GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — As the housing crisis continues in the state, leaders are trying to pitch ideas to help stop it.
State representative Kristian Grant, for one, has introduced house bill 5557.
The bill sets to change the language of the Michigan Planning Enabling Act to add housing as an interest that the planning commission needs to consider when developing plans for the future.
“Not saying that people are not currently doing that. But we do have some cases where housing was more of an afterthought, right. So, there are other parts of the planning process that are being decided upon. And then, by way of that, decisions are being made about housing that may not be as intentional as they should be,” said Grant.
By doing this, Grant says it could lead to an increase in housing. She believes leaders could take into account how much housing a city currently has and how much more it could need as it grows.
She also says it could also lead to focusing on the type of housing the city needs.
"We hope that people get really down into the nitty gritty of what their communities what type of housing do we need, what partners do we need to get it done? Where will it be right? Like, how are we building the infrastructure for that?" said Grant.
Hearings and testimonies will be held this month before the bill potentially moves to the House floor.
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