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MARQUETTE -- Learn about developments concerning Marquette County housing with the Lake Superior Community Partnership later this month.
At the LSCP's first quarterly Breakfast and Business series, investors, developers and area residents are invited to learn their role in improving housing in Marquette County at the Marquette Ramada Inn from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 26.
One of the highlights of the breakfast will be the presentation of an area target market analysis.
LSCP CEO Christopher Germain said the analysis is "a giant collection of data that quantifies the housing market in terms of future development." Information gathered with the help of the Land Bank Authority includes the demographics of buyers in the area, what kind of house they want and what their budgets are.
"We can then provide that to the developers to show that there is market demand for them to build more housing," he said.
Part of that demand could be indicated by Marquette's working population. According to 2022 data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the average commute to work for those who live in Negaunee and Ishpeming are 16.6 minutes and 18.3 minutes respectively, which is approximately their distance away from Marquette.
This data suggests that many of the city of Marquette's workers don't actually live in Marquette itself, causing them to spend more money on gas for their commute as well as errands.
Cities such as Negaunee, Ishpeming and Marquette will be covered in the TMA as sub-areas of Marquette County along with K.I. Sawyer and Gwinn.
Contrary to the Michigan State Housing Plan, when comparing local data to surrounding areas the TMA uses comprable housing markets out of state that have more similarities to the Upper Peninsula than other parts of Michigan.
Germain gives most of the credit for the project to the Marquette County Land Bank Authority, which applied for the state's grant to pay for the TMA.
Panelists will also be present to speak about how this issue affects all members of the community, not just those who are looking for new living accommodations. Guests include the Land Bank Authority Executive Director Anne Giroux, J.M. Longyear's Alysa Arwood, and an undetermined representative from Community Action Alger-Marquette or the Central Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Regional Commission.
"The goal is not only to just throw a bunch of information at people," Germain said, "but to have them leave the breakfast with an idea of how we all need to pull together to work on housing."
Registration and ticket prices are available at the LSCP's website under the name Breakfast and Business: Quarterly Breakfast Series // Q1 Housing in its Upcoming Events section.
Alexandria Bournonville can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 506. Her email address is abournonville@miningjournal.net.