Last Phase of Mackinac Island’s Workforce Housing Is Planned

This story first appeared in the August 4, 2023, Mackinac Island Town Crier print edition

Plans for the third and final phase of Forest Way Townhomes are nearing completion. The city’s housing committee met Thursday, July 13, to discuss the development of two more duplexes, and the plans were sent to the city council for approval. If the plans can be finalized and funding secured, construction could begin this fall, with the hope that renters can move in soon, perhaps as early as 2024.

There are at least six people wanting to move into the four-bedroom apartments, and more than 20 are on the waitlist for apartments. There is interest and a need for more housing, committee members agreed.

The duplexes will be made up of units with four bedrooms and three bathrooms each. Preliminary blueprints have been made by Brad Williams of ASL Architecture and Design, and the committee considered an $8,700 proposal for more advanced drawings. Since the project is on a smaller scale than previous phases, construction should be done more quickly.

The committee sent the plans to city council, which will likely send the project to the finance committee for review. Since Forest Way is a city-owned complex, the city council must review and approve plans deliberated at the committee level.

With the buildout of the Forest Way complex complete with this third phase, any future city housing developments must be in a new location. Housing committee members briefly discussed what might be ahead.

“We have to move forward with some sort of plan so we can be ready,” Anneke Myers said.

She serves on both the city council and the housing committee, as well as the finance committee and planning commission.

Another housing analysis will also be done to determine how many people are still looking for year-around homes on the Island. The study is partly funded by a grant from the Mackinac Island Community Foundation. Foundation Executive Director Stephanie McGreevy works with the committee to explore options.

Contractor Kelly Murdock of Community Research Services, LLC discussed his proposal for a housing market analysis that would cost $7,500. The analysis would include a survey conducted around Labor Day weekend; the information that is collected will be used to draft a report by late September or early October. Working with updated census information, the analysis will research the impact of new housing on the community and identify the groups of people that lack housing options. The committee wants to focus on the needs of the Island workforce and will consider both rental opportunities and homeownership.

Mr. Murdock and the committee acknowledged that housing on the Island doesn’t necessarily follow traditional definitions of housing discussions, with Councilman Richard Chambers referring to a past income analysis that “nobody really qualifies as low income” for housing on the Island.

The analysis will help the city plan and qualify for grants. Mr. Murdock will begin working on the survey and will visit the Island yet this summer.

The housing committee last met in January. The housing committee’s next meeting has not yet been scheduled.