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Letters to the editor are opinion editorials submitted by readers. Letters to the editor are a long tradition in American journalism. The views and opinions of the writer do not necessarily reflect those of Mason County Press, its staff or its parent company. For more information, please refer to MCP’s Letter to the Editor Policy.
The city of Ludington’s economic development director spoke during public comment at the Aug. 24 City Council meeting. I found the comments upsetting.
Six people spoke against or questioned the housing overlay district as it relates to the Foster School property. The economic development director said it was necessary to approve the overlay because of a “shortened timeline” and the need to “get the zoning right.”
What did she mean by a “shortened timeline”?
I knew as of March 31 that, if the delinquent taxes were not paid by midnight, the Foster School property would be headed to auction in August. The city had the right of first refusal in April. I alerted people I knew who might be interested in the property. How did I know about the timeline, but the economic development director apparently did not?
Changing the zoning less than a week before the scheduled auction raises questions.
Perhaps I have misunderstood the zoning process. I thought that when prospective buyers were interested in a property, they could make the purchase contingent upon zoning approval and present their development plans to the appropriate city board or commission. How did I get the process so wrong?
The economic development director also said most people living in the community cannot afford to buy a single-family home because such homes are too expensive to build and, therefore, too expensive to purchase. She said 40% of current employees cannot afford to buy a home or find affordable rent and must commute to work.
She also discussed the disparity between local wages and housing costs.
First, I believe those comments place thoughts of despair in people’s minds: They will never be able to afford homes and will rent forever. That is a discouraging message.
Let me get this straight: The city will find developers and offer them incentives, but what about the person who wants to buy a small bungalow?
Many people pay more in monthly rent than they might pay for a mortgage and utilities. They also manage to come up with a security deposit and, sometimes, the first and last months’ rent before moving into a house or apartment.
Why not help people purchase homes through land contracts or short-term financing agreements with balloon payments? By the end of such an agreement, buyers could have equity in their homes, the properties could have increased in value and the buyers could have established good credit histories. They might then be able to obtain conventional mortgages, using the value of their homes as collateral.
The economic development director said 40% of employees commute because they cannot find housing nearby. I have not seen a survey showing how many people commute, where they work or whether they want to live in Ludington or the surrounding area.
Do those workers actually want to move here?
I commuted to Muskegon and Grand Rapids for years, but I did not want to move to either community. I earned a higher hourly wage, and one hour of work paid for three days of fuel.
When I think outside the box, I think differently. I want to build people up. I do not want them kept on the lowest rung of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Because of the City Council’s decision, the Mason County treasurer withdrew the Foster School property from the auction. How long will the building continue to stand empty?
Annette Quillan, Ludington
