Michigan’s Brownfield TIF Incentive Gains Momentum Among St. Joseph Developers

Written by:

Rudi Davis

Date:

20 Nov 2025

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St. Joseph’s housing market is using a state incentive program to address local housing shortages and support development, according to Kelly Ewalt, Development Director for the city, St. Joseph. Ewalt recently outlined how Michigan’s brownfield tax increment financing (TIF) program is helping developers overcome cost barriers and increase housing supply.

Ewalt clarified that Michigan’s brownfield TIF program is often misunderstood. “We wish they would have named it something different, because everybody hears brownfield and thinks it means contaminated soil. This has nothing to do with contaminated soil,” Ewalt said. She joined the city nearly a year ago after earning her Master’s in Public Administration and working in agricultural project management.

St. Joseph has identified a need for about 900 additional housing units. Housing availability remains a significant issue locally and across the country, with demand outpacing supply.

Ewalt outlined several ways Michigan’s brownfield TIF program is helping drive new housing development. The program enables infrastructure reimbursement, allowing developers to recover eligible costs tied to attainable housing, including major expenses like below-grade parking structures. It also offers rent gap subsidies, reimbursing the difference between the rent a developer sets and the maximum rent allowed at 120 percent of Area Median Income, as defined by the state housing authority.

Ewalt added that these incentives have become a catalyst for new projects, noting that St. Joseph’s brownfield authority—once largely inactive—has been revitalized as developers pursue opportunities under the expanded housing-focused framework.

Downtown St. Joseph is seeing major investment with the Marquette development, a $55–$57 million, 100-unit mixed-use project between the downtown corridor and Lake Michigan. The project required a special use permit to increase its building height from 55 to 80 feet, making it one of the tallest structures downtown.

Ewalt urged developers interested in secondary markets like St. Joseph to understand local incentive programs. The Marquette project demonstrates how brownfield TIF can make developments financially feasible, with 68 of its 100 units designated as attainable housing at 120% of AMI.

“It’s exciting because now we’re getting momentum and know what to expect and how to do this,” Ewalt said. “If other developers come in and want to look at that option, we’re ready to go.”

Ewalt expects continued growth for the region. “I feel like the whole area, not just St. Joe, but Berrien County as a whole is prime for development. We’re ready to go, whether that’s industrial, local recreational, or housing projects,” she said.