Vote YES for More Homes on August 6th!
Vote yes on the marion twp zoning proposal!
For local families. For local workers
Right now, only 40% of homes in our community are available to year-round residents.
This August, voters should say YES to the Marion Twp. rezoning proposal, which will allow for the development of more home for real people who actually live and work right here in our area.
Here’s what YOU need to know:
About the Marion Township 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 affordable 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 Marion Township.
● Vote YES because the lack of homes for full-time residents has caused our area’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.
What People Are Saying
What’s on Your Ballot
“The lack of reasonably priced housing is driving families out of our region, causing enrollment declines in our schools and making it more difficult to attract teachers and staff. Voting YES on the Marion Township zoning proposal will help create hundreds of new homes priced for the average family.”
What’s on Your Ballot
Marion Twp. REFERENDUM on ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT:
Shall Ordinance No. 5 of 2023 which amends the Marion Township Zoning Ordinance to rezone an approximately 90 acre parcel owned by SDP Holdings, LLC, from the Agricultural (A) zoning district to the Mobil Home Park (MH) zoning district be approved and take effect?
[Yes] [No]
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this this election about?
Marion Township voters are being asked whether roughly 90 acres of vacant land at M-66 and Wickersham Rd. should be rezoned from agricultural zoning to a mobile home park zoning district.
What is the vision for the property?
The owner of the property is seeking to build a neighborhood of premanufactured homes priced at a range that the average full-time resident can afford. The neighborhood will have a single access off M-66 and will also include nearly 30 acres of nature preserve that will remain untouched.
What about sewer and utilities for the property?
It will be up to the developer to establish the property sewer and utility service for the property. Those discussion cannot officially take place until the rezoning is approved. However, the city of Charlevoix has indicated they are “open to discussion” about extending water and sewer to the property. The sewer plant has capacity, and the water pressure is sufficient to serve this new neighborhood.
Why should someone vote yes for this rezoning proposal?
There simply aren’t enough homes in our community that the average person can afford. This rezoning proposal will help address that. If we can’t to help our schools to stop shrinking, and if we want to be able to attract teachers, nurses and public safety workers and others to live here in our community, then we have to build places where normal everyday people can afford to live – not just vacation rentals and luxury condos.
Why are we being asked to vote on this? Wasn’t the rezoning request for this property already approved?
Yes. The township planning commission, the county planning commission and the Marion Township Board all recognized the need for this development and approved it. Unfortunately, a small group of citizens who opposed the rezoning for personal reasons ran a campaign to force the issue onto the August ballot.