State and local attempts to address Leelanau County’s housing crisis were among the topics discussed at the 10th annual Northwest Michigan Housing Conference Oct. 24-25. Elected officials, business leaders, and community members gathered at the Hagerty Center at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City for this year’s conference.
On the second day of the summit, local housing leaders could attend one several concurrent sessions. One of these sessions was hosted by Leelanau County’s Larry Mawby, the founder and president of Peninsula Housing, and Jeff Schwaiger of Urban Design Associates (UDA), who have been working to develop housing at several parcels in Suttons Bay.
Peninsula Housing was awarded $50,000 in 2023 through Michigan’s Rural Readiness Grant program to help plan affordable housing with the Pittsburg-based architecture firm UDA, and the group held a series of community work sessions earlier this year where local property owners could provide input on design ideas.
