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Eight highlights from the first-ever La Crosse Housing Week
In the spirit of community and collaboration, Habitat teamed up with our advocacy partners and many enthusiastic individuals to host the first-ever La Crosse Housing Week April 28-May 3, 2025. The week included a variety of events all about housing. Panel discussions, presentations, and trivia events brought together community members of all walks of life to talk about the affordable housing needs in La Crosse and brainstorm possible solutions.
Thank you to our partners Couleecap, City of La Crosse, AARP Wisconsin, and all our partners, venues, and sponsors who made this effort possible.
Missed all the fun? Read on to explore the variety of events hosted during Housing Week.
1. Faith and Housing Panel
The week kicked off with a panel of faith leaders from across the state who are leading efforts to improve access to affordable housing. Rev. Michele Engh moderated the panel, which included Rev. Breanna Illéné of the Wisconsin Council of Churches, Beth Piggush of Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration, and Rev. Peter Beeson, CEO of Realize, LLC. The panel discussed the use of church resources to create affordable housing, advocacy efforts led by faith communities, and the different approaches that rural and urban congregations have taken to this issue. We were so inspired by the creativity and passion from this group.
2. City of Middleton Zoning Rewrite
On Tuesday evening, Daphne Xu, Associate Planner for the City of Middleton, discussed the city’s recent rezoning effort. She walked us through the city’s process of gathering community input and how this input was included in the new zoning plan. Daphne also discussed how Middleton decided to move toward a form-based zoning code rather than the typical use-based code, focusing on architectural design features of buildings rather than restricting the uses of buildings. Audience members appreciated the chance to learn about a fellow community’s process and imagine how La Crosse’s zoning reform might take shape. Explore Daphne’s presentation.
3. Room to Grow: How Zoning Affects the Environment
Wednesday morning kicked off with a presentation by Natalie Heneghan, Community Outreach Director of Habitat for Humanity, and Andrew Ericson, Sustainability Coordinator at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. As self-described “zoning enthusiasts,” they discussed the intersections between zoning and conservation, explaining how we can protect our natural areas while allowing the city to grow through creative uses of land. Participants then had the opportunity to draw their own zoning maps to better understand the complexities of land use and planning.
4. Zoning + Beyond: Forward La Crosse
The City of La Crosse hosted two sessions to introduce the 2025-26 zoning code update project. An explanation of the update process was followed by an open discussion between community members and city staff. Some concerns in these discussions included homes in the floodplain on the North Side, landlords not maintaining rental properties, and a lack of adequate public transportation or walkability.
Interested in sharing your thoughts? Take the first public input survey!
5. Housing on Tap: Solutions for All Life Stages
On Wednesday evening, Darrin Wasniewski of AARP Wisconsin hosted a trivia event all about affordable housing and aging populations. Participants enjoyed complimentary drinks while teaming up to answer questions on a variety of topics related to housing affordability and aging, both in Wisconsin and nationwide. We learned so many interesting tidbits. One favorite? We learned that 40% of La Crosse’s population are non-drivers! Not many people got that one correct.
6. Let's Taco 'Bout ADUs
Darrin returned the next day to host a discussion about Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) over a delicious taco lunch. He discussed ADUs as a partial solution to creating more affordable housing units and provided resources from AARP to learn more about this topic. Participants were also able to ask questions about requirements, such as owner-occupancy of such units, as well as restrictions on their height. Both of which have the potential to make them unfeasible for property owners.
Curious about ADUs? Here are some resources to get started:
- ABCs of ADUs (from AARP)
- City of La Crosse ADU Design Competition
7. Then + Now: Housing Access, Affordability, and Discrimination
Our final day of Housing Week began with a sobering discussion of the history of discrimination in housing here in La Crosse. Presenters shared perspectives on why this discrimination is more or less visible to people of different backgrounds and gave participants an opportunity to look at primary source documents as evidence of this history. Participants were left with action steps for how all community members can help to correct this history of injustice.
8. Economics of Redevelopment
Closing out our week of events was a panel including a variety of stakeholders such as local for-profit and nonprofit housing developers, city staff, and economists. The discussion began with a presentation laying out the financial barriers to affordable housing development and included an open discussion on topics such as ways to improve city processes that hinder development, the types of housing younger generations are seeking in La Crosse, and how the current processes required of developers both for and non-profit are not financially sustainable in the long term.
Looking forward
The success of our first La Crosse Housing Week underscores the urgency and desire to address our community's housing needs. We've learned, we've discussed, and now it's time to act. Whether it's advocating for zoning reform, supporting affordable housing developments, or simply educating yourself and others on the complexities of this issue, every contribution makes a difference. Stay informed about future initiatives from our Habitat affiliate and our partners, attend city council meetings, and explore how you can contribute to building a more accessible and equitable housing landscape for all of La Crosse.
Partner Family
Stories
Darshida has been working to become a homeowner for years. She is a passionate nurse, a dedicated mother to four boys, and a longtime La Crosse resident. After years of hard work and unforeseen obstacles, Darshida and her family moved into their new home in spring 2023.