The recent check on housing units shows 586 permits pulled in Leelanau County for housing since 2023. Of these permits, only 31 are for units that provide below market rate housing or those making below 120% of the area median income (AMI). Leelanau County needs 1,885 below-market-rate housing units, but only about 251 are currently in progress and of those, approximately 100 of these are affordable. We still need at least 1785 units below 120% AMI for those that currently live in the County or those that would live here if there was affordable housing.
Using the 30% rule we need housing that costs less than $2,000 per month or is priced under $300,000 for purchase. With the current median rent at $2,000 per month and homes selling for around $700,000, a family of four would need to earn at least $80,000 to rent and between $175,000 and $235,000 annually to buy a home.
Household sizes are changing. Smaller families are becoming the norm. Not everyone needs (or can afford) a large single family home on five acres. While many nonprofit developers are tackling this issue, we need more opportunities and different housing options. More importantly, we need more units of governments leading the way like Frankfort, Traverse City, Petoskey.
We need our local units of government in Leelanau County to step up and participate in creating housing opportunities for below market rate housing.
One way to start is by adopting and embracing the new housing tools like a Payment in Lieu of taxes or PILOT for year round housing. Consider developing an attainable housing district to encourage individuals to invest in housing and receive a property tax reduction for up to 15 years. Where can this housing be built? On some of the existing public and accessible sites that are close to existing amenities. Instead of encouraging more sprawl and single family homes, let’s look at infill sites or areas that are publicly owned to build affordable housing. This is not unheard of- in fact it is a common practice in our neighboring counties and across the country.
We have rental examples from Homestretch Nonprofit Development Corporation who has shown success in the construction and management of attainable housing including Vineyard View apartments near Suttons Bay and in the Honor apartments in Benzie County. None of their units have gone to market rate.
This is a call to action for the County, Villages and Townships to step up, get engaged and strive to be the next Frankfort. We are tracking at least seven of the 14 units of government making zoning changes for housing, but we also need them to support making public land accessible to housing. A home is a home is a home. For those that don’t have a home in Leelanau County, they seek new opportunities that are affordable and close to where they work and have amenities.
About the author: Yarrow Brown joined Housing North in May of 2020 and has over18 years’ experience working for a non-profit. Her background includes working with diverse groups of people from landowners to government employees, lake associations, township officials and many more.
