County approves $1.4 million to advance downtown Traverse City housing project

Up to $1,428,525 is now lined up to help turn the former Copy Central property at 314 E. Eighth St. near Lake Avenue into about 42 to 45 workforce housing units in downtown Traverse City, giving a long-discussed project new momentum for workers priced out of the city center.

The Grand Traverse County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority approved the funding to help acquire and clear the site, a key step for the Cityview housing project. The development is a joint effort of the Traverse City Housing Commission and the Grand Traverse County Land Bank Authority, which is acquiring the parcels. The property has sat as a former print shop site for years, and local officials have described the project as a needed piece of downtown infill, where available land is scarce and construction costs are high.

Carl Fulmer of the Traverse City Housing Commission said the project is “finally starting to look real,” underscoring how long it has taken to reach this point. Even so, the brownfield vote was not a final green light. The project still needs additional steps before construction can begin, and local reporting has said city commissioners were also weighing whether to transfer a small city-owned parcel to support the development. The plan is still moving toward a tax-credit application in the fall, which could be one of the next major hurdles.

The scale of the need remains stark. Housing North’s 2023 regional housing needs assessment said Grand Traverse County needed at least 3,569 rental units, while the broader northern Michigan region needed 8,813 more. Another regional summary said nearly 19,330 people commute into the area for work each day, a reminder of how many employees are being pushed farther from the places they work, shop and send their children to school.

That is why the Cityview project has drawn attention beyond one downtown block. Local housing analysis has tied the shortage of attainable homes to transportation costs, school staffing and overall quality of life, and separate local coverage has linked the same affordability crunch to teacher recruitment and retention. If the former Copy Central site is eventually built out, it would add a visible example of what can happen when the county land bank, the housing commission and the brownfield authority align on one piece of downtown property.