DCEDC looks for updated housing data in new study

Progress is being made, but Door County Economic Development Corp. Executive Director Michelle Lawrie wants residents to see more housing options in the future.

The DCEDC plans to conduct a second housing study in the coming months, seven years after completing its first in 2019.

The study will assess current housing inventory and development activity, examine factors influencing supply and demand — including employer needs, pricing levels and short-term rentals — and project demand for workforce, affordable, seasonal workforce, senior and market-rate housing in the coming years.

The 2019 study showed Door County was short hundreds of housing units, particularly those considered affordable or workforce housing...

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Leo`s notes: The fact that DCEDC is reopening this conversation seven years later shows that housing strategy must evolve alongside economic conditions.The county ought to use this study not just as a report but as a policy catalyst — zoning reform, land banking, public-private partnerships, and seasonal workforce housing models — in order to meaningfully reshape the region’s trajectory.

Ken Notes: Door County has both a housing and an employee problem, mix this with the NIMBY attitude of most regarding affordable (and don`t even mention subsidized) housing and you have the state`s housing crisis magnified tenfold. Not only do residents not want their baristas living among them they want their baristas flown in for the day and then exported home to Europe every night. Also note Door has a lot of baristas, service workers, retailers, and so many others that are necessary to staff the tourism destination the County is famous for

The county could be a model for workforce housing nationwide. Imagine housing villages that are modeled after European communities -- attractive, dense, with great amenities, affordable, and functional. These could be a part of the attraction not a part of the problem.