Traverse City apartment project adds 48 accessible units in phase two

Phase Two at The Flats at Carriage Commons will add 48 apartments in Garfield Township, including five accessible units, in a nearly $19 million expansion aimed at easing housing pressure in Traverse City. The new phase is tied to a state-backed financing package and continues a project that already delivered 48 one- and two-bedroom units in its first stage.

The second phase is planned for 1101 Carriage View Lane in Traverse City, within Garfield Township. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority held a public hearing on March 18, 2026, for multifamily housing revenue obligations tied to the project, and the hearing notice set a maximum face amount of $12 million. A March 25 board release later said Phase II was approved for $9.5 million in MSHDA funding.

All 48 units in Phase Two will serve households earning between 30% and 70% of area median income. That income band is aimed at renters who often sit between subsidized housing and the private market, including workers, seniors and families who have struggled to keep up with local rents. The five accessible units also widen the project’s reach for residents who need barrier-free housing near jobs, services and transit.

The Traverse City Housing Commission has partnered with the Bay Area Transportation Authority on the development, which has been described as a transit-oriented project. In August 2025, housing commission executive director Karl Fulmer said it may be Michigan’s first transit-oriented development. The first phase already opened with two newly constructed buildings and a waitlist, underscoring how quickly the units were absorbed once they became available.

Future phases are expected to bring the project to 210 total units, making Carriage Commons part of a larger buildout rather than a single small infill site. The project has been moving through state approval steps since at least November 2023, when it appeared on an MSHDA board docket as an inducement resolution for The Flats at Carriage Commons in Garfield Township.