Southeastern Wisconsin Housing Summit 2026 Recap

On May 7, Kenosha County Housing Task Force members attended the Southeastern Wisconsin (SEWI) Housing Summit, which Community Economic Development Extension Educator Savannah Meyers helped facilitate.

The SEWI Housing Summit gathered representatives from ten counties in Southeast Wisconsin at the Milwaukee County Zoo. The event gave attendees an opportunity to learn from a variety of keynote speakers and specialized presentations in breakout rooms. Presentations covered topics such as zoning, legislative developments, trends in housing and households over the last handful of decades, and programs that can promote the construction and funding of affordable and healthy communities in the coming years. 

Speakers relayed significant information about Kenosha County and Wisconsin in general, including the following:

Kenosha and Wisconsin Housing Statistics

• Kenosha saw a 73.4% increase in single-family housing permits from 2023-2024
  • This was the third-highest increase out of all WI counties
• By 2026, Kenosha County joined the top three decreases of permits granted by a county, with a -48.6% change from the year before
  • Kenosha County granted 74 permits from 2024-2025, versus 38 permits granted from 2025-2026
• The National Association of Home Builders listed home prices and estimated how many residents are unable to afford a new home
  • Statewide: WI
    • Median new home price: $485,449
    • Income required to qualify: $149,085
    • Residents unable to afford a new home: 77.30%
    • Priced out per every 1K increase in home value: 2,364 households
  • Racine/Kenosha
    • Median new home price: $540,152
    • Income required to qualify: $169,337
    • Residents unable to afford a new home: 83.45%
    • Priced out per every 1K increase in home value: 57 households

Goals for Wisconsin Moving Forward

• Streamline platting and pre-construction approval processes, reducing the time and severity of the existing gap between housing supply and demand
• Reform zoning laws to allow higher-density and mixed-use development
• Expand state-level financing tools for workforce housing (TIS, WHEDA)
• Increase transparency and accountability in adhering to municipal planning decisions

Seven Bills Signed Into Law

• WI ACT 68: Platting Reforms
  • Political subdivisions must offer a pre-submission meeting with subdividers
  • Can't require public improvements as a condition to submitting a plat
  • Permits must be released upon substantial completion of improvements
  • Plats must be recorded within 90 days of approval
• WI ACT 120: Neighborhood Improvement District
  • Municipalities may charge a special assessment to find infrastructure supporting new housing
• WI ACT 172: Assured Wetland Delineators
  • Codifies DNR's pilot program using Assured Wetland Delineators to provide certainty for developers, supporting a smoother construction process
• WI ACT 173: Truth in Planning
  • Land designated for future housing is automatically rezoned once conditions are met following a rezoning application, rather than waiting for bureaucratic approval
  • Long-Range Planning Priority holds municipalities to their own commitments for housing development
  • TIF Extension for Housing allows an additional one-year extension to a Tax Increment Finance district specifically to improve housing stock
• WI ACT 235: Voluntary PAYGO Workforce Housing TID
  • 20-year term and optional 3-year extension
  • Infrastructure funding for workforce housing on lots at least 7,500 sq ft and unit sizes between 1,500-2,000 sq ft
• WI ACT 237: WHEDA Loan Program Updates
  • Allows applicants to combine Infrastructure Access, Restore Main Street, and Vacancy to Vitality loans with TIF and Historic Tax Credits
  • Lookback date changed from January 1, 2023 to January 1, 2020
• WI ACT 239: WHEDA Workforce Home Revolving Loan Program
  • Gap financing tool for workforce homeownership: $10 million of funds
  • 25% of loans reserved for rural areas (less than 2,500 people per sq mi)
  • Served households at 100% or below Area Median Income

The event also facilitated networking among county officials, developers and housing stakeholders at informational tables, lunch, and a concluding reception. The Housing Task Force hosted a display where team members shared housing information with developers and other professionals. They introduced visitors to the Kenosha County Development Opportunity Investigator app, which seeks to help developers locate ideal plots for development. 

Access the Kenosha County Development Opportunity Investigator app.

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.