MARTY FITTANTE

CRYSTAL FALLS — Sixty-eight new housing units are coming to Crystal Falls with financial backing from Build U.P., a housing development fund managed by InvestUP, officials said Tuesday.

The new multi-family housing units will add 7% more housing to a community that has just 920 current homes, according to U.S. Census data. The collaborative effort to expand housing options in Crystal Falls is the first Build U.P. project to utilize the Residential Infrastructure Loan Program, which provides financial assistance to Upper Peninsula municipalities to facilitate infrastructure extensions to new residential or rehabilitated housing, Marty Fittante, CEO of Build U.P., said in a news release.

The investment from Build U.P. will fund about 1,500 feet of new city streets, sidewalks and infrastructure that are necessary for the housing development to proceed. These improvements will serve a city-owned property that Crystal Falls will then, as part of a development agreement, transfer to S.C. Swiderski to construct the homes, which are designed for medium-income residents. The first units are expected to be available in December 2026.

The Mosinee, Wis.-based property developer also has housing in Niagara and Florence in Wisconsin.

Fittante credited the city and the Iron County Economic Chamber Alliance for taking a leadership position on the issue of new housing.

“Crystal Falls and the ICECA sought out a quality developer and utilized their assets to an extremely positive outcome,” he said. “We congratulate these community leaders and hope their approach will motivate other communities in the U.P. to follow their lead and look at what they are doing and how they got it done.”

By increasing the city’s housing stock, the project aims to attract new residents, support workforce expansion, and stimulate economic growth in Crystal Falls, which has a population of less than1,600.

“This is a sizable development for a community of our size, and it will have a transformative impact,” Crystal Falls City Clerk-Treasurer Tara Peltoma said in the news release. “Not only will it help address the housing shortage we’ve been facing, but it will also attract new families and professionals, contributing to the economic growth and vibrancy of our city.”

State legislators praised the initiative as well.

“This is exactly how we envisioned InvestUP putting this money to work when my colleagues and I entrusted them with the funding opportunity,” said state Sen. Ed McBroom, R-Waucedah Township. “Housing is one of the greater needs in the region, and this collaboration between Crystal Falls, the ICECA and Build U.P. not only goes a long way in addressing that need in the area but will provide meaningful opportunity.”

State Rep. Greg Markkanen, R-Hancock, said he was grateful to Build U.P. and the leaders in Crystal Falls and with the ICECA for their “sisu spirit” in getting 68 new homes. “This significant development reflects the way we do things in the U.P. — finding an innovative solution to a challenging issue through local partners working together,” he said.

The collaboration between local officials and public-private partnerships is part of a broader strategy to address housing shortages across the Upper Peninsula, setting an example for other cities to follow, Fittante said. “While this is a really important project for Crystal Falls and for the region, as importantly it shows what can happen when dedicated local leaders seek public-private partnerships to solve housing shortages,” he said.

Zach Hautala, executive director of the ICECA, said the project “truly highlights the potential of our community and the positive outcomes we can achieve through collaboration and

dedication.” The city and ICECA are grateful to Build U.P. for its partnership, he said.

InvestUP is a regional economic development organization for the Upper Peninsula, working in partnership with the private sector, municipal and non-profit leadership and institutions. State policymakers in 2023 awarded InvestUP up to $15 million to manage the Build U.P. fund. Under the Residential Infrastructure Loan Program, bonds purchased by Build U.P. can range from $250,000 to $1 million, with a repayment term of 15 years.

For more information on Build U.P. programming, go to http://www.buildupmi.com.