Fair Housing training warns zoning and local rules cannot be based on who might live there

Liz Keegan, program director at the Fair Housing Center of West Michigan, told a joint study session of the Traverse City City Commission and Planning Commission that fair housing law applies to land use and zoning and urged local officials to build anti‑discrimination checks into early planning. “We ask ourselves: who is protected?” Keegan said, explaining how protected classes and specific housing transactions determine whether a matter raises fair housing issues. Keegan said federal and state laws protect groups including race, color, religion, national origin, disability, familial status and — in Michigan and locally — sexual orientation and gender identity, and that the list of protected classes has expanded in recent years. She also said a new April 2025 Michigan law provides limited…