ITHACA — Gratiot County commissioners on Sept. 15 put off a decision on a plan that would let a developer recover about $2.08 million in future property taxes for building 19 single-family homes in the Lakeside Estates subdivision north of Alma.
After a public hearing, Commissioner Jan Bunting moved “to table this so questions can be answered.” Commissioner Tim Gay seconded. The motion carried 5-0, according to the meeting minutes.
What the plan says. The brownfield plan, dated Aug. 13, 2026, was prepared under Michigan’s Act 381 by Miller Johnson Growth Advisors of Kalamazoo for Michigan Housing Partnership, LLC. The plan says that company and a second entity to be formed are “commonly owned and controlled by the principals of Allen Edwin Homes,” which would build the houses.
The site is 19 vacant lots, about 14 acres, on Lakeside Drive and Kali Lane in Pine River Township. The plan does not describe the land as contaminated. It says the lots qualify as “housing property,” a category of eligible property under Act 381.
The plan puts total investment at about $5.4 million, with construction from fall 2026 to fall 2028. Four of the 19 homes, 21%, would be income-restricted rentals for 10 years at a projected rent of $2,041 a month for a four-bedroom house. The other 15 “are expected to be available for sale and rent at market rates.”
The money. New property taxes generated by the homes would be captured for an estimated 24 years, 2028 through 2051. The plan lists $1,536,343 in eligible costs. That includes $766,320 to cover what the plan calls potential rent loss on the four restricted homes, $423,415 for infrastructure, $176,605 for site preparation, a $90,003 contingency, $75,000 to write and carry out the plan, and $5,000 for an environmental assessment.
It adds $541,301 in interest to the developer, at 5% simple interest on unreimbursed costs; $256,527 for the state’s brownfield fund; and $70,678 for the county Brownfield Redevelopment Authority’s administration. Together those figures come to $2,404,849.
The developer would pay the costs up front. The plan says no advances from the township or county are expected and no bonds would be issued. Its tax table estimates that the county’s general operating levy would forgo $472,060 over the life of the plan and that captured school taxes would total $1,006,777.
What residents asked. Minutes show one person objected to the plan, and a Lakeside Estates resident said the subdivision’s road is not maintained and asked how it would support the building of 19 homes. Another resident gave the board a two-page list of 20 questions, which the county filed with the meeting record.
The first question: “Why is over $2 million of reimbursement justified for a project with only four restricted units?” Others ask whether the developer would proceed without the reimbursement; whether the homes would use wells or municipal water; whether drainage and sewer capacity have been studied; and who pays for wear on roads that, the handout says, are “privately maintained by residents.”
The handout also questions the $2,041 rent. It calculates that 30% of the county’s median household income of $63,556 comes to $1,588.90 a month. Its last question: “What happens after the 10-year affordability period expires?”
According to the minutes, a speaker for the project cited the county’s need for housing, described a $5.4 million investment and said “the developer is taking the risk for the up front cost.” During public comment at the end of the meeting, another resident told the board that Lakeside “has built her dream home.”
What comes next. The plan’s cover page has blank approval lines for the county Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, the Pine River Township Board and the Board of Commissioners. The tabled resolution, No. 26-461, can return at a later meeting.