Community · Jackson
Jackson invited the public to see new homes going up in the Flatiron District
JACKSON, Mich. — The city of Jackson and Norfolk Homes invited the public to a Thursday morning open house at their new housing development in the Flatiron District, with visits planned to several homes under construction, city officials said.
The open house was set to begin at 10 a.m. Oct. 8 at Greenwood Avenue and Douglas Street, WKHM and WILX reported, and WILX said it planned to livestream the event on its News 10+ app. It took the place of a groundbreaking celebration that had been set for July 16 and was postponed because of poor air quality from Canadian wildfire smoke, according to WKHM.
The first phase brings seven homes to the area where Griswold, Douglas and Greenwood streets meet, according to WKHM and MLive. MLive has described the full development as more than 100 new homes.
The project took about a year and a half of planning, coordination and site preparation, according to the city. Lincoln School once stood on the property, so extra infrastructure work was needed before homes could be built, MLive reported. The city’s Department of Public Works supported that work.
“Development and reinvestment are essential to Jackson’s continued growth,” Shane LaPorte, the city’s director of community development, said, according to WKHM. “When we activate vacant land and support new housing, we are not only building homes; we are helping build stronger neighborhoods and a stronger future for the city.”
“Projects like this do not happen overnight,” said Cory Mays, the city’s grant coordinator, according to WKHM. “From planning and infrastructure coordination to construction and community partnerships, this development reflects the teamwork needed to turn vacant land into new housing opportunities.”
The homes come as the county looks for many more. A study by Accelerate Jackson County points to a need for more than 3,000 new housing units over the next five years, WLNS reported. “We are a growing county population-wise, and we need that infrastructure, that housing infrastructure to support it at all income levels,” Marcia Gebarowski of Accelerate Jackson County told the station.
The city said the open house was open to the public.
Updated Oct. 8, 2026: The open house was scheduled for Thursday morning, so this story now describes it in the past tense. Added WILX’s Oct. 8 preview as a source.
Sources:
WKHM via 95.9 The Power Cow, “City of Jackson, Norfolk Homes Hosting Flatiron District Open House Thursday Morning,” Oct. 5, 2026, https://www.959thepowercow.com/2026/10/05/city-of-jackson-norfolk-homes-hosting-flatiron-district-open-house-thursday-morning/
Jade Chaparro, WILX, “Jackson, Norfolk Homes to host Flatiron District open house,” Oct. 8, 2026, https://www.wilx.com/2026/10/08/jackson-norfolk-homes-host-flatiron-district-open-house/
MLive, “Jackson to showcase new Flatiron District housing development at open house,” September 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2026/09/jackson-to-showcase-new-flatiron-district-housing-development-at-open-house.html
Luke Moorehead II, WKHM, “Norfolk Homes to Break Ground on Revitalization Development in City of Jackson’s Flatiron District,” June 24, 2026 (updated), https://www.wkhm.com/2026/06/24/norfolk-homes-to-break-ground-on-revitalization-development-in-city-of-jacksons-flatiron-district/
MLive, “Jackson to begin first phase of 100 new home development,” June 2026, https://www.mlive.com/news/2026/06/jackson-to-begin-first-phase-of-100-new-home-development.html
Sean Graney, WLNS, “Jackson’s Home Builders Association named finalist for statewide award,” Oct. 5, 2026, https://www.wlns.com/jackson/jacksons-home-builders-association-named-finalist-for-statewide-award/
Photo: Dwight Burdette, “New house under construction Pittsfield Township Michigan,” Aug. 23, 2011, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), cropped and color-corrected, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_house_under_construction_Pittsfield_Township_Michigan.JPG
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