
Tomah Shows Developers 11 Sites Ready for New Housing and Investment
City, Chamber, WHEDA and Tomah Health host development tour as the city works to close a gap of 400 to 700 housing units by 2030 TOMAH, Wis. The City of Tomah hosted 36 developers, builders, lenders and real estate professionals on Wednesday, September 30, for the Fall 2026 Development Sites Tour, a daylong look at 11 sites ready for new housing, downtown redevelopment, and commercial and industrial growth. The City organized the tour with the Greater Tomah Area Chamber of Commerce. The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) served as state sponsor and provided tour refreshments. Tomah Health hosted the morning program at its Professional Development Center and sponsored lunch, and the School District of Tomah provided the bus. Tomah needs housing to match its jobs. The City’s 2022 Housing Study found that only 25 percent of the people who work in Tomah live in the city, compared with more than half countywide, and that Tomah needs 400 to 700 additional housing units by 2030. Employers including Mars Petcare, USEMCO, Toro, Cardinal Glass and Walmart operate here, and Fort McCoy has advised surrounding communities to prepare for continued growth. “We have the jobs. What we do not have is enough places to live,” said Mayor Paul Dwyer... ...more Leo’s notes: Tomah’s event that brought together developers and lenders to tour 11 development sites shows their commitment to close a projected housing gap of 400–700 units by 2030. The city is also pursuing residential TIF under Wisconsin Act 235 and zoning changes to accommodate modular and manufactured homes. Their effort is a prime example of treating housing as economic development, not an afterthought. With only 25 percent of Tomah's workforce living in the city, the consequences are clear. Attracting jobs without creating places for workers to live is an incomplete economic development strategy. Tomah's approach offers a model other Wisconsin communities should be following.
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Our Sponsors - Volume: 26 - WEEK: 42 Date: 10/12/2026 5:35:25 PM -

Tomah Shows Developers 11 Sites Ready for New Housing and Investment

City, Chamber, WHEDA and Tomah Health host development tour as the city works to close a gap of 400 to 700 housing units by 2030

TOMAH, Wis. The City of Tomah hosted 36 developers, builders, lenders and real estate
professionals on Wednesday, September 30, for the Fall 2026 Development Sites Tour, a daylong look at 11 sites ready for new housing, downtown redevelopment, and commercial and industrial growth.

The City organized the tour with the Greater Tomah Area Chamber of Commerce. The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) served as state sponsor and provided tour refreshments. Tomah Health hosted the morning program at its Professional Development Center and sponsored lunch, and the School District of Tomah provided the bus.

Tomah needs housing to match its jobs. The City’s 2022 Housing Study found that only 25 percent of the people who work in Tomah live in the city, compared with more than half countywide, and that Tomah needs 400 to 700 additional housing units by 2030. Employers including Mars Petcare, USEMCO, Toro, Cardinal Glass and Walmart operate here, and Fort McCoy has advised surrounding communities to prepare for continued growth.

“We have the jobs. What we do not have is enough places to live,” said Mayor Paul Dwyer...

...more

Leo’s notes: Tomah’s event that brought together developers and lenders to tour 11 development sites shows their commitment to close a projected housing gap of 400–700 units by 2030. The city is also pursuing residential TIF under Wisconsin Act 235 and zoning changes to accommodate modular and manufactured homes. Their effort is a prime example of treating housing as economic development, not an afterthought. With only 25 percent of Tomah's workforce living in the city, the consequences are clear. Attracting jobs without creating places for workers to live is an incomplete economic development strategy. Tomah's approach offers a model other Wisconsin communities should be following.

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- Volume: 26 - WEEK: 42 Date: 10/12/2026 5:35:25 PM -