Housing crisis: Kent County could add 35K homes with this strategy

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Housing advocates say there is space for 70,000 housing units throughout Kent County.

The county needs 35,000 more housing units by 2027, according to Housing Next . The regional housing partnership has been working on a corridor strategy to add more housing to West Michigan and on Wednesday released more details on that work.

The corridor strategy would focus on developing commercial corridors that already have the necessary infrastructure for housing. Housing Next says there are 4,000 acres of vacant or underdeveloped property across 36 corridors with the necessary sewer, water and transportation infrastructure.

The county could build all 35,000 housing units by developing 10% to 15% of that land, Housing Next found. That would include a mix of housing types, from apartments and condos to townhomes and single-family homes.

Housing Next said that along with addressing the area’s housing crisis , the development would also generate hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue.

Over the next 25 years, the corridor strategy could add more than 70,000 new homes in Kent County, “without extending sewer and water systems beyond their current boundaries and without sprawling into precious agricultural lands and open spaces,” the report from Housing Next says.

“We are excited to provide direction on housing supply solutions affordably and at scale alongside our community partners,” Housing Next Executive Director Brooke Oosterman said in a release. “It will take all of us – developers, investors, and community leaders – to challenge the status quo and create the kinds of communities we need but have not yet seen.”

Housing advocates would need to work with municipalities and others in Kent County to update local regulations , invest in things like parks and trails, and find investors and financing to make the strategy a reality. Those efforts are already underway.

“We have been working on our own local approach and have received great support from the community,” Cameron Van Wyngarden, township superintendent for Plainfield Charter Township, said in the release. “We look forward to sharing what we have done with other communities and being a part of this collaborative and important work.”

Of the 35,000 housing units needed in Kent County, 14,000 are needed in Grand Rapids, while 20,500 are needed elsewhere in Kent County. That includes both rental and for-sale units: Grand Rapids needs 8,000 rental units and 6,100 for-sale units while the rest of the county needs 5,000 rental and 15,500 for-sale, the 2022 Housing Needs Assessment from Housing Next found.

The housing crisis isn’t unique to Kent County. Neighboring Ottawa County is short by around 15,500 housing units, Housing Next found. Statewide, housing advocates are working to add 75,000 new or rehabilitated housing units as part of Michigan’s Statewide Housing Plan.

Housing Next has built a coalition of ‘YIMBYs,’ that is, people who say “yes in my backyard.” You can sign up on the Housing Next website.

“We need folks to hear the housing message. We need people to be advocates for housing in their community and to understand that all housing does is bring more opportunity for their community to be even better than it is,” Oosterman with Housing Next previously told News 8 . “That is hard work. It’s hard. We as humans are often averse to change, and so it’s a difficult thing, but we need people to understand how critically important that is.”

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