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Resident raises tax-increment financing and MSHDA concerns about Brookwood build-to-rent model
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Summary
A resident told the commission that a local build-to-rent developer told the city it does not build MSHDA-subsidized housing; the resident disputed that and asked whether the city would allow MSHDA tax-increment financing that could shift property tax revenue away from Lapeer residents.
During public comment on Jan. 8, Lapeer resident Wesley Weber raised concerns about a proposed Brookwood/Build-to-Rent project and how the developer might use MSHDA (Michigan State Housing Development Authority) tax-increment financing. Weber said a developer representative previously told the commission the company 'does not have any MSHDA subsidized housing and ... do not build low income housing,' but Weber said the developer "does in fact build MSHDA subsidized housing" and that a 2023 Michigan law change has made build-to-rent projects a primary business strategy for some companies.
Weber asked whether the commission was aware how the developer planned to use MSHDA's TIF program on the proposed 117 homes, whether the city had agreed to it, and whether the city understood that the developer could sell homes to operational partners (he named 'Copper Bay' as an example). He warned that, under the arrangement he described, the city would keep only the baseline tax on vacant land for the first 15 years (extendable to 30), and he suggested the structure could shift roughly $6,000 or more per parcel away from the city each year while lowering rents—questions Weber said residents should know before the city approves incentives.
No staff response that substantiated or refuted Weber's claims appeared in the meeting record. Commissioners and staff did not take immediate action on the assertions; the concern was recorded in public comment for the commission's consideration as projects move forward.
Separately, Alex Hotelling read a letter addressed to Mayor Heng urging the mayor to oppose an unnamed surveillance system (he cited Carpenter v. United States and expressed Fourth Amendment privacy concerns) and asked officials to 'safeguard our community's privacy by rejecting this form of surveillance.'
