These are generally a steel structure with both living area and working area in one building, set in rural areas on a couple of acres. Those three housing styles are new, and zoning will have to be addressed to allow them. The fourth was a single-family home bordering natural areas like lakes, woods, rivers and streams, which are allowed under current zoning ordinances in many areas.
As homeowners over fifty downsize to cottage courts and pocket neighborhoods, this frees up existing single-family homes in both town and the country for young families to move into. Additional ideas for affordable rentals include lofts/apartments above buildings in traditional downtowns and tiny homes, both of which appeal to younger people.
Builders, Developers, Real Estate Professionals, Finance Professionals and City Managers are urged to come to this event to help find ways to address our housing shortage.
The Thumb Area Developers Day will bring together subject matter experts to present various aspects of starter and mid-level housing development throughout the area. They will then lead the attendees through a roundtable discussion on how to bring more affordable housing to our area and spur economic growth. Presenters include the City of Croswell, Patriot Builders, Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Thumb Bank & Trust, Sanilac Community Foundation, The Underground, and Communities First, Inc.
Available housing is the foundation of a strong economy, supporting employers, providing customers for local businesses, and providing students for our local school districts. For more information and to register for this event, go to https://gstmiworks.org/events/developers-day/
