A substantial qualified renter pool
An estimated 3,392 core renter households fall within the 30-80% AMI planning band. The 55-home program equals 1.6% of that pool.
Independent resident demand study
The Matriarch
Resident demand, affordability, and program findings for a proposed 55-home affordable housing and childcare development on Broadway Avenue in Grand Rapids.
Prepared by Rhize Urban Strategy for Working Title Development and Fairfield Homes. The study examines who the project can serve, how the proposed bedroom and affordability mix align with the renter market, and why childcare belongs in the core program.
Development
Development
Independent study
Project and site snapshot
A specific all-affordable development now being underwritten
The study is tied to a real program and a defined site opportunity - not a generic housing concept.
Target siteBroadway Avenue between 10th and 11th streets, Grand Rapids
Vacant landApproximately 5.4 acres between 901 Broadway and 564 Eleventh Street
Parking parcel1.96 acres at 940 Broadway, at Broadway and 10th Street
ZoningTN-TCC
Program55 income-restricted apartments plus on-site licensed childcare
Affordability100% affordable housing - no market-rate units
Unit mix5 one-bedroom, 32 two-bedroom, 18 three-bedroom homes
Development statusActive site review and underwriting
What the study found
Four findings shape the program
Severe housing cost pressure
Four in five core renter households are cost-burdened, and two in five are severely burdened. Affordability is the central market condition.
Demand for family-sized homes
Half of the core renter households already occupy homes with three or more bedrooms. The proposed mix assigns 50 of 55 homes to two- and three-bedroom units.
A documented childcare shortage
Kent County has an estimated 20,513-slot gap for children ages 0-5. Childcare access materially affects the housing choices available to working parents.
Who the building is designed around
A working mother carrying a housing market that was not built for her.
The likely resident is in her mid to late thirties with one or two school-age children. She works, most often full time, in customer service, office administration, healthcare, education, production, or another job that keeps the region running.
She is not in crisis. She is subsidizing a housing market that was not built for her, out of a paycheck she earned.
Median age; 35-39 is the largest age band
Employed, most often full time
Median household income
Median monthly rent currently paid
Have school-age children only
Live doubled up in someone else's household
Five resident patterns
Different starting points. Specific building responses.
These are observed market segments with design consequences - not invented personas.
Deep-affordability households
30% AMI homes, discreet optional services, subsidized childcare access, and finishes that feel completely normal - never donated or institutional.
Early-career service and care workers
One- and two-bedroom homes, shift-tolerant childcare, transit access, well-lit paths, and in-unit laundry.
Established earners with school-age kids
Two- and three-bedroom homes, before- and after-school care, homework space, storage, parking, and a kitchen worth inviting people into.
Flexible-work and self-employed mothers
A wired work nook, bookable quiet rooms, strong acoustic separation, package and grocery storage, and evening childcare options.
Re-launchers currently doubled up
A real lease of their own, practical move-in support, and homes designed for family life from the first night.
Resident demand
The households are here. The current market is not serving them well.
The study narrows the countywide market to renter households, income eligibility, cost burden, and family housing needs.
FindingWhat it measuresBasis
12,064Single-mother households in Kent CountyACS 2020-2024
7,105Core renter householdsACS 2020-2024
3,392Core renter households estimated at 30-80% AMIRhize planning estimate
80.1%Core renter households that are cost-burdened+/- 6.8 percentage points
40.3%Core renter households that are severely cost-burdened+/- 7.9 percentage points
50.5%Core renter households occupying homes with 3+ bedrooms+/- 8.6 percentage points
1.6%
Scale check: 55 proposed homes divided by the estimated 3,392-household 30-80% AMI renter pool identified in the study.
Proposed housing program
55 affordable apartments - no market-rate units
The current mix is deliberately family-oriented, with 91% of the apartments proposed as two- or three-bedroom homes.
5One-bedroom
32Two-bedroom
18Three-bedroom
Resident demand implications
- Keep the development entirely income-restricted.
- Center the affordability mix where renter cost burden is deepest.
- Protect the proposed share of two- and three-bedroom homes through site planning.
- Coordinate unit design, storage, laundry, outdoor space, and childcare around family life.
FY2026 maximum gross rents
Income-restricted rent schedule
Gross rent limits include the applicable utility allowance.
AMI1BR2BR3BR
30%$600$720$831
50%$1,000$1,200$1,386
60%$1,200$1,440$1,663
70%$1,400$1,680$1,940
80%$1,600$1,920$2,218
Resident design brief
The unit is the product.
Every decision should remove work from an ordinary weekday. The standard is not whether a feature photographs well. It is whether it makes 7:40 in the morning, 6:00 at night, and the third-grade project due tomorrow easier to carry.
Entry
Bench, hooks, closed storage, charging shelf, and a durable floor. School mornings are won or lost at the door.
Kitchen
Direct sightlines to living and dining, a full pantry, durable work surface, and enough outlets for dinner and homework at once.
Laundry
Washer and dryer in every home wherever possible. If a unit cannot take them, the laundry room stays visible, secure, family-scaled, and on the same floor.
Bedrooms
Real closets, acoustic separation, and a third bedroom that fits a real bed. A nominal three-bedroom is not enough.
Bathrooms
Storage and cleanability first. Test a second half bath in selected three-bedroom homes.
Work and school
A built-in counter or furniture-ready wall with power and task lighting in every two- and three-bedroom home.
Technology
Property-wide gigabit included as a utility, strong in-home signal, and zero-friction setup.
Safety
Controlled access, clear sightlines, layered lighting, and residential hardware - secure without feeling watched.
Shared space and site
The building should shorten the week.
Childcare matters, but it is one part of a larger operating system for family life.
Childcare
A separate secure entrance, protected outdoor play, acoustic separation, and pickup/drop-off that does not conflict with resident parking or the school bus.
Courtyard
Independent play for school-age children, adult seating with passive sightlines, shade, raised beds, and a quiet zone.
Quiet rooms
Two or three bookable rooms for calls, focused work, tutoring, telehealth, and the hour between school and dinner.
Community room
Large enough for birthdays, homework hour, and resident meetings, with programming that is always optional.
Storage and deliveries
Package room with grocery cold storage plus stroller, bicycle, mobility-device, and seasonal storage.
Arrival
Resident, visitor, childcare, delivery, maintenance, school-bus, and trash movement separated without creating a maze.
Parking and transit
Approximately one resident space per home, dedicated childcare stacking, and a direct connection to frequent Rapid service.
Access
Bilingual leasing, childcare enrollment, and signage from day one, with accessibility beyond the minimum where affordability needs are deepest.
Additional Rhize recommendations
Six more decisions to carry into schematic design
These extend the study's evidence into practical design moves. They should be tested with residents and the development team before plans are fixed.
One-handed arrival
Covered unloading near the entrance, shared grocery carts, and elevators sized for a parent, children, stroller, and a week's groceries.
Care-network access
Controlled temporary credentials and short-term parking for grandparents, babysitters, co-parents, and other trusted caregivers.
Custody-flexible rooms
Bunk-compatible walls, dual sleep zones, and storage that works when children move between homes or stay on changing schedules.
Laundry that finishes the job
A folding surface, hanging space, and nearby linen storage - not an appliance pair squeezed into a closet.
A place for older kids
Wi-Fi, durable seating, outlets, visibility without surveillance, and enough acoustic separation that teenagers are welcome without taking over the building.
The shortest possible Tuesday
Trash and recycling close to the unit, direct routes from parking to home, and every repeated errand designed out where possible.
Childcare and resident demand
Childcare belongs in the core program
The proposed licensed center responds to a documented shortage and to the daily logistics shaping where working parents can live. It is part of the housing proposition itself - not an amenity added after the building is designed.
estimated missing childcare slots in Kent County for children ages 0-5
service level for children ages 0-2
of Michigan providers offer non-standard hours
How the project should speak
Built around how her week actually runs.
Childcare downstairs. Her name on the lease.
Arrival, not rescue
She is already carrying the household. The building lowers the carry.
Specificity is respect
Real rents, real bedrooms, real jobs, real school mornings, and real travel time.
Competence assumed
The building responds to her week without explaining her life back to her.
Community is available
The door locks. The courtyard is there when she wants it. Nothing about living here requires performance or participation.
Study conclusions
What the resident evidence supports
Demand
The identified income-qualified renter pool is substantially larger than the proposed 55-home program.
Affordability
An entirely income-restricted development aligns with the depth of renter cost burden in the study population.
Bedrooms
The evidence supports a program led by two- and three-bedroom homes rather than a conventional one-bedroom-heavy mix.
Childcare
On-site childcare responds to a documented regional shortage and to the daily constraints shaping housing choice for working parents.
Location
The Broadway and 10th/11th Street site gives the development team a specific place to test the combined housing and childcare program now under review.
Independent resident demand study
The evidence and program findings in one document
The study covers the target households, affordability need, bedroom demand, proposed unit mix, childcare conditions, target site, methods, and conclusions.
Open the studySource note: Independent resident demand and program analysis prepared by Rhize Urban Strategy using ACS 2020-2024 data, FY2026 rent limits, and cited public market and childcare sources.