PORTAGE, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – It was not the first time City of Portage homeowners have opposed having an apartment complex move into their neighborhood, but it did not stop the City Council Tuesday night from giving the project a green light.
Neighbors told the council the high density complex would bring more traffic, more crime, and lower the property values near Fox Valley Drive, just northeast of the I-94 – U.S.-131 intersection.
But other residents argued that Portage and the county both desperately need more homes.
City Manager Pat McGinnis says it’s not a low-income housing project, and local employers and middle income earners are clamoring for market rate units like these, with rent from $1,300 to $1,900 per month, catering to those making around $52,000 per year.
McGinnis presented several city staffers to counter the neighbors’ concerns, saying traffic could be accommodated with road improvements, and studies show that crime rates don’t change.
Economic Development Deputy Director Jonathon Halberg says occupancy rates for similar projects are around 96%, and property values around similar projects are virtually unchanged.
Some Portage City Council members were skeptical, but after nearly three hours of debate, all seven them voted to rezone the land from single family to multi-unit dwellings.
(reporting from John McNeill)
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