Board approves brownfield plan to support 240-unit workforce housing in East Bay Township

The Grand Traverse County Board of Commissioners voted to approve a brownfield plan that will support the construction of 240 multifamily workforce-housing units in East Bay Township.

Anne Jamieson, representing the county Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, introduced the project and the plan on behalf of Crimson (developer). Developer representatives said the project includes 10 buildings and shared amenities and connects to the county's TART trail. The development team said the total capital investment is expected to be about $49 million and that the developer will seek roughly $18 million in TIF reimbursement under the brownfield plan.

Logan Mulholland (developer consultant) and Steve Calverley (Crimson CEO) described the affordability mix: about 50 units will be set near 120% of area median income (AMI), while roughly 190 units will be targeted to the "missing middle" (developer materials and the brownfield memo indicate targeted rents aligned with 65–95% AMI; the county clerk and staff clarified the plan text lists 65–87% AMI as the formal target ranges). Of the 190 units, developers identified 70 units that are being proposed as income-qualified for potential rent-loss reimbursement under the brownfield plan because the brownfield capture calculations will not support reimbursement for all affordable units.

The plan also incorporates tax and financing features: the developer seeks a 12-year residential tax abatement layered within a 30-year brownfield TIF capture period. Developers and township staff said a municipal service agreement will address impacts on special assessments and ensure services such as fire and emergency coverage remain funded; East Bay Township officials also noted roughly $300,000 is allocated in the plan to extend a nearby trail connection and add a safe crossing at Three Mile Road.

Commissioners asked detailed questions about the brownfield appendices, the potential rent-loss calculation, and whether site-specific market studies were attached. Anne Jamieson confirmed a site-specific market study and the brownfield appendices are part of the packet and that Fishback's analysis and the developer's market study informed the control-rent calculations used in the plan.

Several commissioners voiced support for the project as a response to local housing needs; one commissioner pressed whether the county is over-using a 2023 regional housing study to justify repeated abatements and asked staff to require site-specific market studies for future approvals. East Bay Township planning staff (Claire Connor) emphasized the project's consistency with township master planning and the benefit of trail connectivity.

The public hearing closed and the board approved the brownfield plan as presented. The board and staff also discussed next steps, including development agreements and the specifics of the reimbursement schedule that will be included in the development and reimbursement agreement.

The approval authorizes the brownfield plan to move forward; the development team and township will finalize required agreements and the schedule for capture and reimbursements. If the project proceeds to construction, reimbursements will be tied to actual eligible costs incurred and to the incremental taxes captured under the brownfield schedule.