(New Buffalo, MI) - Plans to construct affordable workforce housing in an attempt to reverse enrollment decline were the focus of the New Buffalo School Board at a meeting on Tuesday.

 

Not everybody is happy about the proposed new housing, judging by the responses of homeowners near the site during a public question-and-answer session regarding the proposal that was made part of the meeting at the Performing Arts Center at New Buffalo High School.

 

The preliminary plans call for more than 80 units inside townhomes to be constructed in phases, along with 15 traditional single-family homes New Buffalo High School building trades students would help erect at a pace of one home a year

 

The housing would go up across from the New Buffalo Elementary School along Lubke Road on the ground owned by the school district.

 

Among the concerns expressed by nearby residents was increased traffic posing a risk to students walking to and from school as a result of the high number of units proposed.

 

Shannon Schroeder, who lives next to the school, also said the cost of the new housing would not be affordable for some members of the workforce, like “a single mother working at a restaurant” or people already struggling financially.

 

On March 25th, the school board selected Ed Gausselin of Bison Property Development and Mike Reinhold of Bradford Group to develop what’s known as the Bison Preserve. Housing would exist on about 20 percent of the over 30 acre mostly wetlands site.

 

The school would donate the property to the developers to help bring down the cost of construction. Grants and other forms of contributions wouldl also be pursued to try and bring down the expense of construction further, so the housing costs could fall within the price range of workers like young teachers.

 

Local public sector employees could be offered the homes first as they’re going up in phases. All of the townhomes would be rented, while the traditional single-family homes constructed would be offered for sale as they have been at other locations over the years.

 

Each townhome would contain about 1,800 square feet of space, along with three bedrooms and a two-car attached garage.

 

Reinhold said the amount of monthly rent has not been set because many unknowns still exist about the final cost of the potential development. When pressed for a ballpark figure, he said rent could range from $1,800 to $2,200 a month. Some of the 30 people in the audience gasped at the estimated price of rent, saying it’s out of reach for many working school district residents with children on the verge of being priced out of the community.

 

Reinhold explained the idea is to attract families with children wanting to settle down long-term in New Buffalo by offering high-quality housing at a price they can afford. He said one and two-bedroom units, affordable to lower wage earners, are not the type of housing that can make as much of a positive impact on student enrollment. 

 

Reinhold said the plans, which had more housing units added in recent months, have not been finalized, though.

 

“Can we have a product more affordable for others? That train hasn’t left the station. There’s still time to change that,” he said.

 

New Buffalo Schools Superintendent Adam Bowen said total enrollment has dropped from about 650 to 540 students over the past ten years.

 

Former New Buffalo Schools Superintendent Mike Lindley said one hope is to tap into some of the money the state and federal governments have set aside for the construction of workforce housing.

 

Larry Gill, who also lives near the proposed construction site, said the number of homes planned should be reduced because it could mean the addition of 400 to 500 new residents in “a relatively small area.”

 

“I don’t think that’s what anybody in that area who owns a home signed up for,” he said.

 

According to school officials, more public question-and-answer sessions will be held in the coming months.

 

Gausselin said any final plans will have to go before the New Buffalo Township Board for approval.  He said construction could start in 2025, as long as soil sampling and everything else in what he expects to be a challenging process goes smoothly.

 

“There are a lot of unknowns and until those unknowns are addressed, there’s always room for surprises,” he said.