Contact:
Jessica Weirauch
Michigan Municipal League
[email protected], 734-669-6311

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 29, 2026

MML calls on lawmakers to pass the MI Home Program

LANSING, Mich. — The Michigan Municipal League is calling upon lawmakers to pass the MI Home Program (House Bills 5660 and 5661), a partnership-based housing solution that preserves, rather than preempts, local decision-making.

The MI Home Program will result in the construction or rehabilitation of over ten thousand homes and continues efforts to update zoning ordinances at the local level. It will implement statewide grant and revolving loan funds, thereby addressing financing gaps in housing construction.

This proposal has bipartisan legislative support and garnered over three hundred signatures from local elected and appointed leaders, organizations, builders, developers, and private individuals who understand how to best address housing in Michigan.

“The League has long advocated for sound housing policy, including Housing TIF, incorporating housing into community master plans, and expanding Neighborhood Enterprise Zones,” said Michigan Municipal League CEO Dan Gilmartin ”We have also developed a variety of publications that help Michigan communities address their housing challenges in ways that fit their unique local needs.”

As examples, Gilmartin cited how the first-in-the-nation Pattern Book Homes publications present ready-to-use home designs and neighborhood layouts that fit seamlessly into existing communities. Developed in collaboration with the Congress for New Urbanism, the League also published Code Reform Guides Vol. I and Vol. II to help local governments modernize their zoning codes to enable more flexible, walkable, and diverse development. Finally, the policy brief “Hacking Michigan’s Housing Potential” outlines local policy changes to increase housing supply, improve affordability, and support community-centered growth.

Gilmartin noted that, with over a century worth of experience, the League understands that local government is where democracy is closest to people’s lives. When residents have concerns about development, housing, traffic, or safety, they come to City Hall and attend community meetings where they can speak directly to the people responsible for the decision. Gilmartin contends that this proximity is one of local government’s greatest strengths.

“The preemption bills currently in the Michigan Legislature undermine that proximity by effectively overriding municipal zoning and silencing local voices. Despite the claims of some, this is not a modernization of zoning authority, but a transfer of it. These bills would trade citizen engagement for state overreach, stripping control from local residents and handing it to lobbyists,” said Gilmartin

Legislative efforts to preempt community-led decision-making have been met with overwhelming opposition from every corner of the state. More than two thousand local officials have signed letters opposing the legislation. In response, several legislators have removed their names as co-sponsors.

Lapeer City Commissioner Joshua Atwood states that the reason for this opposition is that local leaders know the unparalleled power of local government in producing solutions and accountability.

“The process may not always be pretty, but it is legitimate. Legitimacy is what sustains public trust. It reminds people that the local government is where problems get solved. When decision-making moves further away from the community, people do not suddenly stop caring about the outcomes; they simply lose their ability to shape them,” said Atwood.

Atwood, who serves as board chair at the League, continued stating ”preemption does not address affordability. It authorizes changes but does not guarantee that homes will be built. By contrast, the partnership-based MI Home Program is a plan that is designed to build and rehab attainable homes for everyone, including families, first-time buyers, and those on a fixed income.”

The League’s members are united in understanding that housing is a complex issue requiring concerted energy from multiple sectors, both public and private. Its challenges cannot be addressed without recognizing the impacts of rising costs of labor, materials, and lending. Members from across the state are calling on lawmakers to develop real solutions founded in partnership: Residents, local government, state government, and federal government, all working together.

“Sidelining partners in favor of political conflict only holds us back,” said Atwood. “Michigan’s housing shortage requires solutions that recognize each community’s unique needs. These solutions must have measurable results, ensuring that the homes being built are accessible and attainable for those who need them.”

The League calls on the Legislature to pass the MI Home Program (H.B. 5660 & 5661) and reject preemption as a housing strategy. Michigan’s communities are adamant that they are not obstacles to addressing the housing shortage; they are essential partners in solving it.

Michigan Municipal League is dedicated to making Michigan’s communities better by thoughtfully innovating programs, energetically connecting ideas and people, actively serving members with resources and services, and passionately inspiring positive change for Michigan’s greatest centers of potential: its communities. The League advocates on behalf of its member communities in Lansing, Washington, D.C., and the courts; provides educational opportunities for elected and appointed municipal officials; and assists municipal leaders in administering services to their communities through League programs and services. Learn more at mml.org.