Baraga County

This document presents a comprehensive residential market potential analysis for Baraga County, Michigan, encompassing its townships and villages. It evaluates market potential for new-build and rehab housing units under both conservative and aggressive scenarios, targeting owner and renter markets with diverse housing formats. Key priorities include capturing new in-migrating households and retaining existing residents by addressing their housing preferences. The analysis provides data on movership rates and target market profiles, along with planning and zoning recommendations, to guide future housing development and ensure a responsive and sustainable housing supply across the region.

This Demographic Analysis for Baraga County examines housing demand and supply variables across Baraga Township, the Village of Baraga, L'Anse Township, and the Village of L'Anse. It synthesizes historical data from 2010 to 2023 and provides forecasts through 2030, assuming continued pro-growth planning and housing policies. The analysis covers household characteristics, population migration, existing housing units, vacancy rates, home values, contract rents, and building permit activity.

The meeting commenced with the reading of the Chamber of Commerce mission statement. Key agenda items included the approval of the consent agenda, which incorporated one addition (a donation request for the KBIC Domestic Violence Walk) and one correction to previous minutes. Action items involved accepting the resignation of a board member and hiring a webmaster on a contractual basis at $35 per hour. A motion was passed to donate $100 to the KBIC Domestic Violence Walk. Discussion items covered potential venue exploration for bingo games, updates on the ATV ride organization, strategic planning for new board members, follow-up on a Dynamo grant application, scheduling the Lunch & Learn calendar, reporting on the golf tournament results, securing a KBOCC intern, reviewing loyalty program participation, and assessing the potential donation of an art collection for auction. Committee updates were provided across Dynamo, Next Gen, PLAN, Membership, Scholarship, and Bingo groups.

The meeting involved reviewing and approving the consent agenda, which included corrections and additions. A significant action item was the appointment of Stacy Froese to the board of directors. Discussion topics included the inability to proceed with bingo operations without securing necessary equipment or venue arrangements, an overview of the cross country ski trail needs requiring approximately $20,000 for equipment and a storage shed, and planning for the December Big & Little Family Bowling Tournament. Additionally, discussions covered the display and sale of artwork, board member recruitment to fill vacancies up to a limit of 15, and the redesign of the Chamber's online business directory. The session also noted plans for a Community Knowledge Mapping Session in Baraga. Committee updates included planning for Dynamo grant application reviews, upcoming Next Gen events such as the fishing tournament and hockey tournament, and mailing second-round membership invoices.

The meeting covered several operational and planning aspects. Discussions included the receipt of thanks from a scholarship recipient and review of fundraising results from 'Let's eat' and a yard sale, with plans to explore new signs for 2026. Action items such as a lease addendum (which proposed rent increases and no weekend member use), a webmaster hire recommendation, and requests for donations were noted, though no formal action was taken due to lack of quorum. Strategic planning for 2025-2027 was discussed, including the suggestion of a youth financial literacy event. Updates were provided on committee activities, including the Dynamo committee seeking additional members for a grant award, the Next Gen committee reporting on a successful fishing tournament and planning glow golf, and the Scholarship committee suggesting a standardized timeline for recipient documentation submission.