• Boyne City's planning commission looked at site plans for two workforce apartment complexes from the nonprofit Michigan Community Capital.
• An hour of public comment brought praise and critiques from residents. Some pointed out the acute need for more housing, others worried about traffic and other issues.
• The site plans will need to go before the city council for approval before returning to the planning commission.
Officials on the Boyne City Planning Commission seemed to share excitement for proposals to build workforce apartments in the city’s downtown.
During its meeting on March 18, the nonprofit developer Michigan Community Capital presented its plans for two buildings which would bring 81 new income-set apartments to the community.
According to data from the nonprofit Housing North, Charlevoix County needs nearly 730 more rental units to keep up with demand and population growth.
“I do have a feeling that if you don't take opportunities like this, then they're just not going to come. The city is going to continue to have housing problems,” said commission Chairman Aaron Place. “Then soon, we're gonna have a public health problem because we won't be able to hire police EMS because they can't live here.”
MCC was not formally seeking approval for the site plans during the meeting. That would happen at a later date if first approved by the city council.
Residents had the opportunity to praise and critique the project during public comment — which lasted over an hour.
Some asked how affordability will be calculated, others shared concerns over how the buildings will look and how downtown parking could be affected.
Residents like Steve Schnell said he’s been impressed with MCC’s willingness to work with the community. So far, the nonprofit has held five community listening sessions and amended its original designs based on feedback.
“I don't think that anything needs to be changed here. It meets the zoning ordinance, you have the flexibility to accommodate their needs, the city has a parking lot here that can become housing — that's an obvious trade to me,” Schnell said. “I've never seen a developer be this responsive to the public.”
The nonprofit developer says it has supported over $1 billion in project funding with housing initiatives in communities like Mount Pleasant, Grand Rapids, Detroit and Flint.
MCC projects base rents around the area median income, which for Boyne City is around $60,000 per year.
According to MCC, most of the units in the two buildings would be affordable to someone who makes between 60 and 120 percent of that $60,000.
Marilyn Chrumka, Vice President of Development for MCC, has overseen the Boyne City proposals since 2019 and presented them to the planning commission Monday.
She said many of the concerns brought by residents reflect on unwillingness to grow rather than actual issues with the projects.
“We are here because the community identified these sites for redevelopment. At the end of the day, this is a decision that the community needs to make,” said Marilyn Chrumka, vice president of development for MCC. “I'm not trying to twist anybody's arm or do something that the community ultimately doesn't support.”
Chrumka said she will appear in front of the Boyne City Council later in the spring. If approved, she will go back to the planning commission for official approval.
Then comes the work to finance the project which Chrumka said could take months. She wrote in her presentation that construction could begin by spring of 2025.
