Residents say city officials have ignored them in moving forward to build duplexes on a green space in town. Meanwhile, home prices in the city have increased 76% since 2017.
In the national war for affordable housing, a familiar battle is raging in Richland Center, a little city in the Driftless Area that’s surrounded by wilderness and farm fields.
A move to put duplexes on a six-acre village green has pitted some residents against their city government.
“It’s the soccer field, it’s the picnic field, it’s the place where everybody goes,” said Jeri Rust, who grew up in town and now splits time between Richland Center and Arizona.
But “the city needs housing...
A move to put duplexes on a six-acre village green has pitted some residents against their city government.
“It’s the soccer field, it’s the picnic field, it’s the place where everybody goes,” said Jeri Rust, who grew up in town and now splits time between Richland Center and Arizona.
But “the city needs housing...
...more
Leo’s notes: The fight over Stori Field in Richland Center captures the central tension in today’s housing crisis: the collision between deeply held attachments to place and an undeniable shortage of homes ordinary people can afford. Green space matters—but so does the ability of seniors, workers, and young families to stay in the communities they love. When every proposed site is treated as untouchable, the result isn’t preservation...
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- - Volume: 25 - WEEK: 53 Date: 12/29/2025 12:26:19 PM -