“The urbanization of Boyne City, characterized by the construction of massive four storey buildings threatens to undermine the small town charm and unique character that residents and visitors have long cherished,” Roland said.

Boyne City commission turns down housing proposal

A housing development is no longer moving forward in Boyne City. It had the support of the planning commission and the local library. But city commissioners unanimously voted it down.

The ground floor would have had a new community room for the Boyne District Library. It’s right nextdoor to the site. Above that, 24 new apartment units. The building was first proposed by Michigan Community Capital back in 2022.

MCC is a nonprofit that creates workforce housing by partnering with municipalities. It pays for construction through state and federal grant money.The project, which would’ve been on Park and Ray Streets, whould have replaced over 40 parking spots.

At a nearly five-hour long city council meeting last week, many residents said those spots are too important to lose, especially in busy summer tourism months. “During peak seasons finding a parking spot is already challenging. Removing a crucial parking lot will exacerbate this issue and lead to decreased foot traffic businesses that depend on,” said Boyne City resident Jennifer Hughs.

She and others who opposed the project said they understood the need for housing, but they recommended the city look outside the downtown area for development. Hughes collected signatures from residents who were opposed along with a Boyne City resident Jenna Roland. She raised issues with the design and placement of the building taking away from the “small downtown feel.”

“The urbanization of Boyne City, characterized by the construction of massive four storey buildings threatens to undermine the small town charm and unique character that residents and visitors have long cherished,” Roland said.

City commissioners agreed with concerns over parking and had more concerns with financing and planning. “It absolutely was not a good spot or fit for town. And, you know, quite frankly, he shouldn’t have made it as long as it did,” said Commissioner Marty Moody. He questioned the use of tax increment financing money for the project.

That’s when the city issues bonds to pay for a project. Then they raise property taxes for a set period of time and use THAT money to pay off the bonds. MCC asked for 30 years of tax increment financing, Moody said that was too long. Commissioners also worried the apartments would cost too much. According to the developer, more than half of the apartments were proposed to be affordable for those who make between $35,000 and $60,000 per year.

That’s based on the area median income for Charlevoix County. But Commissioner Sandy Pritchard says some business owners told her the apartments still wouldn’t have been affordable to many workers in the area.“The overwhelming feeling, at least of the people in the petitions that came to us was this is not the best choice,” she said

Meanwhile, supporters of the project underlined the pressing need for affordable housing for workers at all price points. According to data from the nonprofit Housing North, Charlevoix County needs nearly 730 more rental units to keep up with demand and population growth.

Monica Peck runs the Boyne District Library — which would have gotten a new community room through the development. “There’s just so many roadblocks to being able to do any of these sorts of projects,” she said. She and her staff had been rooting for the MCC proposal and were disappointed with the city commission’s decision.

“It was just disheartening that there wasn’t room for a dialogue between all the parties involved in the community to try to come up with a solution that everybody could live with,” Peck said. Marilyn Crumka is MCC’s vice president of development. She said she won’t be pursuing this project anymore but MCC does have its eyes on another site in Boyne City.

It’s on an empty lot on Lake Street just across the street from the shores of Lake Charlevoix. It could become 60 apartments if approved. “I think I need is there and the want is there. I encourage the commission to continue to educate themselves on the barriers that exist for housing,” Crumka said.

City officials say there will be additional housing discussions at future meetings