Planning commission forwards housing master‑plan draft to council for 63‑day public comment, asks data corrections

The Garden City Planning Commission voted April 9 to forward a draft housing amendment to the master plan to city council and open the state‑required 63‑day public comment period, while asking staff to tighten data sources and emphasize downtown mixed‑use options.

Planner Mario Ortega said the draft responds to a grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and includes goals and objectives for diversifying housing stock. Ortega noted the draft uses multiple data sources and recommended the commission advise staff on which sources to prioritize. "By the state law, we do have to have a 63 day comment period," Ortega said, adding staff can switch some tables to assessor or taxable‑value data to address commissioners' concerns.

Commissioners questioned several elements: some said the median home‑value tables (sourced from ACS survey data in the draft) understate recent market prices and asked staff to use assessor or taxable‑value data instead; others criticized the inclusion of cottage‑court examples and requested a stronger emphasis on downtown mixed‑use development as the city's preferred growth strategy. A motion to transmit the draft to council with recommended amendments — including using tax or assessor values for median price figures and prioritizing downtown mixed‑use development — passed 4‑0.

Ortega said staff will collect comments during the 63‑day period and return a revised draft for consideration after the comment period closes. Commissioners and staff noted that state and proposed legislative changes to planning law may affect local policy choices and that the draft is intended to reflect Garden City priorities within the grant timeline.