DANE COUNTY BOARD EYES AFFORDABLE HOUSING BOOST

October 04, 2018
Sharon Corrigan, County Board Chair 608.333.2285
County Board

Lake level policy group also on Thursday meeting agenda

 

Affirming its commitment to quality rental housing for families, veterans, seniors and the disabled, the Dane County Board is poised to approve over $3.1 million in assistance for seven proposed apartment projects.

 

The County Board at its regular meeting Thursday will consider final approval for money distributed through the Affordable Housing Development Fund. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in Room 201 of the City-County Building.

 

Established in 2015, the Affordable Housing Development Fund has provided over $8.6 million in assistance. Developers in 2018 requested over $6.3 million from the fund, which forced reviewers to make some difficult decisions, according to County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan (District 26, Middleton).

 

“The need for affordable housing in Dane County obviously outweighs the available resources but we are pleased to provide help in any way possible,” said Corrigan. “I’m especially excited about the mix of project types spread throughout the county.”

 

Affordable Housing Development Fund awards up for final approval Thursday include:

·         $403,200 to Stone House Development to partially fund an 80-unit building at 134 S. Fair Oaks Ave. in Madison. Moderate to low-income veterans are the target market.

·         $300,000 to Gorman & Company for 55 units on Main Street in Sun Prairie. Section Eight tenants, veterans and moderate- to low-income persons will be targeted.

·         $1,043,963 to support the “Valor” development from Gorman & Company on county-owned property on East Washington Avenue which had once been eyed for a homeless day center. The 59-unit development includes space for Dryhootch, a veteran’s service agency.

·         $591,346 to MSP for a 112-unit development on Cottage Grove Road in Madison. Ninety-five of the units will be targeted to lower-income residents.

·         $403,513 to Common Bond to partially fund a 54-unit building on Tree Lane in Madison. The project is targeted toward seniors and vets.

·         $34,352 to the partnership of Mirus & Movin’ Out to partially fund a 70–unit development on Acewood Boulevard in Madison. The target market will be vets and developmentally disabled persons.

·         $397,134 to J.T. Klein to partially fund a 73-unit building on Fish Hatchery Road in Fitchburg. The project is aimed at persons 55 and older with 15 units reserved for vets or those with permanent disabilities.

 

A recent report found that Dane County has a severe affordable housing gap, with thousands of residents with steady jobs or seniors living on fixed incomes are paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent (https://communityoutreach.countyofdane.com/documents/housing/dane_county_housing_gap_fact_sheet.pdf ).

 

“We know that many of our friends and neighbors in Dane County struggle to make ends meet,” said Supervisor Patrick Miles (District 34, McFarland) who chairs the Personal & Finance Committee. “Providing assistance to address this crisis is what local government is all about.”

 

Also Thursday, the Board will vote to convene a “technical work group” that will include representation from the University of Wisconsin and other experts to evaluate Lake Mendota water levels in the wake of this summer’s flooding.

 

The group will identify short- and long-term proposals to improve resiliency for future events and make other recommendations that may include petitioning the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to change the target range for lake levels. Policy recommendations will be completed by March 31, 2019.

 

In addition, the Board will consider $662,000 in Urban Water Quality Grants for local communities to address stormwater runoff into county lakes, rivers and streams while providing public education for urban stormwater quality improvement practices. The grant awards are contingent on the county and project sponsor entering into a grant agreement.

 

Awards recommended by the Land & Water Resources Department include city of Sun Prairie Northwest Koshkonong Creek Regional Basin, $100,000; town of Middleton Stonebrook Estates Stormwater Facilities, $393,000; city of Stoughton Industrial Park bioswale wet basin conversion, $100,000; Village of Oregon Ice Arena stormwater facility rehabilitation, $19,527; city of Verona American Way pond, $25,000; city of Madison ultra-low dose alum pilot, $25,000.

 

Looking ahead, the full Dane County Board will hold a hearing on Executive Joe Parisi’s proposed 2019 budget on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. in Room 201 of the City-County Building.