WALKER, Mich. — There is a change of pace for housing in Kent County as the city of Walker puts a pause on new developments. This comes as West Michigan, and the nation as a whole, face a housing shortage.
Walker Mayor Gary Carey says this moratorium will last six months.
"Lincoln is continuing to move forward. And, you know, obviously, you've got a mix there of single-family and multi-family. And they're the Old English Hills up off of four-mile," Carey explained.
Current projects already in progress are not stopping because of this moratorium. Carey adds that the ones in the queue and waiting for city approval will be postponed.
"We could have somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 to 500 multi-families that could come, and they could come actually rather quickly. And that's, that was one of the things, but they're coming in different projects and different areas," Carey added.
These developments are at or higher than three and a half units per acre. Carey says the city wanted to put those projects on pause.
"These are some pretty significant developments that are not yet underway or haven't been approved yet in the city. And once they get started, you can't undo that. So we need to make sure that we get it right," Carey said.
According to Housing Next, Kent County must add nearly 35,000 homes by 2027.
"We felt that there could have been a point in time here where we might have said no to somebody that we should have said yes to. And somebody that we should have said yes, but we said no to," Carey said.
He adds that this moratorium is to give city leaders time to ensure the city follows its master plan.
"We should come out of this not only being able to move with a lot of expediency but to make sure that we get the development right. I think it benefits them just as much as it does the city and its residents," Carey added.
Walker is also in the process of updating its master plan. It is set to be completed by 2024. Carey says it's doubtful this moratorium would go further than six months.
