Ryan Kilpatrick of Housing Next presented the county’s updated housing-needs findings on Nov. 25, framing household growth and supply shortfalls as central drivers of affordability problems. He told the committee the study—prepared by Bowen National Research—measures household growth rather than population and finds substantial demand at multiple price points.

Kilpatrick said more than 55,000 Kent County households are "considered severely cost burdened," defined as spending 50% or more of income on housing, and that producing more housing supply at all price levels can create vacancy and downward pressure on rents. He quantified specific gaps: the county needs roughly 2,000 units for households earning more than 120% of median income (about $123,000) and is off-track by about 15 times for the lowest-income households because available subsidies do not cover the high costs of new construction.

Kilpatrick described supply and subsidy math: roughly $28,000,000 in federal subsidy flows to the state each year, which he said could support about 200 new affordable units annually statewide—far short of local needs. He reported Kent County currently produces about 1,000 rental units per year, about 17% of which are income-restricted, and recommended raising that to roughly 25% through policy and local incentives.

To limit sprawl and lower infrastructure costs, Housing Next identified 32 corridors across Kent County where targeted infill and redevelopment could supply housing while using existing water and sewer lines. Kilpatrick contrasted two development scenarios: continuing status-quo growth that would spread over about 120,000 acres and require roughly $8 billion in new infrastructure, versus concentrating growth on about 3,000 acres in corridors and spending about a quarter-billion dollars on upgrades.

Kilpatrick urged local zoning reforms to allow missing-middle housing, reduce parking requirements and permit well-designed multiunit development in village centers. He cited local examples where zoning changes unlocked housing capacity (Gaines Township, Sparta, Plainfield Township) and said Kentwood has identified a site that could add about 1,600 residential units near existing infrastructure.

Commissioners asked about implementation details, the risk of strip development in rural townships, and state tax rules that can discourage downsizing. Commissioner Bujak remarked, "There is no such thing as affordable housing," and Kilpatrick and other staff described ongoing conversations at the state level about adjusting Michigan’s Headlee-era property tax rules to address mismatches between market value growth and taxable value.

Kilpatrick recommended working with local units of government to pilot zoning and infrastructure strategies and to bring developers to the table for targeted corridor projects. The committee thanked the presenter and moved to other business.