OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — Ottawa County is offering a new approach to addressing its housing shortage: building smaller, more affordable homes.
The county has introduced 16 floor plans ranging from 440 to just under 1,100 square feet, designed to cost less than half of the county's median home price of around $400,000.
WATCH: Potential homebuyer gives his thoughts on Ottawa County's smaller footprint homes
"Addressing housing in the county will take a myriad of techniques and strategies. Building smaller is one of those ideas," said Paul Sachs, Ottawa County Department of Strategic Impact Director.
The initiative comes as potential home buyers like Stephen Jacobi face limited options in the current market.
"Not enough housing, not enough availability… and of course price is always… a challenge," Jacobi said.
Grand Haven-area realtor Stacey Ruwe sees the same struggles with her clients, noting that current housing options don't always match what many buyers need or can afford.
"There's just not affordable areas when you looking at what an average worker in the area makes, it just isn't there," Ruwe said.
The average home in Ottawa County sits at over 2,000 square feet, but Ruwe said many buyers are looking for something different.
"When we're talking to those buyers, they usually come in looking at it going, 'we don't need a lot of space. We want something comfortable, but we don't want a lot of upkeep, we don't want a lot of maintenance. So, it doesn't have to be huge,'" Ruwe said.
When asked about the smaller, more affordable option, Jacobi was enthusiastic about the possibility.
However, there's a significant hurdle to implementing these designs. Sachs said current zoning rules in most communities don't allow for smaller homes.
"12 of the 16 designs that we have created can't be built in the 21 of our 24 communities," Sachs said.
For neighbors interested in these smaller home options, Sachs recommends getting involved at the local level.
"If this is a product you would like talk with your township, talk with them about their zoning," Sachs said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
