OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — The City of Hudsonville is close to breaking ground on yet another housing project. Despite being here for a few years, the city manager says the spot behind Signatures Coffee & Espresso has sat empty for decades.
“This is the most serious that we've gotten and the farthest along in the process that we've gotten to realize a development there,” Hudsonville City Manager Tyler Dotson said.
The lot overgrown with trees growing through the cracks is not much to look at right now. The city wants to turn this piece of property into The Landings at Rush Creek.
“This is modern housing. It is nice housing,” Dotson said.
The project would be 84 new, one-bedroom townhomes with two-car garages. Dotson explains there's a need for this type of housing.
“When you break down Ottawa County, and you break down the housing needs, we have a lack of workforce housing and one-bedroom units, and this would help hit that number that we need,” he added.
The developer is Lacati Group and is seeking tax incentives of around $5 million over a 20-year period.
“If this were to fall through, I'm not sure when the next time we would have an opportunity to develop the property,” Dotson explained.
The city manager says the project will include about a dozen lower-priced units to get this tax incentive.
“What we’re looking at is a price point, depending on if it's one of the 12 of the 84 units that are part of the Brownfield program. We're looking at $1,500 to $1,600 a month plus utilities,” Dotson said.
According to recent U.S. Census Bureau data, Ottawa County is among the fastest-growing counties in all of Michigan in terms of population.
In addition to The Landings at Rush Creek, the Ottawa County Housing Commission also signed off on a trio of other brownfield redevelopment sites late last year.
The biggest one is Terra Station, which will bring 141 new rental units, 35 of which are income-qualified. Prospect Street, in the heart of downtown Hudsonville, is a mixed-use complex that will include 4,600 square feet of retail space.
In Spring Lake, Winsor Place is a mixed-use property that will feature 41 rental units, including five income-qualified 2,700 square feet of retail space.
The timeline for the project is unclear, but builders estimated it would take about a year to complete. These are just a few of the housing projects in the works, and Ottawa County needs even more.
A housing needs assessment for the county by Housing Next identified the need for roughly 15,700 additional units by 2027.
The Hudsonville City Manager explained that with projects like this, more people will look to Hudsonville to call home.
“We have the lake 20 to 30 miles away, and it's just a great place to be. The schools, the parks, and our neighborhoods, Hudsonville has it," Dotson said.
The city manager explained that the city had done its part to move this project forward. It’s now up to county commissioners to sign off. They’re scheduled to meet next week.
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