Events and Activities

Upcoming Events

 

Permit-Ready Plans Initiative: Lunch and Learn

The MEDC's Permit-Ready Plans initiative aims to accelerate infill housing development by offering pre-approved residential building plans that reduce design, permitting, and construction complexity. The resource offers pre-approved designs for single-, two-, and multi-family housing to support emerging developers and align with local zoning updates that promote more flexible, mixed-use neighborhoods. Grand Rapids is the first pilot community to implement the tool, in partnership with Driven Design, Oak Street Design, and the City’s Planning and Economic Development departments. MEDC can also assist other local communities in bringing a similar approach to their own towns.

Want to learn more? Join Grand Rapids for an in-person Lunch & Learn on Tuesday, May 20 at 12:00 p.m. at the Development Center (1120 Monroe Ave NW). Free parking and DASH bus service are available on-site. Learn more and register here.

North Region Land Bank Gathering – May 22 in Gaylord
Join the North Region Land Bank Gathering on May 22 at the University Center in Gaylord. This event brings together county treasurers and partners (especially from counties without a local land bank) to learn, connect, and explore innovative land bank strategies. Enjoy peer-to-peer learning, engaging presentations, and lunch provided. RSVP by emailing Eric Schertzing at eric@milandbank.org. You can also help shape the agenda by suggesting discussion topics. Lunch included.

ZONING ATLAS - UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

Join us this June for a series of interactive workshops exploring the Northwest Michigan Zoning Atlas. These sessions will provide practical guidance on how communities can use zoning data to inform local housing strategies, support development goals, and remove barriers to housing access. Whether you're a planner, elected official, or community advocate, these workshops are designed to help you take the next step toward more housing-ready communities. Stay tuned for the registration details:

  • June 26th 2:30 to 4:30 at the West Shore Bank - Grand Traverse County with growth corridor - Hosted with Grand Traverse County.

  • June 27th 11-1-Kalkaska/Charlevoix/Antrim- Railroad Depot in Kalkaska - Lunch will be provided

  • June 27th, 3-5 p.m. Benzie/Manistee/Leelanau

More details coming soon!

SMALL TOWN AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE

The 2025 Small Town & Rural Development Conference is June 9-11 at Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville, MI. More details will be coming soon. Please contact Shawn Hunter (hunter@cedamichigan.org) if you have any questions.

CEDAM REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT BOOT CAMP

CEDAM’s Real Estate Development Boot Camp is a multi-part training program designed to give you the tools needed to develop affordable housing in your community. From rising construction costs to new funding sources, our training curriculum is updated each year to provide context around the current real estate development landscape in Michigan. We bring in experienced speakers from across the state and country to discuss practical applications of this work and help you create important connections.

CEDAM will host two Real Estate Development Boot Camps in 2025. 

  • Real Estate Development Boot Camp (Core – urban / suburban focus) | Week of April 28 | Detroit

  • Rural Real Estate Development Boot Camp (small-scale, rural focus) | Week of September 15 | Marquette 

Click here to register and learn more.

EVENTS, COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND MORE!

Housing North works regionally to lead action from the public, local governments, employers, and community organizations. We aim to offer clear courses of action and resources about how to participate in housing solutions. We organize events with diverse experts, funders, and stakeholders to bring communities together and help lead action at the local level.

​Stay tuned and learn more about any ongoing event, community meeting, or public activity. If you’re interested in learning more from our previous events, please visit and subscribe to our Youtube Channel where you can find recordings of events, meetings, and discussions related to housing solutions.

SPONSOR A HOUSING NORTH EVENT

Housing North offers training sessions, webinars, community events and opportunities for diverse stakeholders to be engaged in expanding housing solutions. By sponsoring our events you can be part of:

  • Statewide promotions and media coverage of the event including your logo

  • Be recognized as a Housing North partner.

  • Showcase your organization and your work towards housing and community development.

Click here to learn about opportunities to sponsor one of our events. If you’d like to receive more information, please contact us at info@housignorth.org.



 

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Housing North offers a wide variety of events throughout the year such as the Annual Housing Summit, Panel Discussions and webinars. Look back at those events by subscribing to our page and see the recordings of great discussions and solutions for our region. Event recordings are uploaded to our channel.

REQUEST A COMMUNITY PRESENTATION OR EVENT

You may want to inspire others to advocate in your community or may want to learn more about the Housing Ready Program, you can contact us and request a presentation or meeting with your local officials or community group. You can always reach out to info@housingnorth.org and make the request that fits the needs for your community!

There are many ways you can join us to address housing in your community.

 Housing is the front door to opportunity. When everyone has access to housing that meets their needs, people feel welcomed, neighborhoods grow in diverse and vibrant ways, and our whole community benefits from their energy and investment. However, changing the system for housing is a complex task that we cannot complete on our own. That is why we believe that everyone - from real estate agents, landlords, and lenders to community members and neighbors - should play a role.