Chamber Director Jason Schneider Talks About Business Impact Of Increasing Marquette Home Values

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    Jason Schneider

    Marquette, MI – (Great Lakes Radio News) – Marquette Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jason Schneider says a recent survey about home values in Marquette is showing some potential problems for business owners and employers.

    Schneider joined the SUNNY Morning Show with Walt & Mike today and talked about a nationwide survey by Harvard University that looked at home values county-by-county.

    The survey found that property values in Marquette have increased by 40% since 2000, making Marquette the only place in the Midwest that has seen such increases.

    Schneider said while this is a good sign on many economic levels, it does create a problem for employers in the city.

    He said it creates a challenge for those companies and businesses who want to provide competitive salary packages for their workers so they can buy a home and live in Marquette.

    Schneider said a majority of full-time jobs in the Marquette area pay in the $30,000 to $50,000 range, which can make it challenging for an employee to be able to actually buy a home and live within the town they work in.

    He talked about efforts to convince developers to build what he called “attainable housing”, that would allow a full-time employee who is earning a salary of $35,000 or more to have a good home to buy in the city.

    Schneider added that creative dialogues between business owners, developers, city officials and others about topics such as zoning regulations and incentive programs could lead to effective solutions to the issues.

     

    LISTEN IN – Marquette Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jason Schneider talks Marquette home values.

    VISIT – The Marquette Chamber of Commerce website.