TRAVERSE CITY— Housing North has launched a new zoning atlas for Northern Michigan with the hopes of allowing more density opportunities in rural communities. The atlas is a tool that will digitize and map out the existing zoning ordinances throughout the ten-county region.
Because Northern Michigan is mostly single-family zoned, the atlas can be utilized as a visual way to identify opportunities to expand in our rural communities.
Although single-family homes are a necessity, the zoning atlas can help cut costs and provide more diverse housing options for all Northern Michigan residents.
In addition to Housing North’s zoning atlas initiative, housing workshops will be available via Zoom on October 6th at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m., with supplementary events scheduled throughout the remainder of the calendar year. Resources, information, and Zoom links can be found here.
Zoning ordinances are traditionally very complicated, but Housing North is making them easy to understand and accessible for anyone looking to streamline the process.
Currently 6 out of 10 counties are completed, with the remaining 4 set to be finished by the end of 2025 or early 2026.