'We're Keeping The Ball Rolling:' Northport Mulls Conceptual Plans For Affordable Housing

The Northport Village Council had its first look at conceptual site plans for affordable housing on two separate village-owned properties.

At a recent work session, the council saw several different conceptual plans for two small properties: One on 7th Street at North Shore Drive and another on High Street across from the high school.

The plans, prepared by Influence Design Forum of Traverse City, present various configurations of housing on each parcel.

“They run the spectrum of…the least intense and least dense up to the most intense, which in some instances would require changing the zoning,” Village Manager Jered Ottenwess tells The Ticker.

The goal now is to further discuss the plans and select a concept for each site, which will then be developed into a rendering that can be used in discussions with potential developers. The village council is keen on getting plenty of public input, Ottenwess says.

“Their direction coming out of the meeting was: Let's take more time to discuss these and review them with people in the community,” he says. “I think it’s really important to have as much public discussion (as possible) so that everyone in the community feels like they have a voice and that they’ve been involved in the process.”

While pretty much everyone agrees more housing should be built, Ottenwess says, it still must be a good fit for Northport. Striking that balance is a key goal for village leaders.

“The need for affordable housing is obvious – we all can see that – but it’s really important when we’re going through these concept plans to find a design that fits with the character of the neighborhood and of the community,” he says.

While there can’t and won’t be a ton of new housing between the two parcels, every little bit will help, Ottenwess says.

“For a small community like Northport, incremental, small-scale developments will have a big impact and can fit with the existing character of the community," he says. 

Village President Chris McCann tells The Ticker he’s glad to see the conceptual designs.

“This is the next step in deciding what the village is going to potentially contribute to addressing the housing crisis we're facing in our community, and I think it's exciting to actually see something, rather than just talking about various zoning and ordinances,” he says.

McCann likes that the village is taking a proactive leadership role in determining what will be built at these sites. 

"The concepts offer a variety of housing options, and this gives the village a little bit more of that upfront control rather than a developer coming and saying ‘Hey, this is what we want to build,’” he says. "This way we can decide on a concept that we think fits the community and the surrounding areas and then shop that around."

The village is likely to partner with a nonprofit housing agency or developer to make these projects happen. 

“I suppose it’s an option for the village to function as a developer, but I don’t think that’s what the council intends, and…I would recommend that we not do that,” Ottenwess says. “There are so many developers with expertise who would be able to develop these properties.”

The 7th Street parcel was split off of a larger parcel last fall in an attempt to appease community members who had long used the property as an informal public park. Now that the dust has settled on that move, Ottenwess says the public seems largely satisfied.

“The feedback I have received thus far has been positive. I think it's a very reasonable compromise,” Ottenwess says. “The majority of the village-owned property – 4.7 out of 5.9 acres – (remains) designated as a park."

McCann credits Ottenwess for driving the action on the affordable housing issue. 

"We're keeping the ball rolling," he says. "I've told Jered that I'm just really happy we've got him and he's been doing a really good job of keeping the momentum going on these projects for us in the village, which shows that we're serious about it."

The conceptual designs and a supporting memo can be reviewed here. Anyone wishing to comment on the project can email the village council or email Ottenwess.