Put Charlevoix’s PEOPLE First
Vote “YES” on year-round housing and “NO” on expensive new parkland!
This November, voters will decide whether to take vacant city land on Stover Rd. and turn it into housing for year-round residents or to build an expensive and unnecessary park.
Vote Yes Housing Proposal
Vote NO Parks Proposal
%
Of homes are available in our community for full time residents
Dollars in taxpayer money for a park the city doesn't need
Here’s what YOU need to know about two questions on your ballot this November
About the Housing Proposal
● Vote YES because we desperately need more year-round housing. Only 40% of homes in our community are available for full-time residents.
● Vote YES on year-round housing so our schools, health care providers, and businesses can attract new employees.
● Vote YES to generate new and ongoing tax revenue for the city.
● Vote YES because the lack of homes for full-time residents has caused our city’s population to drop by 35% in the past 20 years.
● Vote YES because the housing will be built for working professionals our community needs to thrive.
● Vote YES because the proceeds from this project will support other important City projects.
About the Parks Proposal
● Vote NO on spending $2 million in taxpayer dollars to transform
a property already designated for housing into a park.
● Vote NO so that we can take underutilized city property and get it back on the tax rolls.
● Vote NO on spending city funds to build another park immediately next to an existing one.
● Vote NO on giving the adjacent, seasonal property owners a new taxpayer-funded front yard.
● Vote NO because we already struggle to properly maintain existing parks.
● Vote NO because the city already has a surplus of 153 acres of park per population.
What People Are Saying
“When you look at the actual needs of our community, the choice should be clear. We are lucky to already have plenty of beautiful parks. What Charlevoix desperately needs is more housing opportunities for the people who live and work full-time in our community. I urge everyone to vote YES on the housing proposal and REJECT the proposal for an unnecessary and expensive new park.”
“I can’t believe this is even a discussion. The obvious choice for that space is housing. Parks are great but no one will use that space as a park. We need year-round housing.”
“Looking at this project, Charlevoix has a chance to take another step toward addressing housing problems across numerous income spectrums. This project really is a slam dunk for the housing mission.”
“Our community has been losing population for 20 years, and the lack of reasonably priced housing is a key factor. This election will not solve our housing needs, but it is a start. Vote yes to build more housing for full-time Charlevoix residents.”
Vote YES on year-round housing
NO on expensive new parkland
What’s on Your Ballot
Citizens Initiated Ordinance: Proposal 2023-08-03
For Use of 229 Stover Road For Housing
Shall the City of Charlevoix adopt an ordinance that provides for the use of city-owned vacant property at 229 Stover Road for the purpose of providing year-round housing within the City by (i) soliciting offers to purchase the property by a Developer who intends and commits to develop year-round housing on the property, or (ii) using the property in any way that substantially benefits year-round housing within the City?
[Yes] [No]
Citizen Initiated Ordinance: Proposal 2023-08-05
For Use of 229 Stover Road As A Park
Shall the City of Charlevoix adopt an ordinance that designates City-owned vacant property at 229 Stover Road as a City park named Ferry Beach Park, subject to the requirements of Section 2.16(f) of the City Charter which requires a majority vote of the electors voting thereon in order for the City to remove the park designation for the property or to sell, divide, lease, partition, plat, subdivide, or dispose of any part of the property?
[Yes] [No]
Frequently Asked Questions
Why use the Stover Road property for housing?
First, the city’s Master Plan has identified this property as being ideal for housing for at least 30 years. Second, our region is in a housing crisis. The nonprofit organization Housing North released a report showing that 1,628 homes and 730 rental units need to be built over the next five years in Charlevoix County just to meet demand across all income levels.
How will the proposed housing benefit the community?
The simplest answer is that we desperately need more housing. The housing stock is rapidly being depleted, and too often the new housing that gets built is bought by wealthy snowbirds. This proposal requires the property to be deed-restricted for full-time residents only, which ensures it will always be used by people who work, live, and contribute toward our community.
Will this property be affordable?
We need new housing across every income level. The goal of this proposal is to ensure that the housing is built for working professionals.
What about low-income housing?
The proceeds from the sale of the property can go to provide low-income housing in another location.
What about the environmental issues on the property?
This property was cleaned up by the EPA in the past. Any additional cleanup, if necessary, will be mitigated and determined throughout the sale process. The same mitigation could be required for a park, and the City would be responsible for it. In this case, it will be up to the selected developer and not taxpayers to fund any further cleanup that is required.
Why do you say it will it cost $2 million to build a park on the property?
Two years ago, the city estimated the cost for a park to be built on this location as being more than $1 million. Inflation and supply chain issues have caused costs to increase significantly since then. If you include inflation, maintenance, lost proceeds from the sale, and lost tax revenue, it will cost well over $2M for the City taxpayers if the park proposal passes.
What happens when the Housing Vote passes?
When the housing vote passes, it will start a public process where developers propose housing to the City Council. The council has flexibility, but they must comply with two requirements.
1) The housing at 229 Stover Road will be apartments or condos that fit into the character of the neighborhood;
2) The housing built at 229 Stover Road must be in the Housing North deed restriction program. This guarantees the housing will only be used by locals – forever. It’s a simple requirement, but according to Housing North, it makes it more affordable because only locals can buy or rent it. It will be huge to have 32 units that are deed-restricted. This is why our group is spending time educating people on this. It will be so great for the long-term sustainability of our year-round community.
Additionally, the City Council has stated it will use monies from the land sale to provide infrastructure to other City properties so that housing can be built in those locations. Then these properties can have housing tools applied to them that create housing for the workforce that is in a different income range.
How did this plan for housing at 229 Stover Road come together?
Our pro-housing group worked with Housing North and studied different tools to create more and better housing for locals. Our housing group thinks this is the best way to benefit the most people for housing with this property. Housing North agrees and has officially supported this proposal.
Why are deed restricted properties so important for the community?
Income-based housing is needed, but we also need housing for people who don’t qualify for income-based housing. Working professionals cannot find housing because it is all quickly taken by people who buy the property for a seasonal home. As a result, our schools struggle to hire teachers, the hospital struggles to hire nurses, and restaurants struggle to hire managers.
We love our seasonal friends, but we need a certain amount of our housing reserved for people who live and work here. That’s what the deed restriction offers, housing for people who live here all year long.
News
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