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(Former mayor of Birmingham and planning commissioner; an architect, urban designer and a founding member of the Congress for the New Urbanism.)

Michigan faces a housing shortage that affects every community, large and small.  A plan to address housing needs will require thoughtful, strategic and local actions—as opposed to a one size-fits-all, state government mandates and solutions established by Lansing lawmakers.  The MI Home Program from the Michigan Municipal League offers a superior solution: one that incorporates a partnership-based approach which empowers local elected officials to lead the way.  The MI Home Program will support investment to accelerate housing, construction and rehabilitation; it also promotes updates to local zoning regulations that will cultivate thriving communities and stimulate economic vitality.

Communities flourish when residents and leaders shape their environment—collaboratively—with an understanding of the needs and characteristics of each community.  Generic, all-encompassing solutions, created at a broad governmental level, typically fail to incorporate the local fabric and acute issues of each municipality and their distinct neighborhoods.  As an urbanist, architect, and former mayor, I have witnessed this firsthand and have direct experiences of the sensitive regulatory issues integrated within an individual community.  The MI Home Program aligns with this principle, using incentives instead of penalties to encourage cities to modernize zoning and promote housing development.  This approach respects each community’s unique identity while addressing the housing challenge.

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“Communities flourish when residents and leaders shape their environment—collaboratively—with an understanding of the needs and characteristics of each community. ”

— Mark Nickita

I have worked on many planning and development projects that illustrate this approach, including my urban design work in Detroit’s Midtown District, the New Center, and multiple east side neighborhoods. These local projects involve redeveloping underutilized urban parcels and historic structures to create a vibrant, mixed-use community with diverse housing options, incorporating single and multi-family housing. This is the kind of revitalization the MI Home Program promotes.

My work has allowed me to be directly involved in the design, creation, approval, and implementation of guidelines and laws that have resulted in new neighborhoods, mixed-use districts, and downtown areas.  The most successful of these include a thoughtfully established set of regulations specifically suited for their communities.  Appropriate size, placement, and typology of housing options—articulated for each community, directed by a local collaborative effort—is required to achieve a positive outcome for all.

Conversely, state preemption of local planning and zoning poses major risks.  It removes the ability of local elected leaders and community residents to guide their own growth.  A statewide, one-size-fits-all approach disregards the unique qualities of Michigan’s municipalities—from bustling downtowns to quiet rural villages.  This top-down approach often results in poor-quality development, community opposition, and a loss of the character that makes our places unique.

The MI Home Program is a thoughtful and appropriate strategy for the municipalities of Michigan.  It offers financial support and flexibility, rather than overreaching governmental mandates.  It enables more attainable housing to be built in ways that are appropriate for every community.  Partnership and local sensitivity must be chosen over preemption to build a stronger Michigan for all.