Crystal Falls increases housing through Build U.P. project

What's happening: A major housing project will add a significant number of much-needed multi-family units in Crystal Falls, increasing the local housing supply by seven percent. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the community currently has only 920 homes. The investment will also fund 1,500 feet of new city streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure, essential for the development to move forward and help alleviate the area's housing shortage.

The project is backed by Build U.P., a housing development fund managed by InvestUP. The Iron County Economic Chamber Alliance (ICECA) also had major impact on the projects planning and organization.

Expanding together: Despite such a large increase in housing, the additional infrastructure to handle a larger population is possible. Additional funding through the Residential Infrastructure Loan Program will allow Crystal Falls to address the expansion of sewer, water and road improvements. According to InvestUP, this is the first time that this style of municipal utility funding was used in a Build U.P. project, which was established in 2023.   

What they're saying: “Crystal Falls and the ICECA sought out a quality developer and utilized their assets to an extremely positive outcome. We congratulate these community leaders and hope their approach will motivate other communities in the U.P. to follow their lead and look at what they are doing and how they got it done,” InvestUP CEO Marty Fittante said. “While this is a really important project for Crystal Falls and for the region, as importantly, it shows what can happen when dedicated local leaders seek public-private partnerships to solve housing shortages.”    

What's next: The project will start finding contractors, obtaining necessary permits and start developing the access to the land, which will need two new roads to fully access the parcel. Additionally, the procedures used in developing the project will serve as a strong baseline for future projects for the housing crisis in the Upper Peninsula, where roughly three of every five municipal leaders said that not enough housing was a major concern in a 2023 University of Michigan poll.