Chapter 5: Housing Profile
This section of the plan details the characteristics of the
Suttons Bay Township housing stock by structural type, occupancy, age, and
value characteristics; reviews recent building permit activity; assesses
housing affordability; and, projects future housing needs. The majority of the
data presented within this chapter has been gathered from the 1990 U.S. Census,
which, for the majority of elements is the most recent published data
available. Where appropriate, the data described in this chapter is benchmarked
to county demographics.
Housing
structural type
Data in Table 8 compare the type of structures that existed
in the township and county respectively for years 1980 and 1990. Overall, the
township housing stock is characterized by single‑family homes.
|
Table 8 1980
and 1990 Year-Round Housing Unit Comparison |
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|
Units per Structure |
|
|||||
|
1980 |
1990 |
Change 1980-1990 |
||||
|
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
|
|
1-unit
|
476 |
82.6 |
608 |
82.5 |
132 |
27.7 |
|
2-4
units |
28 |
4.9 |
25 |
3.4 |
(3) |
(10.7) |
|
5
or more units |
27 |
4.7 |
24 |
3.3 |
(3) |
(11.1) |
|
Mobile
home/other |
45 |
7.8 |
80 |
10.9 |
35 |
77.8 |
|
Total |
576 |
100.0 |
737 |
100.0 |
161 |
28.0 |
|
Units per Structure |
|
|||||
|
1980 |
1990 |
Change 1980-1990 |
||||
|
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
|
|
1-unit |
7,376 |
81.3 |
9,679 |
86.6 |
2,303 |
31.2 |
|
2-4
units |
474 |
5.2 |
257 |
2.3 |
(217) |
(45.8) |
|
5
or more units |
606 |
6.7 |
173 |
1.5 |
(433) |
(71.5) |
|
Mobile
home/other |
617 |
6.8 |
1,062 |
9.5 |
445 |
72.1 |
|
Total |
9,073 |
100.0 |
11,171 |
100.0 |
2,098 |
23.1 |
|
Source: 1980 and 1990 |
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In 1990, 82.5 percent of the homes in
The county housing stock can also be characterized as
primarily single family in make-up. Multiple family units are proportionately
the smallest unit type among all structures in both the Township and
Like the Township,
Housing
occupancy
Occupancy characteristics are presented in Table 9.
According to the 1990 census, there were 588 housing units available for year‑round
living. Nearly eight out of every ten units (78.2 percent) were occupied. Out
of the 576 occupied units, 77.4 percent were owner-occupied, and 22.6 percent
were rental units.
In 1990, 21.8 percent of the township's total housing stock
were vacant. Of the vacant units, half (50.3 percent) were used for seasonal,
recreational, or occasional purposes. The next largest category of vacant
housing was for migrant workers. The “other vacant” housing category refers to
non-housing structures being used for residential purposes. These include
campers, trailers, vans, boats and rail cars. It is most likely that these are
used on a seasonal basis. This category includes 32 units or 19.9 of the vacant
housing stock.
As a general rule, a 5 percent vacancy rate is desirable.
Such a vacancy rate permits residents moving into the area a choice of housing
which is immediately available for occupancy. In 1990, the stock of vacant
units for sale or for rent in
Table 9 1990
Occupancy Characteristics |
||||
|
Category |
Number |
Percent of Total
Units |
Percent
of Occupied Units |
|
|
Total
occupied housing units |
576 |
78.2 |
100.0 |
|
|
|
Owner-occupied |
446 |
60.5 |
77.4 |
|
|
Renter-occupied |
130 |
17.7 |
22.6 |
|
Vacant
housing units |
161 |
21.8 |
100.0 |
|
|
|
For
rent |
4 |
0.5 |
2.5 |
|
|
For
sale |
1 |
0.1 |
.6 |
|
|
Rented/sold
not occupied |
7 |
1.0 |
4.3 |
|
|
For
seasonal, recreational, or occasional use |
81 |
11.0 |
50.3 |
|
|
For
migrant workers |
36 |
4.9 |
22.4 |
|
Other vacanta |
32 |
4.3 |
19.9 |
|
|
Total
housing units |
737 |
100.0 |
-- |
|
|
a
Includes non-housing used for residential: rail cars, boats, trailers and
campers. Source: 1990 |
||||
Age of
structures
Table 10 details the age of township housing structures by
year of construction. In 1990, over two-thirds of the township’s housing stock
had been constructed after 1970. Significantly, over 40 percent of the housing
stock was constructed since 1980.
|
Table 10 Age
of Structure 1990 |
||
|
|
Number |
Percent |
|
1980
to March 1990 1970
to 1979 1960
to 1969 1950
to 1959 1940
to 1949 1939
or earlier |
300 191 73 37 24 100 |
41.3 26.3 10.1 5.1 3.3 13.8 |
|
TOTAL |
725 |
100.0 |
|
Source: 1990 |
||
The age of a house is one factor used to evaluate the
structural quality of the building. The average life span of a house is 50
years, depending upon the quality of original construction and maintenance. The
data show that 22.2 percent of the homes are now 50-years of age or older. By
the end of the planning period, one-third of the 1990 housing stock will be at
least 50 years old. These homes may
require regular maintenance to remain structurally sound.
Housing values
As detailed in Table 11, the majority (57.0 percent) of
specified owner-occupied home values in
Just over half (53.8 percent) of specified renter-occupied
housing units have a contract rent between $250 and $499 while 41.6 percent are
rented for under $250.The median contract rent for specified renter-occupied
housing units in 1990 is $288. This figure is lower than the county and state
median contract rents of $322 and $343 respectively.
|
Table 11 1990
Comparative Distribution of Housing Values |
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|
Financial Characteristics |
|
|
||
|
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
|
|
Owner-occupied units a |
286 |
100.0 |
3,417 |
100.0 |
|
Less than $50,000 $50,000 to $99,999 $100,000 to $149,999 $150,000 to $199,999 $200,000 or more |
27 163 34 18 44 |
9.4 57.0 11.9 6.3 15.4 |
678 1,768 446 221 304 |
19.8 51.7 13.1 6.5 8.9 |
|
Median |
$82,700 |
|
$73,100 |
|
|
Renter-occupied units |
173 |
100.0 |
997 |
100.0 |
|
Less than $250 $250 to $499 $500 to $749 $750 to $999 $1,000 or more |
72 93 7 0 1 |
41.6 53.8 4.0 0.0 0.6 |
244 530 97 4 122 |
24.5 53.2 9.7 0.4 12.2 |
|
Median |
$288 |
|
$322 |
|
|
aSpecified
housing units include only one-family houses on less than 10 acres without a
commercial establishment or medical office on the property. Source: 1990 |
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Recent
Residential Construction Activity
Data in Table 12 itemizes the number of building permits
issued since March 1990 by housing type. In total, 134 permits have been issued
with the vast majority being for single-family residences (123).
Seven permits have been issued for modular or mobile homes
and four permits were for multiple-family residential units. Records do not
distinguish between seasonal or year-round units.
|
Table 12 1990-1997
Residential Construction Activity |
|||||||||
|
Category |
90a |
91 |
92 |
93 |
94 |
95 |
96 |
97b |
Total |
|
Single-family |
15 |
12 |
17 |
13 |
18 |
21 |
18 |
9 |
123 |
|
Multiple-family |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
4 |
|
Modular
or mobile home |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
7 |
|
Total |
16 |
13 |
20 |
15 |
18 |
23 |
18 |
11 |
134 |
|
aEstimate bAs
of August 20, 1997 Source: |
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Housing
affordability
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has developed a standard measure to determine the affordability of housing in a community and the level of excessive housing cost burden on households. Generally, households that spend an excess of 30 percent of income for housing are seen as expending more than is financially sound, which puts that household at risk for economic hardship. Table 13 summarizes these characteristics for the Township.
The selected monthly owner costs that were obtained for this
analysis included mortgages, real estate taxes, fire, hazard and flood
insurance and utilities. In the case of condominiums and mobile homes,
association fees and site rent were also included. Out of the 286 specified
owner-occupied households in 1990, nearly one-quarter, 23.1 percent, were
paying 30 percent or more of their income on these housing costs. Out of the 66
households in these cost brackets, 50 households (75 percent) earned less than
$20,000.
Among 115 specified renter-occupied households, housing
costs of 101 were analyzed by the census. Nearly half of these household, 47.5 percent, spent more than 30 percent of
their income on housing costs. All of the 45 households represented in this
group earned less than $20,000.
|
Table 13 1990
Housing Affordability |
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Housing Cost as a Percent of Household
Income
for
Owner-Occupied Units |
|||||||||||
|
Income
Category |
Less than 20 |
20-24 |
25-29 |
30 - 34 |
More than 35 |
Total |
|||||
|
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
|
|
< $10,000 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
35 |
62.0 |
31 |
|
$10,000- $19,999 |
27 |
16.8 |
3 |
7.5 |
2 |
10.5 |
8 |
50.0 |
11 |
22.0 |
51 |
|
$20,000 $34,999 |
37 |
23.0 |
21 |
52.5 |
9 |
47.5 |
7 |
43.8 |
2 |
4.0 |
76 |
|
$35,000- $49,999 |
43 |
26.7 |
10 |
25.0 |
4 |
21.0 |
1 |
6.2 |
6 |
12.0 |
64 |
|
> $50,000 |
54 |
33.5 |
6 |
15.0 |
4 |
21.0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
64 |
|
Subtotal |
161 |
56.3 |
40 |
14.0 |
19 |
6.6 |
16 |
5.6 |
50 |
17.5 |
286 |
|
Housing Costs as a Percent of
Household Income for
Renter-Occupied Units |
|||||||||||
|
Income Category |
Less than 20 |
20-24 |
25-29 |
30 - 34 |
35 greater |
Total |
|||||
|
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
Percent |
No. |
|
|
< $10,000 |
7 |
16.7 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
100 |
29 |
64.4 |
39 |
|
$10,000- $19,999 |
7 |
16.7 |
5 |
62.5 |
3 |
100 |
0 |
0 |
16 |
35.6 |
31 |
|
$20,000- $34,999 |
18 |
42.8 |
3 |
37.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
21 |
|
$35,000- $49,999 |
6 |
14.3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
|
> $50,000 |
4 |
9.5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
|
Subtotal |
42 |
41.7 |
8 |
7.9 |
3 |
2.9 |
3 |
2.9 |
45 |
44.6 |
101 |
|
Source: 1990 |
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Housing unit
projections
Housing unit projections are based on three components.
First, the future population must be projected. Second, the number of housing
units needed to house the population must be calculated based on the projected
persons per household and vacancy figures. Third, an estimate of the existing
structures which are expected to become substandard and replaced during the
planning period must be made.
Projections indicate that the population of
Using these three factors (i.e., a projected population of
2,881; an estimated persons per household figure of 2.60; and an assumed
demolition rate of one unit per year), 562 dwelling units (532 new and 30
replacements) will need to be added to the occupied housing stock between 1990
and 2020 to accommodate the predicted population. This computes to an average
of 18.7 dwelling units per year from 1990 to 2020. This is slightly greater
than the annual average of 17 units set thus far in the 1990's. This figure,
however, does not include construction of seasonal or migrant homes in the
Township. Table 14 details the figures used to make this projection.
|
Table 14 Housing
Unit Requirements, 2020 |
||||
|
Category |
1990 |
2020 |
Change
1990-2020 |
|
|
Number |
Percent |
|||
|
Total
population |
1,589 |
2,881 |
1,292 |
81.3 |
|
Persons
per household |
2.76 |
2.60 |
(0.16) |
5.8 |
|
Total
occupied units |
576 |
1,108 |
532 |
92.4 |
|
Vacancy
rate (percent) |
0.6 |
5.0 |
NA |
NA |
|
Total
year-round units |
591 |
1,166 |
575 |
97.3 |
|
Source: 1990 U.S. Census, Table 1 and
consultant estimates. |
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