Munising planning commissioners hear housing needs assessment recommending about 250 units over 20 years

Consultants presented a housing needs assessment to the Munising Planning Commission on Nov. 20, outlining a mix of data and community input that, they said, supports a 20-year target of about 250 additional or preserved housing units.

Jessica Walter, who presented the assessment, said the study combined Census and American Community Survey data, MLS sales, four focus groups and 17 stakeholder interviews to gauge local needs. "We found that over half of Munising's housing units were built before 1960," Walter said, and she noted "significant affordability challenges: 24% of households are cost-burdened," meaning they spend 30% or more of income on housing.

The assessment identified nine interrelated challenges, including limited new construction (almost none since 2000), an aging housing stock, workforce shortages tied to housing, and seasonal-unit pressures that reduce year-round availability. Walter said nearly 23% of housing units are classified as vacant or seasonal, a mix of short-term rentals and second homes.

To respond, the consultants recommended a 20-year target of roughly 250 units broken into three buckets: about 90 units to meet immediate need, 50 "replacement" units to preserve or restore aging housing, and roughly 110 units to support modest growth (around five to six net new units per year). They also proposed an income-targeting distribution using area median income (AMI): 100 units for households under 60% of AMI, 100 units for households between 60–120% of AMI, and 50 units for households above 120% of AMI. The presenters cited a 2023 AMI for Alger County of $72,400 as the reference point.

Walter outlined five housing priorities—rehabilitation/modernization of older homes, more diverse "missing middle" housing (duplexes, small apartments), age-friendly accessible units, workforce housing tied to major local employers, and strategies to address seasonal housing pressures. The report also included eight strategic recommendations the presenters described as a "toolbox," including zoning reform, a housing trust fund, rehabilitation programs, employer partnerships, adaptive reuse of existing buildings and creative funding mechanisms such as short-term rental revenues or connection-fee waivers.

Planning consultant Ryan Susi of QAD, who will help translate the assessment into the master plan, said the housing section of the master plan should be a primary focus of the update because it offers the greatest potential impact. "We can translate these recommendations into goals and a regulatory framework that the city can implement," Susi said, noting gaps between the 2020 master plan and the assessment that could be filled by new goals addressing funding mechanisms, essential-system repair and affordable housing initiatives.

Commissioners asked about the limits of the Planning Commission's authority to implement recommendations (for example, creating a housing trust fund), funding sources and technical fixes to zoning that could enable more housing on older, narrow lots (setbacks, overlay zones, lowering minimum dwelling sizes, ADU rules). On funding, presenters suggested several mechanisms—short-term rental taxes, developer incentives, targeted grants—and warned that some grants require a Low-to-Moderate Income (LMI) designation (often defined by HUD as 51% of households below county AMI) to qualify communities for certain federal programs.

Commissioners discussed form-based code, parking and minimum dwelling-size rules (the commission noted a 700-square-foot minimum in the current ordinance and that many older lots are nonconforming), and asked staff to provide more parcel-level and tax-base analysis to explore converting commercial parcels to residential use. The consultants agreed to provide additional comparisons of city and township population and income changes and to supply hard copies of the assessment for commission review.

The commission agreed to schedule a public workshop on housing during the weeks of Jan. 6 or Jan. 13 to review the assessment and proposed master-plan goals; staff will distribute a survey and collect written comments in advance. No formal ordinance was proposed or adopted at the Nov. 20 meeting; actions were limited to approving the meeting agenda and minutes and scheduling next steps. The meeting adjourned after no public comments were offered.

What comes next: consultants will supply requested edits and supplemental tables, staff will circulate dates for the January workshop and commissioners will submit written comments ahead of the public session to help shape the master-plan housing goals.