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News Staff Writers News Photo by Julie Riddle Shelly Katto points recently to a chalkboard in her Alpena Airbnb home signed by a group of nurses who found temporary housing there. ALPENA The use of tax incentives, zoning changes, policy revisions, and the creative use of current structures still haven’t kept up with a spiking demand for housing in Northeast Michigan. Big demand and too little supply, rising construction costs, and limited construction workers in part because of the coronavirus pandemic caused the region’s housing shortage, The News learned after weeks of research and interviews with homebuyers, sellers, and real estate and economic development officials. The shortage means people who want to move to or within Alpena often have to wait months before they can land a home. ....
[email protected] News Photo by Crystal Nelson Margie Haaxma, owner and broker at Banner Realty, recently talks on the phone in her office on Ripley Boulevard. ALPENA New Alpena County resident Lyn Loheed hopes her new community doesn’t allow too many people like her in town. An experienced landlord who spent decades renovating old homes in Iowa, Loheed recently purchased a long-vacant Long Lake home with plans to renovate the home and use her spare bedrooms and several cabins on the property as Airbnb rental housing. Such properties the vacation homes, lake cottages, hunting cabins, and Airbnb properties the U.S. Census Bureau calls “part-time, seasonal, and recreational” homes can be big business for landlords and pump major tourism dollars into a community. Governments also tax such properties at a significantly higher rate than year-round residences, helping fund local schools and infrastructure. ....
[email protected] News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Tom Dihle and his wife, Cecilia, look recently at an Alpena home they considered purchasing. The couple is looking for a home because they are moving to Alpena from the St. Joseph area. ALPENA A shortage of housing could weaken the local workforce and future development if people wanting to invest money and talent in Alpena can’t find places to live, Northeast Michigan business leaders say. People trying to move to Alpena sometimes have to wait months to find a place to call their own, with housing demand exceeding supply or high prices for existing homes or new construction pricing some out of the market entirely, The News learned through weeks of research and interviews with homebuyers, sellers, and officials in real estate and economic development. ....
[email protected] News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Alpena Building Official Don Gilmet poses at Alpena City Hall on Monday. ALPENA Many changes have taken place at Alpena City Hall in the last year and more are on the way. The Alpena Municipal Council voted Monday to approve a pair of contracts that will allow a local company to temporarily oversee the Planning/Development/Zoning Department, and have the City’s former Director of Planning, Development, and Zoning Andrea Kares work remotely. Kares quit unexpectedly late last month for personal reasons. The Council voted 5-0 to hire Donald Gilmet, of Gilmet Construction Services, to provide plan review services, train new staff, and ensure that the City of Alpena is compliant with Public Act 230 of 1972, which allows a local unit of government to legally adopt and enforce the state plumbing code at the local level. ....
[email protected] News Photo by Julie Riddle The tip of a house on West Lake Avenue shows damage from a fire that destroyed the home in December 2018. ALPENA A home left standing more than two years after a fire on Alpena’s north side is not a safety hazard, according to city officials. The two-story home on West Lake Street burned the day after Christmas, 2018, when the upper story caught fire in the early hours of the morning. All residents and pets escaped unharmed. The home, though badly damaged, is structurally sound, and the city has allowed the homeowner time to be in a position to have it demolished, according to Alpena Mayor Matt Waligora. ....