Shelley Sharan, director of community engagement for Housing North, told the Petoskey City Council on Nov. 6 that a 2023 housing‑needs assessment finds gaps in both rental and for‑sale housing and pointed to tools the organization is deploying to help local governments, developers and community partners respond.

Sharan said the city assessment shows a rental gap and for‑sale shortage in several income bands; she emphasized the largest shortfall is for lower‑income renters and that the countywide figures are larger (Emmet County: about 865 rental units and roughly 2,505 for‑sale units in the assessment). She described projects under way in Petoskey — including City Park Grill workforce units, The Lofts at Lumber Square, Victory Square and Hotel Del Rey — and preservation work funded through CDBG home‑repair programs and community land trust activity.

"Our housing needs assessment that was done in 2023 . . . shows that there's a rental gap of 273 units [in the City] and a for‑sale housing gap of 340 units," Sharan said, and she noted the county totals are higher. She pointed the council to charts that break the need down by Area Median Income (AMI), saying the greatest rental shortage is below 50% AMI and the largest for‑sale gap sits in the 80–120% AMI band.

Sharan introduced the Zoning Atlas — a GIS‑based product that maps ordinance text onto parcels — and said it can speed site analysis and zoning reform by letting planners and the public click on parcels to see permitted uses. She described Housing North’s role as a liaison and capacity builder: educating local stakeholders on zoning reform, ADUs, employer‑assisted housing, and financing tools (HTIF, NEZ pilots, MSHDA programs) and coordinating regionwide housing partnerships.

Council members asked for clarifications on the county versus city numbers and on AMI breakdowns for units in progress; Sharan said building permits (197 permits pulled since 2023) are the most reliable indicator of projects advanced toward construction, while the larger "units in progress" figure (937) captures projects at concept and earlier stages.

Why it matters: Housing North’s presentation consolidated local and county housing metrics, highlighted near‑term projects and tools the city can use to influence rental and ownership capacity, and offered an immediate, participatory planning resource in the Zoning Atlas. Council members and residents pressed for more household‑size and employment data to guide ordinance changes and subsidy decisions.

What’s next: Sharan said Housing North will invite the city to participate in Zoning Atlas community planning sessions; councilmembers requested additional data linking the county estimates to the city’s permit activity and AMI bands.

Sources: Presentation by Shelley Sharan, Housing North (00:02:46–00:49:00); public Q&A (00:27:58–00:31:10).