IONIA, Mich. — A proposed affordable housing package introduced at the state capitol this week is sparking conversations across Michigan, and in Ionia, the issue feels especially close to home.
For one local high school senior, the debate isn’t about politics, it’s about his future.
Seth Backstrom, a senior in Ionia County preparing for graduation, says housing is one of his biggest concerns as he plans for life after high school.
“Right now, this is the time where people are really worried about their future, and I mean I am as well,” Backstrom said.
Like other students getting ready to take their next steps, he hopes to stay in the community he knows but finding an affordable place to live feels increasingly out of reach.
“Everybody wants to live in a nice house, at least an affordable one,” he said, “and that’s the problem, we can’t really afford a house right now.”
The eight-bill housing package introduced at the state level aims to make housing more accessible and affordable. Lawmakers say the goal is to encourage development and remove barriers that limit housing supply.
City leaders in Ionia say they’ve already been taking steps to address housing challenges locally.
“We knew that housing was an issue, and we wanted to try to encourage the development of additional housing units,” said Jonathan Bowman, Ionia’s Assistant City Manager and Clerk, “in our mind, that could be accomplished by creating flexibility and allowing property owners to utilize their properties in different ways.”
To do that, the city consolidated its zoning districts by half, opening the door for more housing options in residential areas. That change allows duplexes, triplexes, and accessory dwelling units to be approved more easily throughout the city.
But with lawmakers considering broader reforms at the state level, Bowman says local officials are watching closely.
“While the sentiment of trying to create more affordable housing is something that I think everybody is on board with, it really matters at the local level,” he said, “there are going to be impacts that our local residents will feel.”
Bowman believes conversations about housing solutions should prioritize local input rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.
“You have to involve the local government. You have to involve local residents in the decision making,” he said, “a top-down or one-size-fits-all approach is not the way to tackle this issue.”
The debate highlights a broader question facing communities like Ionia: how to balance statewide housing goals with local control over zoning and development decisions.
For students like Backstrom, the urgency is clear.
“If it becomes more accessible, more affordable, people are going to live here,” he said. “they get a job here, they live here, it’s more affordable, it’s great. Everybody wins.”
It remains unclear whether or when the state’s affordable housing package will move forward. In the meantime, city leaders and residents in Ionia continue working toward solutions while keeping a close eye on what happens at the capitol.
