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 Despite recent changes to some of La Crosse’s city zoning rules, the development planned for Mayo Health Clinic employee living quarters struggled to adhere to any one zoning type. Thursday evening, the city council spent most of its discussion figuring out a solid path of approval for the project because it does not fit any city zoning regulations. Many council members turned to planning director Andrea Trane for additional advice on how to approve a project like this. Trane suggested the council’s decision was more about declaring the council’s satisfaction with the project itself over its direct adherence to zoning codes...
...Full Story Here
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 Wis. (WLAX/WEUX) – As the housing market continues to evolve, younger
generations are redefining what they want in a home. New research
reveals that a majority of Gen Z (53%) and millennial (52%) home buyers
are willing to trade square footage for higher-quality materials and
amenities.
This shift in preference is shaping how homebuilders approach new
construction. “Builders are responding to home buyer preferences and
constructing homes with less square footage, which are generally more
affordable and easier to maintain,” said Wisconsin Builders Association
(WBA) President Mike Derrick. For more information about new homes in Wisconsin, visit the Wisconsin Builders Association at www.wisbuild.org/empowered-homeowners. ...Full Story Here
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 ATLANTA, April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2024 State of the Nation`s Housing report, published by Harvard University`s
Joint Center for Housing Studies, painted a stark picture. Home prices
reached a new all-time high last year, slowing homeownership growth and
widening homeownership gaps. Both housing shortages and housing cost
burdens were at their highest rates in years, leaving millions of
potential first-time buyers priced out.
The effects of the housing crisis are felt in every region of the
country, from the most rural town to the largest metropolitan area, and
families continue to face barriers to affordable homeownership. Today,
Habitat for Humanity is kicking off its ninth annual Home is the Key awareness
and fundraising campaign to call attention to the need for affordable
housing and to help open the door to equitable homeownership across the
U.S. As campaign sponsors, Astound, Lowe`s, At Home, and Richard, are
providing financial and volunteer support for Home is the Key. iHeart
Radio will help amplify key messages through nationwide radio features,
social media, and digital during the month of April... ...Full Story Here
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Local housing study shows need to build 200-232 units every year through 2030As this spring construction season begins, La Crosse residents have
more options to help increase the housing stock in their city, thanks to
a new online library of building designs.
This comes after La Crosse passed an ordinance last year that allows
building accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, also known as “granny
flats.”
Lewis Kuhlman, the city’s environmental and sustainability planner, told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” these units can be built on the same lot as a primary home...
...Full Story Here
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State`s low-income housing tax credit program may double under separate budget proposal A new bipartisan bill aims to incentivize housing developments in rural Wisconsin.
It’s one of a pair of new bills aiming to address the state’s housing shortage. The other would raise lending limits for low-interest loan programs launched in a bipartisan push last year.
The tax credit bill
directs the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, or
WHEDA, to give 35 percent of its annual credits to developments in rural
areas and loosens financing restrictions for projects receiving
credits... See Also:
...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: What we need is a fund that allows communities to buy and provide infrastructure to new development and infill, then make the land available to developers deferring holding costs until the property sells. Communities would then either buy more land or repay the state. The community could plan for density, affordability, neighborhood design, mixed use, amenities... If you are wondering if this would work, industrial parks were built this way.
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 The USDA`s Rural Development agency has
provided billions of dollars each year to small towns, farmers and
businesses. Now staffing upheaval and budget cuts brought on by the
Trump administration may be eating into the agency’s effectiveness.
The U.S. Department of
Agriculture Rural Development is Washington’s chief tool to promote
economic growth in rural counties — providing funding for everything
from renovating old hospitals to providing faster internet service. Sometimes the agency sweeps in to clean up an urgent mess. For
instance, last year in Dunklin County, in Missouri’s Bootheel, a sewer
system failure sent raw sewage churning up out of residents’ toilets,
into their homes and flowing through their yards.
“We had to get this issue taken care of, and within a few weeks, we
had a million-dollar emergency grant for that wastewater plant that was
run in part by the county and in a city down there so they could start
fixing that as quickly as possible,” Kyle Wilkens said. ...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: A friend and an outstanding public servant announced today that she had taken the federal buyout and is leaving USDA. These programs have been instrumental in creating a housing agenda here in Wisconsin.
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 Rather than wait on Congress, states should act now to increase the
supply of affordable rental housing by optimizing how they use their
private activity bonds (PABs) cap.
While pushing Congress to expand affordable housing tax provisions
(such as an increasing 9% low-income housing tax credits [LIHTCs],
reducing the financed-by test for PAB-financed housing and allowing more
basis boosts) in this year’s widely anticipated extension of the Tax
Cuts and Jobs Act, developers, bond cap allocating agencies and others
should act now to generate more PAB-financed affordable housing.
The dollar volume of the aggregate national PAB cap used for
affordable rental housing more than tripled from 2015 through 2021,
surpassing $10 billion in 2016 and reaching $21 billion in 2021 before
retreating to $17.9 billion in 2022 (the most recent year for which such
information is available from the Council of Development Finance
Agencies [CDFA])... ...Full Story Here
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 The 15-year incumbent leader of Germantown lost his reelection bid last week amid opposition to several new housing developments in the Washington County village. Village president Dean Wolter netted only 38 percent of the vote. His opponent, former school board president Bob Soderberg, won 62 percent of the village’s votes.
The largest planned development in the area is the mixed-use Village Center project, which could bring shops, hundreds of new apartments and a German-themed marketplace to an intersection of two state highways.
Soderberg criticized the village’s process in planning that project.
“There’s a heightened sense of awareness of what’s going on,” Soderberg said of voters’ mood about planned development...
...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: If you can not house your service and retail workers you should not have retail and service businesses in your community...
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 What a mess. With rising construction costs and elevated interest rates, everyone at Milwaukee City Hall seems to agree that some amount of subsidy is necessary to create a supply of new affordable and workforce housing. But the how and when are proving to be elusive.
The issue came to a head Tuesday during a Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee
meeting in an unusual three-way debate that featured the
administration, council and a developer all making their case publicly.
Two resolutions request the Department of City Development(DCD) finalize amendments to two Walker’s Point
tax incremental financing (TIF) districts. But the resolutions, as they
appear in the city’s legislative records system, are only titles....
Ken Notes: We need leadership from the state on this issues. Cities are trying their best but without direction they are struggling. Remember the basics Land, Infrastructure, Design, Size, Density, and Cost...
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 A former Greenfield shopping center`s planned redevelopment into roughly 250 apartments is taking a step forward with the project site`s sale. The
largely vacant Spring Mall, 4200 S. 76th St., was sold for $4 million
by the City of Greenfield to a Mandel Group Inc. affiliate: Cold Spring
Crossing Apartments LLC. That`s according to a new deed posted online by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. The city purchased the 23.9-acre property in June 2023 for $3.7 million to help redevelop the site. Mandel Group plans to begin construction during the third quarter, said
President and Chief Operating Officer Phillip Aiello. That work should
take around 20 months to complete, he said...
...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: I remain a Mandel Group fan!
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 GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Brown County’s Board of Supervisors voted Wednesday night to give the city of Green Bay $3.5 million for a new fire station and affordable housing. The project is at the former Badger Sheet Metal site in the 400 block of South Broadway. The building would be a combined fire station and a 200-unit apartment building. The county funds are from the American Rescue Plan Act. They need to be obligated before the end of September or have to be returned.... ...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: Mixing public use and affordable development is a great idea.
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Nate Notes: to be included as a Workforce Housing resource email us a link and a brief note to: wwhnews.com@gmail.com...
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 The alarm has been sounded for quite some time now on how Burnett County is facing an increased shortage of affordable homes, which is seriously affecting its ability to attract employees and maintain strong communities. Local leaders, employers, and state agencies are actively seeking solutions to this important issue, gaining ideas from successful models in neighboring counties. A Housing and Talent Attraction Seminar on Tuesday, March 25, in Siren highlighted the urgency of the situation; The seminar was a collaborative effort by local Chambers of Commerce and the Burnett County Tourism Coalition, highlighted the need for new ideas to ensure the county’s future success...
...Full Story Here
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 A Milwaukee developer will turn empty offices into 60 apartments in the historic Mitchell Building starting this summer. J. Jeffers & Co. announced on Tuesday it will renovate the nearly 150-year-old office building at 207 E. Michigan St., which has been continuously occupied by offices, businesses and a bank since it was built. The company will use state and federal historic tax credits to fuel a restoration project starting in the building’s interior. Exterior restoration is expected to start in spring 2026.... - J. Jeffers & Co. to convert historic Mitchell Building into 60 apartments, bank vaults included
- Exterior work begins spring 2026
- Project will use state and federal historic tax credits for restoration
...Full Story Here
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 MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - A strip mall on Madison’s west side will soon be converted into an apartment complex with more than 75 affordable housing units and 25 units dedicated to people experiencing homelessness. The Dane County Board of Supervisors approved the project on April 10. A 124-unit apartment complex will replace the “White House Shoppes” at 6706-6714 Odana Road. District 19 Alder John Guequierre said with some of the shops vacant after the pandemic, the space provides an opportunity to prioritize families in need of affordable housing. “It’s particularly ideal because we have all the services we need here, we have the new BRT, so it’s very convenient for the people who will live here,” Guequierre said...
...Full Story Here
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 Fort McCoy leaders and team members took time out March 25 to participate in the Monroe County Economic Development Housing Meeting in Sparta, Wis., to support the planning and discussion for addressing housing in the county. Participating from Fort McCoy were Fort McCoy Deputy Garrison Commander Lt. Col. Mike Corkum, Fort McCoy Directorate of Public Works (DPW) Director Liane Haun, Fort McCoy Housing Chief Zach Hynes, and other installation members. According to the Monroe County Economic Develop Committee who spearheaded the event, topics addressed were: — Current housing situation in Monroe County; — Reviewing where the greatest need for housing is; — Defining “affordable” housing; — Looking at what other counties are doing to address a lack of housing; — Funding opportunities for housing the committee might be missing; — How can all the varying agencies collaborate to address housing issues in Monroe County; — And what are some actions Monroe County can take to address housing concerns.
...Full Story Here
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The alarm has been sounded for quite some time now on how Burnett County is facing an increased shortage of affordable homes, which is seriously affecting its ability to attract employees and maintain strong communities. Local leaders, employers, and state agencies are actively seeking solutions to this important issue, gaining ideas from successful models in neighboring counties. A Housing and Talent Attraction Seminar on Tuesday, March 25, in Siren highlighted the urgency of the situation; The seminar was a collaborative effort by local Chambers of Commerce and the Burnett County Tourism Coalition, highlighted the need for new ideas to ensure the county’s future success...
...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: Good Read!
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A new bipartisan bill aims to incentivize housing developments in rural Wisconsin. It’s one of a pair of new bills aiming to address the state’s housing shortage. The other would raise lending limits for low-interest loan programs launched in a bipartisan push last year. The tax credit bill directs the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, or WHEDA, to give 35 percent of its annual credits to developments in rural areas and loosens financing restrictions for projects receiving credits... ...Full Story Here
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 The City of Baraboo approved to commit $1.5 million to the renovation, as well as $5.5 million to Driftless Lofts, a planned 56-unit lower-income development with two- and three-bedroom apartments, during its March 11 Common Council meeting. Baraboo’s Community Development Authority, which owns Corson Square, is also looking to sell five affordable housing duplexes on the property to help fund the projects. Driftless Lofts is a roughly $17 million project, according to Ted Matkom, a representative for Oregon, Wisconsin-based developer Gorman and Company...
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 The Green Bay City Council on April 15 approved the Red Smith development project that has been met vocal opposition from neighbors over proposed apartments with the stipulation that developer Moski Corp. will not build more than the 160 units already proposed in its mixed-use development.
The additional language followed nearly 45 minutes of public comments sparring over many of the same points that have been brought up in previous city meetings on over 400 housing units proposed in Green Bay`s far northeast side. The need for affordable housing from several residents clashed with many neighbors` wishes to remain a neighborhood of single-family homes, worries of potential ecological damage, as well as traffic and safety concerns...
The Green Bay City Council approved the Red Smith
redevelopment project with a 160-unit apartment cap after facing
resident opposition.
Residents voiced concerns
about affordable housing needs conflicting with the desire to maintain a
single-family home neighborhood, potential environmental impact, and
traffic and safety issues.
The developer,
Moski Corp., assured the council of their commitment to the neighborhood
and emphasized the importance of diverse housing options...
...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: I say this every week, if you refuse to live near your barista you need to make your own damn coffee. We need more mixed neighborhoods and communities that house the workforce that sustains them.
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 In 2023, state lawmakers created three workforce housing programs they said would boost house construction around Wisconsin.
They didn’t work as well as legislators hoped.
Out of a total allocation of $475 million, only $16.4 million has made it to development projects to date... ...Full Story Here
Ken Notes: My "Fix"... Lend money to communities to buy land, design and zone for affordability, install infrastructure, solicit developers/builders to build smaller affordable homes, defer land and infrastructure cost until closing, then repay the city who either reinvests or returns funds to the state...
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 Across Wisconsin many employees can simply not afford to live where they work. This is true in big cities and small rural communities. Both the availability and price of housing is not in line with the needs of those working in jobs that are vital to the success of our communities. Imagine a firefighter, teacher, city employee, service, or retail worker not able to afford a home in the community they serve. We aggregate news and highlight programs that are working to provide affordable workforce housing in Wisconsin. We advocate for state and local policies that improve the more affordable housing markets. We encourage developers to build new homes that are affordable for those working for Wisconsin while still making a fair profit on the work they do. We encourage communities and neighborhoods to become partners in meeting these needs. We highlight what others have done as a form of "Best Practices" in the State and Country. Finally, we provide direct links to resources and programs in the State.
We believe Wisconsin employers will support these efforts so they can successfully recruit workers to fill the thousands of job openings now hampered by a shortage of affordable housing. Safe, affordable housing makes a difference in the lives of children and families impacting both education and health. We are supporting affordable housing because it is good for business, good for families, good for communities, and good for Wisconsin.
Ken Harwood Editor / Publisher
Advocating for Wisconsin 608.334.2174 harwoodken[at]gmail.com
...Full Story Here
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WWHNEWS Notes: To add a resource or correct above send data and link to wwhnews.com[at]gmail.com...
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Wisconsin REALTORS® Association
