GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The city of Grand Rapids is considering changing its zoning policy, and the decision could come as soon as Tuesday.
There’s a local organization that’s been around for about a year — called Strongtowns — that’s collecting signatures in favor of the changes.
“This is going to be a slow change. Some of the fears are that it’s going to pop up over night,” says Director of Outreach Andrew Carley.
According to Strongtowns, they believe the zoning changes would primarily target Grand Rapids’ vacant lots with changes allowing for duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes to be put in their place.
Strongtowns Grand Rapids explains the changes would take time and the likelihood of single-family homes being torn down to create this type of housing is unlikely because it’s not cost effective.
It would allow for other neighborhoods to look similar in fashion to neighborhoods like Eastown, where there’s a mix of single-family homes, quadplexes and apartment complexes.
Strongtowns says areas like Eastown looked this way before zoning changes, which is why they exist the way they do today.
A rough estimate of the number of vacant housing, according to Strongtowns, is around 250 lots — so it puts the total number of dwelling units in their place to be roughly 1,000. Strongtowns says this is a step in the right direction to solve the housing problem in Grand Rapids but it’s still far from being the end solution.
“Really we have to start talking about the next steps," says Carley. "What do we do after this passes?”
Potential zoning changes will also make things like accessory dwelling units — which are like mother-in-law suites or housing above garages — more accessible.
Strongtowns has reached nearly 100 signatures.
The city of Grand Rapids has a list of frequently asked questions on its website for those who are curious.
Follow FOX 17: Facebook - X (formerly Twitter) - Instagram - YouTube
