building a welcome home

HOLLAND’S BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS HOUSING. Not everyone who wants and needs to live here, can. Our traditional workforce cannot find homes they can afford. Mayor Bocks is working to change that. The Mayor and City Council are working together with city staff to develop smart, creative solutions that clear the path to create the housing Holland wants and needs.

Making Progress

During Mayor Bocks’ time in office, City Council made addressing the issue of affordable housing one of its top priorities. During my tenure, council has approved multiple new housing developments with hundreds of new housing units at a variety of price points, we retained one of the top housing consultants to work directly with city staff in City Hall, and unanimously approved a new Unified Development Ordinance encouraging forward-thinking, smart development throughout our community.

Planning for the future

Housing and how we use our homes have changed in recent years. We are spending more time in our homes. We need to find new and creative ways to use spaces for working and learning from home. Increased telecommuting will free workers to live and work where they want. Mayor Bocks knows Our Future Is Bright and people will choose Holland as their home. He is already working with City Council, city staff, developers, non profits, and employers to assure that Holland will always be a place where everyone exclaims, “And We Get To Live Here!”

Housing and transportation linked

West Michigan still needs transportation for commuters who work here and live outside of the city. Plans for the commuter line between Holland and Grand Rapids were put on hold due to the pandemic. As we transition to a new way of living and working, we will plan and build a new system to meet new and changing needs. No matter what solution works best, it must be a regional, collaborative effort and we must include the public and private sector and non-profit groups.