Housing Readiness Plan can help Northern Michigan tackle housing affordability crisis that hurts workers
Lack of attainable housing in Michigan at crisis level, demonstrates need for common sense reform
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 11, 2026
CONTACT: Mark Fisk, Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications, mfisk@byrumfisk.com and Azlan Ibrahim, Byrum & Fisk Advocacy Communications, aibrahim@byrumfisk.com
TRAVERSE CITY, MI – Proposed legislation to make housing more affordable and more available while protecting property rights can help alleviate a growing housing crisis in Northern Michigan as the region gets ready for a busy summer.
A wide range of businesses, housing, environmental and other groups are calling this week for the state Legislature to pass the Housing Readiness Plan, which modernizes outdated zoning rules and preserves public input, local planning authority, public hearings and other local safeguards. The plan also streamlines rules on residential building, parking requirements, dwelling and lot sizes, and clarifies development study and petition processes.
“There is a housing emergency in Michigan, and it is time to take common sense measures to address this critical need,” said Missy Kowalski of Century 21 in Elk Rapids. “When teachers, nurses, and hospitality staff are forced to commute an hour or more because they are priced out of their own zip codes, that is an economic emergency. The lack of attainable and affordable housing threatens our way of life in Northern Michigan.”
As Northern Michigan gears up for the peak summer tourism season, the people who power the region's economy can no longer afford to live in it. New market data released in April reveals a staggering housing wage gap that threatens to destabilize the local workforce in counties like Benzie and Grand Traverse.
According to the latest National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) findings, a full-time worker in Michigan now needs to earn $24.46 per hour to afford a modest two-bedroom rental. In Northern Michigan’s tourism-driven markets, the gap between wages and homeownership is even more severe. An April 2026 market report shows median list prices in Benzie County hitting $562,500 — meaning a typical local family would need to more than double their annual income to roughly $150,000 to qualify for a home.
Supported by Republican and Democratic legislators in both the House and Senate, the Housing Readiness Plan comes as Michigan faces a severe statewide housing crisis, with Michigan’s inventory of available housing half of what a balanced market should have, affordable housing short by hundreds of thousands, and the median housing price at $270,000 – a jump of $40,000 in just three years.
“While nonprofits race to construct affordable housing projects within the limitations of current law, that good work is not enough to address Michigan’s housing crisis,” said Kowalski. “Without immediate state-level intervention and local zoning flexibility, ‘Up North’ will become a place where only the wealthy can live, and no one will be left to staff the businesses that make this region a destination.”
Michigan voters overwhelmingly want their lawmakers to act to make housing more affordable. Nearly 7 in 10 Michiganders say their local government is not doing enough to reduce the cost of renting or buying a home, according to a 2025 poll. By a 3-to-1 margin (64% to 22%), voters say the Michigan Legislature should take the lead in making housing more affordable and available. And 69% of voters say building affordable housing is more important to Michigan than protecting the character of local neighborhoods.
