Building a Better Muskegon
The City of Muskegon has operated a pioneering infill housing program designed to reverse decades of disinvestment through the construction of new residential housing on publicly-owned, vacant lots. The goal has been to supply both for-sale and rental housing units at all price points throughout our neighborhoods.
These efforts have been informed and reinforced through extensive research of the local housing market, assessing the long-term housing needs of the community and evaluating the existing housing stock. In 2022, the City of Muskegon partnered with Bowen National Research to conduct a Five-Year Housing Needs Assessment of the housing market in our community. The results show a serious shortage of both for-sale and rental housing units at all price points across our city.
The City of Muskegon, along with many project partners, have also made significant strides in removing obstacles to the production and preservation of housing. Zoning Reform efforts approved by the City Commission in the fall of 2024 unlocked the potential for a mix of housing options that allow residents to stay in the city as their lives and housing needs evolve, as well as attract new residents.
In 2025, the City partnered with City Wise to launch a website designed to make it easier for residents, especially middle- and low-income renters, to find available places to live. The site brings together regularly updated listings from local landlords to offer a centralized, accessible way to search for housing. The platform aims to increase visibility for available rental housing in Muskegon, including listings from small and mid-sized landlords who may not typically advertise on national websites.
Hundreds of new housing units have been constructed over the past decade thanks to ongoing efforts to redevelop the City’s supply of publicly-owned vacant lots. In the spring of 2026, a new Housing Dashboard was unveiled that tracks these efforts and highlights the progress toward addressing the community’s housing shortage.