“We don’t want to become the next Traverse City.”

I’ve heard this my whole life living in the Upper Peninsula, but rarely does anyone explain what that actually means. At face value, it’s about rising housing costs and crowded streets. But those are symptoms. The real issue is a lack of planning, vision, funding, and infrastructure to support growth.

At their core, Grand Traverse County and Marquette County share the same asset: natural beauty. And right now, we also share a similar challenge – growing tourism demand without a clear plan to manage it or the funding to support the infrastructure it requires.

Some would argue it’s too late for Traverse City to address overcrowding and affordability. Others would say Marquette is on the same path. I would argue we still have time to adjust course, but only if we start treating tourism as something to manage and not just promote unsustainably.

Since 2019, average property values in the city of Marquette have increased by roughly 55%, from about $180,000 to over $280,000. That rise has translated into higher monthly costs for residents from mortgages to property taxes. If you were to buy a new house today, your property taxes would likely be $160 more per month than 7 years ago.

At the same time, the strain on public infrastructure continues to grow. Roads, emergency services, and utilities are all under increasing pressure from both residents and visitors. Yet the funding to maintain and improve these systems has not kept pace.

Even with rising property tax revenues, many public amenities remain underfunded. Take the Cinder Pond Marina at Lower Harbor which is more than a decade past its intended replacement timeline and in need of millions of dollars in repairs. The city of Marquette is currently seeking a $1.6 million grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to address winter damage and the marina will open late this season. This is the same marina which is seeing increasing use from out-of-town boaters.

We can’t stop people from crossing the bridge or sailing north. So how do we avoid becoming the next Traverse City? With planning and with the right funding tools.

Consider Grand Rapids. Through recent legislation (HB 5048), Kent County was authorized to levy a lodging tax that can fund tourism-related infrastructure like museums, music venues, and convention centers. In 2025 alone, this tax generated approximately $9 million in revenue that is now being reinvested back into the community to support long-term economic growth.

In contrast, no community in the U.P. currently qualifies for similar tools due to minimum population requirements in existing law.

Today, Marquette’s 6% lodging tax is split between Travel Marquette (5%) and the U.P. Travel & Recreation Association (1%). By law, these funds can only be used for marketing and promotion. In other words, we are actively investing in bringing more visitors here but not in the infrastructure needed to support them.

There is a path forward.

In October 2025, Michigan House Bills 5138, 5139 and 5140 were introduced. These bills would allow communities like ours to levy an additional lodging tax and direct those funds toward critical infrastructure like roads, utilities, emergency services, and more. However, these bills are currently stalled in the House.

If we are serious about protecting what makes Marquette special, we need to take a more proactive approach. That means advocating for legislative changes that give us the same tools as downstate communities and ensuring that tourism contributes to the long-term sustainability of our region.

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. But we do need to act. We need our own amendment to allow funding of public facilities, we need to help push for the passage of critical infrastructure bills, and we need a redistribution of tourism taxes.

Marquette still has time to choose a different path.