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State Rep. Kristian Grant speaks in support of her bill alongside Jennifer Rigterink of the Michigan Municipal League in the House Committee on Economic Development and Small Business on May 16, 2024, at the House Office Building in Lansing.
LANSING, Mich., May 17, 2024 — State Rep. Kristian Grant (D-Grand Rapids) delivered compelling testimony yesterday in support of her bill, HB 5557, which aims to address Michigan’s housing crisis by amending the Michigan Planning Enabling Act. The proposed legislation would require planning committees and master plans to include forecasts of current and future housing needs, ensuring that local communities have a strategic approach to address their specific housing demands.
“My legislation would amend Michigan’s Planning Enabling Act requiring that planning commissions consider housing needs when developing their master plans.” Grant said. “As the people of Michigan face the housing crisis head on, it is critical that all levels of government are creating intentional strategies to address it. This is especially important at the local level because local communities know their housing needs best.”
The Michigan Planning Enabling Act currently sets forth rules and requirements for planning committees and their master plan processes. These master plans map out the next 10-20 years of growth and change for local communities, taking into account provisions such as transportation, safety, sewage, roads and recreation. However, there is no current requirement for these plans to clearly account for housing needs.
“While the housing crisis is not lost on local governments, the lack of an explicit requirement to account for these needs only exacerbates the problem,” Grant continued. “This bill changes this, helps us fill housing shortages across the state and will in turn lower housing costs for Michiganders.”
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