What You Actually Own When You Buy a New Home in Portage, MI

Three new-home projects are moving through Portage, Michigan this year, and each is organized under a different legal structure. At Stanwood Crossings, the city-led neighborhood near Austin Lake, you buy a house and lease the ground under it. At the proposed Firestone Site Condominiums on Zylman Avenue, the homes are detached houses, but the land is divided under Michigan's Condominium Act. Oakland Farms No. 4, off Oakland Drive, is a traditional platted subdivision. A buyer comparing list prices across the three is also comparing three different sets of rights.

Much of the gap between a roughly $226,000 starting price at one and a $750,000 ceiling at another comes down to that structure. The house is only part of it.

The $226,000 house comes without its land

Stanwood Crossings sits on 14 acres between Austin Lake and West Lake, just east of Portage Road and south of Lakeview Park, with trails connecting it to both. In 2026, building one of its homes costs between $301,724 and $358,818, according to city documents reported by MLive. The homes are listed 25% below build cost, which puts phase-two starting prices at about $226,000. At the low end, that leaves a gap of roughly $75,000 per house between what it costs to build and what the buyer pays.

Part of what closes that gap is that the buyer doesn't purchase the land. The homesite stays with the Portage Community Land Trust, which the city set up, and the homeowner leases it. According to the city's Stanwood Crossings FAQ, owners sign an 89-year ground lease with an initial fee estimated at $50 a month. The fee may change over time to cover the land trust's administrative costs. There is no HOA.

The real trade-off shows up at resale. Per the FAQ, a Stanwood home's selling price "can increase up to the same rate as the community's area median income has increased since you purchased, plus a credit for approved improvements made by the homeowner." The next buyer also has to apply to the land trust and meet its financial requirements. Those requirements match the original ones: household income between 80% and 120% of Kalamazoo County's area median income. MLive put that range at $53,680 a year for a single person up to $124,200 for a family of five. The FAQ also says owners cannot rent their homes out.

So the discount follows the house. The structure keeps the next sale affordable too, and that is the reason for building it this way. Officials told MLive the setup lets buyers build equity while keeping the homes affordable when they're resold.

Demand has been steady. In March 2026, city documents showed 400 interested buyers, with 100 who had finished the required homeownership classes. Second Wave Media reported on September 16, 2026, that the first homeowners moved in that spring, that 7 of the first 12 homes had sold, and that the next 12 were under construction. Full completion is expected in 2028, and the waitlist is still open.

The "condo" on Zylman Avenue is a detached house with a master deed

At the other end of the price range, Firestone Site Condominiums would put 49 detached single-family homes on 21.8 acres of farmland at 4221 Zylman Avenue, between Fireside Avenue, South Sprinkle Road and Zylman Avenue. City spokesperson Mary Beth Block told MLive the homes would range from about $425,000 to $750,000.

MLive updated its August 11 story to clarify that these are not attached condos. Buyers own the house and the land. The project is called a condominium only because that is the method used to divide the land into parcels. City officials said the alternative, a subdivision, takes longer and is less popular for new homes.

That's accurate, and the condo label still matters to a buyer. A site condominium is created by recording a master deed, bylaws and a condominium subdivision plan with the county. Each homesite is a "unit" surrounded by limited common area set aside for that owner's use, and the rest of the project is general common area shared by all owners, according to a Michigan community association law comparison. Under MCL 559.137, the master deed may give each unit an undivided interest in the common elements in proportion to its assigned percentage of value. The Act says the project's administration "shall be governed by bylaws recorded as part of the master deed." Costs tied to a limited common element are generally assessed to the unit it serves unless the documents say otherwise, and the remaining common expenses are assessed by percentage of value or by whatever other method the master deed sets out. Unpaid assessments, along with interest, collection costs and fines the documents allow, can become a lien that the association may foreclose.

Roads and stormwater depend on the specific project. A Michigan condominium law comparison notes that condo roads can be public or private, and that stormwater systems can be dedicated publicly or kept private. Only the recorded documents settle which applies. Firestone's master deed and bylaws haven't been published yet, so those answers aren't available.

The condo structure also gives buyers protections a plain lot sale doesn't. When buying a non-business unit directly from the developer, MCL 559.184a requires the developer to hand over several documents:

1. The recorded master deed
2. A purchase agreement and an escrow agreement
3. A condominium buyer's handbook
4. A disclosure statement, which covers a projected first-year association budget, the escrow arrangement and any express warranties

Once those documents are received, MCL 559.184 says a signed purchase agreement "shall not become binding," and the buyer may withdraw "without cause and without penalty" before conveyance and within 9 business days. The count includes the day the documents arrive if that day is a business day. Deposits go into escrow and must be returned within 3 business days of a withdrawal. A separate section requires the developer to provide a title insurance policy for the purchase price.

So the Firestone buyer owns the land outright, unlike a Stanwood buyer, but agrees to association governance that a buyer of a deeded lot elsewhere may not face. In exchange, state law gives that buyer a set period to read the documents and walk away.

Firestone isn't final. After the City Council approved a preliminary plan on July 21, the developers still needed final city approval before infrastructure work could begin. Neighbors on Fireside Avenue raised traffic concerns at a July 2 Planning Commission meeting. The city said the existing street network was designed for future homes and has two exits onto South Sprinkle Road.

Oakland Farms took the slower path

Oakland Farms is the contrast case: a platted subdivision. The City Council unanimously approved the 21-home No. 4 expansion on Tuesday, August 25. The homes will sit on Honey Creek Trail and Loganberry Lane, on lots from 12,000 to just over 30,000 square feet. The developer, Hyland Associates LLC, still needs final state approval before construction can start. That added state step is part of why Michigan State University Extension describes site condos as a separate track. They aren't subject to subdivision review under the Land Division Act, though a local ordinance can require a similar municipal review.

No prices have been reported for No. 4. In the earlier No. 3 phase on Ashford Trail and Windflower Lane, Martz Home Builders sold 13 ranch and two-story homes starting in the $500,000 range, according to MLive. Lot size helps explain where that pricing sits. Stanwood homesites run 6,600 to 15,600 square feet, while the smallest Oakland Farms No. 4 lot starts at 12,000.

Where the county median falls between them

The Greater Kalamazoo Association of REALTORS® August 2026 report put Kalamazoo County's single-family median price at $308,000 for the month, up 2.8% from a year earlier. Active inventory rose 4.3% to 504 homes, and supply stood at 2.2 months. Pending sales fell 5.7% year over year.

Against that $308,000 median, Stanwood's starting price is about $82,000 lower, and Firestone's low end is about $117,000 higher. Neither difference is about construction quality alone. The lower number reflects land that stays with the trust and resale that tracks income growth instead of the open market. The higher number buys the land, plus association documents that come with the condo method. The Oakland Farms phases buy the land with no condo overlay, after a longer approval process.

The structures may also multiply. On August 11, 2026, Portage adopted a citywide residential zoning-map amendment that applies new districts to residential properties across the city. WMUK's coverage described the overhaul as a way to fit more housing through smaller lots, narrower streets, more housing types and clustering. How it affects any individual parcel hasn't been confirmed.

A short FAQ

Does a Stanwood Crossings buyer have to keep the home for 89 years?

No. The city's FAQ says owners can sell at any time, and the approved buyer signs a new lease. The seller can list with a local REALTOR® or through the Portage Community Land Trust.

What does it take to get on the Stanwood list?

Buyers complete Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services' $65 Homebuyer Education course before preapproval, and the city also requires an attorney consultation. The waitlist runs through the city's Stanwood Crossings page and the Community Development Department at 269-329-4477.

Does the 9-business-day withdrawal right apply to every site condo resale?

The statute ties the right to receiving the documents required under section 84a, which the developer delivers to a prospective purchaser. For anything beyond that, ask a Michigan real estate attorney how it applies to a particular sale.

The structure behind a Portage address determines what you can do with the home later, from reselling it to renting it to sharing the cost of a road. If you're weighing Stanwood Crossings, a Portage site condo or a platted lot, Christy Cottingham can help you read the documents behind each one before you sign. Let's Connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.