Graham Jaenig/Daily Mining Gazette The property at 902 College Avenue, situated amidst a busy intersection, is slated for both commercial and residential development Houghton’s Parkway Project looks to move ahead.

HOUGHTON – At the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s (MSHDA) annual trip to the Upper Peninsula last week, MSDA CEO and Executive Director Amy Hovey, along with agency staff, met with local officials at the Heritage Center, where Jeff Ratcliffe with KEDA (Keweenaw Economic and Development Alliance) and Andy Moyle, the developer, gave their presentation on the Gateway Development Project and the proposed Brownfield Plan.

The project includes a new headquarters building for the Upper Peninsula State Bank Keweenaw, and two 16-unit residential buildings containing rental units and condos.

The Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region (WUPPDR) organized the event, Houghton City Manager Eric Waara said. The Western Upper Peninsula Housing Summit took place last Wednesday at the Finnish American Heritage Center, in Hancock.

“Housing is the Number One issue here,” said Waara, “and it has been for a number years, so WUPPDR has been working really hard on trying to define problems, define solutions and so on, so they had this summit. MSHDA came up here for it, because MSHDA was a big part of it.”

Waara said several area groups and organizations from across Houghton County have been in discussions on what can be done to improve housing in the area.

Waara said Gateway is just one of five housing projects in the city currently. “Right now,” he said, in the city of Houghton, we have between four and five different housing projects going on.” In addition to the Parkway Project, Houghton Housing is working with a developer for 16 to 20 housing units in the Houghton Water Works area, near the former Shopko building. Another developer is studying property off Sharon Avenue, with construction of 49 units.

Regarding the Parkway Project, Waara said some of the tools that that the developer is going to use for the housing portion of the project will involve MSHDA.

“Those are not necessarily the same tools that Houghton Housing, who is also probably going to be working with MSHDA over at Water Works, will use.”

Waara said housing is needed across the entire spectrum, from entry level, low to moderate income, to upper income-level housing.

At the regular March meeting, the City Council passed a resolution allowing the property at 902 College Avenue to be split into two lots. One will be dedicated to the construction of the new banking facility, while the other will be used for the housing building.

Waara said that with the Gateway Project, the city is eligible for community development block grant funding, but not for constructing buildings.Instead, the city will upgrade the area, including installing sidewalks, upgrading the storm sewage system, and extend waterlines.

“We’re going to do that stuff in the public right-of-way, in support of the project,” he said.