Marquette's Housing Woes-What Can We Afford?, Hotel Prices, the UP's Surprising Landlord, a Chef Wanted, the Nation's Most Educated City, WNMU Is Still Waiting, and a Pioneer for the Disabled

The Latest from Marquette, MI by Brian Cabell

THE BIGGEST COMPLAINT about Marquette? Not enough housing—too few single family homes, townhomes and condos to buy, and too few duplexes, apartments and rooms to rent…and the ones that are available are too doggone expensive.

Well, less-than-satisfying solutions may be on the way…

The Residences at North Harbor—that big building under construction on the way to Presque Isle—is about to open its doors to buyers. “Four units in one module are almost done,” says RE/MAX realtor Fran Sevegney, “and should be ready for occupancy by the end of this month.” One unit has been sold, two others have been reserved by prospective buyers…The first building will have 27 condos…Other buildings with 71 more units will be built in future years.

The prices? That’s where the problem crops up for the less monied buyers…The Residences range in price from the 400,000s to 900,000. They’re nice homes, with sensational views of the Lake, and a convenient location only five minutes from downtown, but for many, the prices will be prohibitive.

HEAD SOUTH ABOUT eight miles and you’ll come to Hemlock Park, not far from Marquette Mountain. Three new single family homes are already built there, another is under construction. All told, 26 will be built here on the edge of the forest…Again, a great location 10 minutes from downtown. The prices? In the range of $500,000-600,000.

“The interest is strong but the big challenge is macro,” says developer Bob Mahaney. “The mortgage interest rates and the uncertain economy have some potential buyers worried.”

MAHANEY’S VERIDEA GROUP is also planning a major development on the 17 acres formerly occupied by the hospital—but construction hasn’t yet begun there.

Also in the mix in the medium term future is a large housing development out on the Dead River Basin. Don’t expect those to be “workforce” homes, though.

RENTAL UNITS? VERIDEA IS also building apartments at Hemlock Park—39 units at the Freewheel complex. It’s nearing completion, and is now accepting applications for move-ins in September…The price? $2400 a month. Again, a bit pricey for someone making, say, $60,000 a year, but Mahaney says that’s the market rate for upscale apartments…Years ago, we were told we could spend 30% of our income on housing; these days, it’s closer to 40%.

A MILE AWAY from Hemlock Park is Rolling Meadows…Twelve apartments about to open up this summer, sixteen more this Fall…The price there is a slightly more modest $2000 a month…

AS FOR THE already established rental market, if you’re not too picky, you might be able to find a room for $500-600 a month…You’ll spend about $800-1000 for a midscale apartment…

And if you’ve got a lot more cash to spend, you can find wonderful apartments for $1600 and much, much more along the lakeshore, at One Marquette Place and Two Marquette Place.

So, bottom line, nothing at this point is being built for the ordinary Joe and Jane who are trying to save some money while renting a decent apartment, in hopes that they might soon be able to buy a starter home…The only hope they have is to find a small, older home, likely in need of repair, and if you’re able to find them under $250,000 in or around Marquette—without a fierce bidding war—you’re lucky.

HOTEL ROOM PRICES? Here’s what they’re going for next weekend in Marquette, as listed by Expedia:

Cedar Motor Inn—$187…..Ramada—$191…..Best Western—$199…..Staybridge Suites—$212…..Comfort Suites—$234…..Hampton—$400…..Landmark—$402…..Explore—$413

PROVISIONS, THE POPULAR coffee and gelato shop down by the lakeshore, is seeing huge crowds in the morning and evening with the influx of summer tourists, but owner Jesse Renfors would love to provide something more for the locals: cooking classes. Sure seems like they’d be a hit with all the foodies in Marquette…“It would be big here. I’m sure of it,” he says, “but I can’t find anybody who could do it, or who wants to do it.” He needs a qualified chef or chefs to step in, share a little knowledge and food with the rest of us, and make some part-time cash. Anybody out there interested?

WHO’S ONE OF the biggest landowners in the Upper Peninsula? How about the government of Singapore. It owns more than 5% of the land in the U.P., according to federal records obtained by Bridge Michigan…That amounts to 540,000 acres of forestland. The reason behind the land purchase is timber. It’s a stable investment, and we’re guessing it wasn’t all that expensive.

ANN ARBOR IS the most educated city in the United States. That’s according to a survey conducted by WalletHub…The ratings consider several factors—the number of adults with high school diplomas, college degrees, and advanced college degrees, and the overall quality of its universities and public schools…The next five after Ann Arbor are 2) Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina 3) Madison, Wisconsin 4) San Jose, California and 5) Washington DC.

THANKFULLY, STILL NO change in the programming at WNMU. At least not yet…A recent Executive Order issued by the Trump administration mandated that our local public TV and radio stations discontinue programming by NPR and PBS…The deadline for the change had been June 30th, but the case is now tied up in court, so we’ll continue to enjoy NPR and PBS here for now…The reasons given for dumping NPR and PBS are twofold—1) The public stations are no longer necessary since we have so many alternatives, and 2) The stations are biased.

NEXT SATURDAY (JULY 19TH), we’ll be celebrating the life of one of Marquette’s most influential citizens, Dr. David Boyd…His work helped shape the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990, which opened up accessibility for the disabled all across America…He was a teacher, advisor and advocate who inspired thousands, and helped change the lives of many, many more…Boyd was a Marquette native who, as a young teacher, was stricken with a spinal tumor that left him paralyzed from the neck down…Didn’t stop him. He became a powerful voice for the disabled here in Marquette and all across the nation…His life’s celebration comes next Saturday, 2 pm, at the Peter White Public Library’s Community Room.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you.”

—Walt Whitman