Grand Rapids Is in Its Housing Era

Since adopting the 2002 Master Plan, the City of Grand Rapids, Michigan, has advanced several progressive and effective housing policy changes, including the elimination of single-family zone districts in 2008. However, a 2020 housing needs assessment revealed a significant housing shortage. In 2023, after years of discussion, the City Commission took bold action, directing the Planning Commission to provide recommendations that would eliminate zoning barriers for small-scale, incremental housing developments.

In May 2024, despite typical NIMBY concerns — sometimes disguised in sophisticated equity arguments — the city unanimously approved a package of zoning amendments that allowed accessory dwelling units by-right, expanded group living uses to permit single-room occupancies and small-scale emergency shelters in residential neighborhoods, and approved six dwelling units by-right with no minimum parking requirements.

Presenters describe staff’s journey to zoning reform and explain how a data-informed process and creative communications helped humanize the need for change. They highlight the partnerships leveraged to ignite advocacy groups that demanded that the city prioritize people and their need for housing above all else. These combined efforts were rewarded with unanimous support by both the Planning and City Commissions.