Marquette County Land Bank Authority

05/28/2026

The Marquette County Land Bank has issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an opportunity to partner on a new housing development project in Ishpeming Township. Please visit our website to learn more!

05/27/2026

The 2026 Mackinac Policy Conference began on Tuesday and will run through Friday.

Find out what the goal this year is below!

05/21/2026

"Though the affordable housing gap is enormous and growing, securing the financial resources to develop affordable housing is difficult. Mission-driven developers—who prioritize positive community impact—often struggle to access capital. This challenge is compounded in communities with limited financial resources and weak real estate markets. And these development hurdles only become harder to overcome with riskier property types, such as affordable housing."

When we discuss the affordable housing gap, we are seeing this cost of new construction gap in excess of $80,000 that is necessary to make a home attainable. For example, we can build a brand new house for roughly $275K, and most people cannot afford a $300K mortgage without being overburdened, so the financial gap is needed to ensure the price is reasonable. Luckily we have a tool called Housing TIF, accessible through the the Marquette County Brownfield Authority and legislation from 2023 that makes it possible helps fill this gap, in addition to other programs.

Learn more below how Land Banks are teaming up with
local emerging developers like we are doing here in Marquette County! ⬇️

https://communityprogress.org/blog/land-banks-under-resourced-developers/

Center for Community Progress

Ways that land banks and under-resourced developers can collaborate to build green, affordable infill housing.

05/17/2026

On Friday, the Ishpeming Township Board unanimously approved a purchase agreement between the Land Bank and the Township for 8.6 acres of land, marking a significant milestone in the development process. Following public informational meetings, environmental soil testing and due diligence will proceed in the coming months to assess the feasibility of single-family housing development. We are optimistic about the prospect of bringing quality homes to the West End! 🏡 🏘️

**Questions or comments, please reach out to Director Adan at [email protected].**

Housing Now
State Land Bank Authority
Michigan Association of Land Banks
Michigan State Housing Development Authority

05/16/2026

Check out the recent site tour discussion held earlier this week in Lansing, MI with Brent Forsberg at Holmes & Pleasant Grove and a couple Marquette County local emerging developers, Mitch Sharkey from Midwest Construction Group, and Jim Conlin from Ironshore Development. This is going to be a great project with a community investment model that will help fund these apartments and mixed-use building through the Lansing Growth Fund.

More information here: www.lansinggrowthfund.com

"More than just development, this is about giving the people who live within and around the site the opportunity to invest in—and benefit from—real estate assets in their own community. It’s about reducing barriers to investment and making it easier for people to have a voice in how their community is shaped, and to ensure that the places they help build reflect their values, stories, and long-term vision.

Community capital will help us create a vibrant, ecologically responsible neighborhood hub in South Lansing, MI, where neighbors aren’t just customers or tenants—they’re co-owners, contributors, and proud stewards of a shared future!"

05/15/2026

Happy Friday! Great interview this morning with Ishpeming Area Historical Society President David Aeh and interview conducted by Amy Stephens from the Marquette County Planning Division. We’re very excited to be compiling a story map of the history of the Anderson/Nardi building and featuring cool maps, a timeline, and interesting and noteworthy facts. We will share all the information and research on our Land Bank website next month for everyone to enjoy!

City of Ishpeming
Ishpeming DDA

05/14/2026

The stabilization of the Anderson building is underway! Steel beams and columns have arrived and the back wall will be rebuilt in order to meet standards and the agreed scope of work. All new exterior windows are approximately six weeks away for installation.

This is coming together nicely in downtown Ishpeming!

City of Ishpeming
Ishpeming DDA
Cross General Contracting

05/07/2026

Director Adan and members of the Home Builders Association of The Upper Peninsula attended a legislative housing dialogue and Adan spoke on the need for more pre-development dollars for making housing projects feasible. Often called “soft costs”(engineering/architecture, environmental review, regulatory, etc.), this can account for 20-30% of a project and make it very challenging for emerging developers to make a project happen with no guarantee of anything being built. Because there is a need to access more funding that can unlock development in the communities we work in, we look forward to seeing additional opportunities/dialogue with elected officials to access future pre-development funding options.