As Michigan faces a housing shortage, some city leaders are concerned the state will take action through legislation, which could strip local government control of what goes into their community.

Michigan is in need of 75,000 homes, and some fear legislators in Lansing may try to solve the problem with preemptive legislation.

Dan Gilmartin, executive director and CEO of Michigan Municipal League, says he has seen state governments across the nation implement such legislation. He fears that if Michigan does something similar, it could hinder what the community already has or plans to do, like the city of Sterling Heights.

"We can't just do cookie-cutter and say everybody gets the same thing no matter who lives there no matter what the history is," said Gilmartin.

Sterling Heights City Manager Mark Vanderpool says since 2014, city leaders have invested around $140 million to improve the quality of life and build more affordable housing. He says the city is on its way to being the third-largest city in the state, and recognizes they need more housing, but not at the mercy of people outside of their community.

"There is not a lot of open space to develop, so smart growth development is of the highest priority," Vanderpool said. "We have to listen to residents that live nearby, and if we have state legislation that preempts us from doing that, it's not going to happen."

Sterling Heights and other local governments are backing the Michigan Municipal League's MI Home Program. 

This is a proposal that was recently introduced to legislators in Lansing.

Gilmartin says this program has bipartisan support and hopes legislators keep their communities in mind when making decisions this legislative session.  

"It gets local units of government working with state government, private developers, and citizen-led groups together to make sure that we get great answers, community by community, on what makes most sense in a particular place," said Gilmartin.