The Southwest Michigan Regional Chamber will hold a two-day summit next month for community leaders to discuss ways to help reduce the housing shortage in the area.

Chamber President Arthur Havlicek tells us the “Escaping the Housing Trap” summit will feature guest speaker Charles Marohn of the non-profit, Strong Towns. The group seeks to spread a message about strategies for local governments to clear the way for developers planning housing projects.

“A lot of the work we’ve done has been specifically to help advocate at the local level for more inclusive zoning and ordinance restrictions to basically imbue more flexibility, which helps developers when they come make the numbers work,” Havlicek said.

Havlicek says eliminating certain parking requirements, allowing smaller setbacks, easing density rules, and avoiding road width requirements, for example, can help make a prospective housing project more feasible for developers. The chamber has been spreading the message about these practices to city commissioners and zoning boards as the region struggles with a shortage of places for people to live.

“Essentially, we are millions of units short of what the need is, what the demand is across the country. And we are thousands of units short just here in Southwest Michigan.”

Havlicek says smarter zoning practices have helped to kickstart a housing development in the works now in Bridgman.

Havlicek is inviting community leaders to attend Escaping the Housing Trap on December 12 and 13 at the Frederick S. Upton Foundation Educational Pavilion at Corewell Health South in St. Joseph. The chamber is hosting the event in partnership with the Southwest Michigan Association of Realtors.

The registration page for the event can be found right here.