Marquette Township’s Brentwood Motor Inn now offers a monthly stay for a $1,000 fee. (Journal photo by Alexandria Bournonville)

MARQUETTE — It’s no secret that there is a housing crisis in Marquette County. One motel is offering a temporary solution to help those looking for a place to live.

Guests of the Brentwood Motor Inn can now rent a room for a flat monthly fee of $1,000.

Brentwood general manager Neeco Belanger said he wanted to provide an option for those between housing, on waiting lists, visiting the area or those who just need a warm place to stay.

He also announced that the Brentwood will be open in the winter, contrary to years past.

Belanger said he initially got mixed reviews.

“I responded to hundreds of messages from people and I think the main criteria of resistance was the (original) $1,200 rate, so we actually…dropped it down to $1,000 starting price. That’s a little over $30 a day,” Belanger said. “Obviously, it’s a hotel, it’s not an apartment. There’s barriers with running a hotel. Trying to keep it as low cost for the community as possible while being able to operate….We feel comfortable at that $1,000 mark…. Even if it helps just a handful of people, I’m happy.”

Though Belanger received hundreds of positive messages praising him for the move, he said some still thought the price was too high.

The Michigan State Housing Department Authority said in its statewide housing plan that Marquette’s median rent as of May 2022 was $878–not including utilities.

Marquette realtor Stephanie Jones noted the drop in price from $1,200 to $1,000 is an indicator that Belanger’s original price was too steep for the market.

“I think the price point is good,” she said. “The price point per square footage? Not as good.”

Compared to many rentals in Marquette, which are one-bedroom, one-bathroom units, the Brentwood offers its regular motel rooms: one furnished bedroom with a connecting private bathroom.

According to the MSHDA, in order for one individual to comfortably reach that median monthly rent without overspending, that person needs to make $35,120 per year. The actual median income is about $4,000 less, making nearly 53% of Marquette renters overburdened, meaning they are spending more than 40% of their disposable income on housing costs.

Jones makes it clear that it’s become highly unusual — in recent years — for an individual to be able to afford rent while living alone due to the high price tag.

“Those statistics don’t necessarily take into account … that a lot of people do have to have roommates in order to make renting work. But that’s been the case for many decades,” she said. “When you’re renting, you are struggling more, but … it’s a different struggle from what that makes it seem.”

Jones noted that the numbers in the MSHDA and other reports don’t paint the whole picture. Meaning, with roommates, renters face less of a burden.

Renters who want to transition to a permanent residence, a house, are often unable to acheive that goal because of the cost of housing.

As of May 2022, MSHDA reported the median home value in the city as $203,975. An income of $67,992 is needed to prevent being over the 40% threshhold.

Jones said the recession of 2008 put the “screaming brakes” on building housing stock.

“It’s been a compounding problem that there has not been enough residential building going on nationally and, more importantly, locally,” she said. “The amount of … requirements that federal, state and local (governments have) put on development has been increasing…. You can have 30, 40 percent of the cost wrapped up in permitting costs.”

Belanger, who was born and raised in Marquette, was inspired by the exact problems Jones pointed out about the struggle of living in the city.

“The economic crisis is hitting a lot of people,” Belanger said. “Marquette’s gotten a little pricy to live and the housing market is what it is right now …. The main thing is we want to have some sort of option for people. It may not be the best option for everyone, but we want to make sure some people have an option.”

Jones thinks that the Brentwood’s offer won’t solve the city’s housing crisis, but also stated that “any new inventory helps” especially as housing stock is down and prices are up.

“Communities need to look at the permitting process and streamline to the greatest possibility that we can,” Jones said. “I think that government needs to work with developers to incentivize attainable housing. And I know Marquette Township is doing some of that. And I think that we all just need to hold on and hope.”

Alexandria Bournonville can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 506. Her email address is abournonville@miningjournal.net.