| Wisconsin Workforce Housing News | ||
Community Updates, News Stories, Best Practices, Resources, and other data supporting the development of affordable housing for the citizens of Wisconsin in every city and region in the State. Please consider partnering with us and sharing your story | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 10 - Wk: 100 Date: 7/13/2026 8:25:53 PM | ||
| New housing law takes effect without Trump's signature. Will it lower prices? | ||
Leo's notes: A new federal housing law has officially taken effect, marking the most significant national housing legislation in decades. The new law represents a notable shift toward addressing the underlying causes of the nation's housing shortage by removing regulatory barriers, encouraging local land-use reforms, and expanding opportunities for new construction. While no single piece of legislation will solve decades of underbuilding, the bipartisan law provides communities with additional tools to increase housing supply over time. Its ultimate success will depend on whether states and local governments embrace the incentives, modernize zoning and permitting processes, and partner with the private sector to translate federal policy into homes on the ground. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 29 Date: 7/13/2026 4:57:40 PM | ||
| DCEDC Picks Housing Study Partner, Launches Loan Program | ||
Leo's notes: Door County’s selected consultant will identify current and future housing needs, development barriers, and strategies to expand the county's housing supply. To really make an impact, the strongest local housing strategies should combine comprehensive planning with implementation tools—such as revolving loan funds, infrastructure financing, and development partnerships—that help translate studies into completed homes and utilize Wisconsin's new legislation supporting these needs. Door County's approach reflects a growing recognition across Wisconsin that sustained progress requires both a clear roadmap and the financial capacity to act on it. Ken Notes: As a planner for the Mississippi River Regional Planning Commission, I have done a number of these. The key to a good plan is not just identifying the problem (because WE KNOW the problem), the key is identifying solutions and creating opportunity for builders, developers, and investors to support building neighborhoods that embrace workforce housing. Also the State has recently passed five new laws to help with these goals. Leo and I would be glad to help... | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 29 Date: 7/13/2026 5:12:53 PM | ||
| Bay View Affordable Development Scores Key Approval, But Objections Remain | ||
Leo's notes: As Wisconsin communities work to address housing shortages, local debates are increasingly shifting from whether more housing is needed to where and how it should be built. Austin Commons illustrates the difficult balance between expanding affordable housing opportunities and addressing neighborhood concerns over project scale, density, and community character. While public subsidies and zoning approvals often generate debate, they are frequently necessary to overcome financing gaps that make affordable housing financially feasible. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 29 Date: 7/13/2026 7:47:19 PM | ||
| Wisconsin Workforce Housing Resources | ||
| Nate Notes: to be included as a Workforce Housing resource email us a link and a brief note to: wwhnews.com@gmail.com... | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 10 - Wk: 125 Date: 4/6/2026 9:26:43 PM | ||
| Two Rivers City Council approves one-year TIF district extension to support housing and population growth | ||
Leo's notes: Two Rivers is leveraging the extension of certain TIF districts for one year to invest in development-ready land before a builder is even selected—a proactive approach that reduces upfront costs and helps make future housing projects more financially viable. As housing shortages continue to constrain workforce growth across Wisconsin, strategic use of existing financing tools like TIF extensions demonstrates how local governments can create the conditions for private investment while advancing long-term community and economic development goals. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 29 Date: 7/13/2026 7:33:19 PM | ||
| Once slated for demolition, new plan emerges to redevelop former department store | ||
Leo's notes: The renewed vision for the Grand Department Store reflects a growing recognition that preserving historic assets and addressing housing needs are complementary objectives rather than competing priorities. While these projects often require complex financing and historic preservation incentives to overcome higher redevelopment costs, they demonstrate how older downtowns and neighborhood business districts can contribute to expanding housing supply. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 29 Date: 7/13/2026 7:44:48 PM | ||
| Newly enacted Wisconsin law could speed up housing construction | ||
Ken Notes: Each city and village need to address these issues, State law may initiate change but real change need to come from the communities. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 29 Date: 7/13/2026 7:55:05 PM | ||
| Committee gives nod to development along Wausau's East Bridge Street | ||
Leo's notes: Wausau's willingness to explore redevelopment of publicly owned land reflects a broader trend of municipalities taking a more proactive role in assembling sites, partnering with private developers, and using strategic public investment to unlock housing production. Success will ultimately depend on balancing project feasibility with community expectations, but the proposal demonstrates how mixed-use infill can support both housing growth and long-term economic vitality. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 29 Date: 7/13/2026 7:41:19 PM | ||
| Madison is buying part of an old farm with the goal of building more housing | ||
Ken Notes: Three acres to potentially secure 1,000 housing units may redefine "dense" -- if I had 4.3 million for housing land acquisition I might have sought more land for far lower cost and left this small space for more profitable ventures. Starkweather previously bought a total of 60 acres from the Voit family for over $8 million. | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 26 - Wk: 29 Date: 7/13/2026 8:21:35 PM | ||
| About Wisconsin Workforce Housing News (WWHNews.com) | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 10 - Wk: 125 Date: 3/23/2026 9:49:04 PM | ||
| List of Housing Resources | ||
| WWHNEWS Notes: To add a resource or correct above send data and link to wwhnews.com[at]gmail.com... | ||
| Click to Display / Share This Note - Vol: 11 - Wk: 125 Date: 9/2/2025 7:30:59 PM |