Kalamazoo County staff present updated housing study and recommend targeted 2025 millage funding

Kalamazoo County officials on May 7 heard an update to the county's 2022 housing plan and a set of funding recommendations for the 2025 housing millage that would focus limited county millage dollars on multifamily housing and supportive services while reserving funds for The Landing Place project.

Emily Petz, an analyst with the Upjohn Institute's regional practice, summarized an update that covered two chapters of the original plan: the housing assessment/community profile and projected market demand. Petz said housing prices in the county continue to rise faster than wages and that housing cost burdens are concentrated among households earning $50,000 or less. She said the county's earlier estimate that 7,750 new units would be needed by 2030 has risen to 8,000 units, in part because of expected population and employment growth tied to the Blue Oval Battery Park project in nearby Marshall.

"Our price index is still increasing as our weekly wage is almost leveling out. That gap is getting wider and making it more challenging for people to afford what they need," Petz said. She told commissioners the updated demand projection includes a continued preference for…