Governor Gretchen Whitmer said last week that a plan to provide more affordable housing is a priority in her final 10 months in office. There is already a bipartisan group of state lawmakers working on the problem.
Some bills are already introduced. Some are still in the works. But the focus is bringing down costs by bringing more housing units into the market.
Democratic state Senator Jeff Irwin says that means bringing down construction costs with streamlined permitting, fewer regulations and updating zoning rules:
“And if we can find ways to reduce bureaucracy and reduce costs that aren’t generating a benefit for the public, that’s a conversation that I think is important to have.”
Irwin says that includes addressing concerns about local control. He says bipartisan buy-in will make it more likely that solutions adopted over the next 10 months will endure regardless of who’s in control in Lansing next year and beyond.
