Grand Rapids Mayor David LaGrand wants to spur investments in small, neighborhood housing projects to help address the city’s housing shortage as an incremental alternative to major investments downtown.
That includes making it easier to build accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which allow for the construction of an additional housing unit on the same lot as an existing residence. Affordable housing advocates have long pointed to ADUs as a potential tool to increase infill housing stock.
LaGrand plans to tackle the issue by first assembling an ADUs task force, which he announced last night during his first State of the City address that drew hundreds of community leaders at Studio D2D event space in the Roosevelt Park neighborhood.
“For all the positive potential of accessory dwelling units, there’s been a disconnect,” LaGrand said during his address. “Our task force will focus on making it easier for homeowners to build in an area, working to make financing available with incentives and work with our state partners on that, to further code reform and to spread information and to improve approval pathways.”
In April 2024, the Grand Rapids City Commission approved amendments to its zoning ordinance that eased restrictions on ADUs. The zoning changes included streamlining the review process for ADUs as a permitted use, removing the owner-occupancy requirement, modifying height and setback requirements, permitting ADUs for single- and two-family dwellings, and eliminating a previous parking requirement.
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Despite this, only eight ADUs were constructed in the city last year, LaGrand said.
LaGrand highlighted a few of the larger mixed-use housing projects underway across the city, including the three-towers project also known as Fulton and Market, the conversion of the Fifth Third Bank building downtown, the Factory Yards project and Stadium District Tower housing development planned conceptually next to the Amway Stadium.
As exciting as the larger housing projects are, “they don’t fill important parts of our housing needs,” LaGrand said.
ADUs are more attainable as smaller investments, and can fill gaps in neighborhoods and “add vibrancy block by block around our city,” he said.
LaGrand told Crain’s Grand Rapids Business that ADUs are a way to focus on communities outside of the city’s downtown core.
“A lot of big things are going on downtown and a lot of citizens in the city are kind of tired of downtown getting all the time, attention and energy,” LaGrand said in an interview.
“They’re also an untapped resource, so there’s sort of like free money lying on the ground,” LaGrand added. “There are garages all over town and they already have walls, a roof, a slab, they have the characteristics of being able to be affordably converted. I’m convinced that those things will then enter the housing market at a lower price point than, say, a new high rise.”
The mayor has a short list of names he plans on engaging for the task force, and he also hopes to get the community engaged in ADU discussions as well, he added. LaGrand plans to also partner with local lenders to help find financing pathways for ADUs, and sees an opportunity for the city to create pre-approved plans for anyone interested in constructing an ADU on their property, he said.
LaGrand highlighted housing in his State of the City address as one of three main policy challenges he plans to focus on as mayor, which also include justice and policy as well as city and neighborhood design.
“It’s clear that we need housing as fast as possible at every price point,” LaGrand said. “All housing supply helps housing stay affordable.”
LaGrand also discussed the city’s newly formed land bank as an important tool to increase housing stock across the city.
“Properly led, properly funded and staffed, a land bank can actively spur new housing,” LaGrand said.
LaGrand started his mayoral term Jan. 1, replacing former Mayor Rosalynn Bliss, who served in the role since 2016. LaGrand was elected with 62.5% of the vote in the Nov. 5, 2024 election and is a Grand Rapids native, former three-term state representative for the 75th District and former Grand Rapids Public Schools board member.
LaGrand has ownership in several properties and businesses across West Michigan, including Long Road Distillers LLC. He also co-founded Wealthy Street Bakery and Four Friends Coffeehouse, which closed in 2008.
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