Upjohn Author ORCID Identifier
Issue Date
April 2025
Abstract
A healthy housing continuum provides homes for those in a range of incomes or in different life situations. Kalamazoo County has a shortage of housing units at multiple price points. Low rates of construction, high construction costs, increased demand from a growing population, and housing costs that are increasing faster than wages have contributed to the shortage and affordability issues. This update completed in Spring of 2025 includes new housing assessment and demand numbers to incorporate the impact of the Ford BlueOval Battery Park in Marshall. The demand shows a total of 8,000 units are needed by 2030. If all existing building permits are built the county will need a total of 5,497 units by 2030. It also shows the growing number of people who are overburdened financially. Overburdened renters in Kalamazoo County increased by 2,500 since the last plan in 2022.
Sponsorship
Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners
Subject Areas
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT; Regional policy and planning; Michigan studies; Regional collaboration; Urban issues; Transportation and infrastructure
Citation
Petz, Emily, Val Klomparens, Gerritt Anderson, and Lee Adams. 2025. "Updated Kalamazoo County Housing Plan 2025." Report prepared for the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners.