Cedar’s affordable housing solution?
By Sadie Murphy
Sun contributor
It’s no secret that finding practical housing in Leelanau County for year-round residents is a difficult feat. While summer retreats and expensive waterfront properties are abundant, family homes at an affordable price are not easy to find. Enter Cedar Cove Estates, a planned subdivision created with the local in mind. Located within walking distance of downtown Cedar, Cedar Cove Estates will feature 31 properties—11 single-family homes and 20 townhouse-style homes—priced competitively to appeal to a wider range of home-buyers. Corey Flaska, owner of Leelanau Construction and the brain behind this project, envisions a bright future for long-term Leelanau County residents and newcomers to comfortably settle into homes of their own.
Cedar is centrally located and has the amenities to support a growing community, making it a prime location for Cedar Cove Estates. “[Unlike other small Leelanau towns] Cedar businesses stay open until 10 p.m. or later, even in the winter. It is only 12 minutes from Traverse City, in the heart of Leelanau,” Flaska says of his subdivision’s location. The centrality and nightlife of Cedar are a natural appeal to the younger crowd of home-buyers. Flaska views his project as a way to plant new family roots in the town. A younger generation of northern Michiganders will carry on the traditions of Cedar, while bringing fresh perspectives of their own to local business and government matters. Young families have the potential to greatly benefit a growing Leelanau County. The construction mogul further explains his drive, stating that when he first began the project, “Leelanau was getting older and losing its residents. Families that had been around for a long time were starting to scatter, names were changing and the population was declining.” But Flaska knew that this reality didn’t have to be the end of Leelanau County and with an influx of family homebuyers, it seems like Cedar Cove Estates is only the beginning.
For many local businesses it is difficult to maintain year-round staffing; some employers depend solely on seasonal workers due to a lack of full-time Leelanau County residents to support them. This creates problems in the “off-season” months and a quick turnover of staff in the summer. The aim of Cedar Cove Estates to house long-term residents widens the pool of committed and available workers. As restaurant manager of La Becasse in Burdickville, Vickie Hurst is familiar with issues of staffing in the County and knows the benefits of a full-time workforce. “Having a stable and reliable amount of staff would enable La Becasse to realize our full potential and be open 7 days a week during peak season, which is ideal to capture as much revenue as possible to help get through the lean season,” Hurst says. Cedar Cove Estates may be able to bridge the gap between workers looking to move to Leelanau and the businesses like La Becasse who need them. A larger working population would also benefit the individual. Hurst recognizes that a lack of staffing puts stress on employees: “[a workforce increase] would have a positive impact on the health and well being of all staff members. Members of an understaffed workforce would not be ‘stretched thin’ trying to cover all open shifts and expected to do more work per shift than is reasonable for individual employees.” A strong and reliable community of long-term residents means more revenue created and distributed locally, and less stress on businesses and individuals alike.
Above all else, Cedar Cove Estates is a place where a community will be fostered. The unique culture and beauty of Leelanau County is something that locals cherish, and with residential growth these qualities can only be expanded. Affordable housing is a step towards a more robust, diverse, and thriving Leelanau. Ivy Paxton, a Leelanau County resident, believes that Cedar Cove Estates will bring a positive change to the area: “I think it will be a good thing. Not a lot of younger people can just move into the county. It’s become too expensive for fresh families to build homes or buy.” With projected pricing in the subdivision below $250,000 with many homes set to cost less than $200,000, the dream of becoming a Leelanau neighbor is within reach for a larger population than ever.
With an estimated construction start date of spring 2019, Leelanau Construction is currently in the legal planning stage of this process. To be fully prepared for a project like Cedar Cove Estates, permits must be obtained in areas such as zoning and construction, property documents drafted, and permissions granted by local government committees. “Each township and village has its own zoning ordinances that outline [standards for] development. This development required a public hearing and approval by the township planning commission,” says Trudy Galla, the planning and community development director for Leelanau County. With necessary preparations being made, Flaska and his team hope to acquire all of the required permits and documents by the end of 2018. Cedar residents can expect to see excavation and clearing of the Cedar Cove property as early as this winter, with the anticipation of friends to fill Flaska’s homes right around the corner.
