'As much as possible, as rapidly as possible.' Appleton seeks to attract more housing

APPLETON — The city and its partners have developed a policy guide to encourage and streamline housing development in the community, and affordable housing in particular.

The 99-page policy guide contains 18 recommendations to help increase the supply of housing.

"We would like to see housing development as much as possible, as rapidly as possible," Mayor Jake Woodford said, describing the issue as urgent. "We have demonstrated need in this community, and we have demonstrated challenges in this community at all price points."

Community Development Director Kara Homan identified several efforts that have started or will start soon to increase Appleton's housing stock. These include:

• Simplifying the city's subdivision approval process, so a developer will have a single point of contact with the city rather than having to visit multiple departments.
• Updating Appleton's comprehensive plan , which last was revised in 2017. "It really creates the vision for how your community will develop over time," Homan said. Three corridors in the city — Wisconsin Avenue, Richmond Street and South Oneida Street — could be ripe for housing development, Homan said.
• Working with Appleton Downtown Inc. to support and expand the developer network in the community.
• Partnering with a private developer to construct a new $26.8 million Appleton Transit Center, which will have a drive-through bus station on the ground floor and five to seven stories of housing above it. The project recently was awarded a $25 million federal grant and will have an affordable housing component.

Homan said city government can't solve the housing issue on its own. She appealed to churches which might hold land suitable for housing.

"If you have surplus land, think about selling it for housing, assuming it could be planned and zoned for that," she said. "If your church is looking for a new thing to give to, consider giving to nonprofits that build housing or provide housing to individuals."

Sabrina Robins, a member of the City Plan Commission who served on the Mayor's Task Force on Housing Development Policy, said members of marginalized or underserved communities must be involved in the housing discussion.

"This inclusive approach has shown us that when we make space for all voices, we get a richer, more comprehensive view of what our city needs to flourish," Robins said. "Together, we're building a future where everyone has a place to call home."

Woodford said supporters of affordable housing need to make their voices heard when developments are brought forward. Otherwise, neighborhood opposition — the not-in-my-back-yard groups — can sink a project.

"We see it in communities up and down the Valley," Woodford said. "In our neighboring community, Neenah, for example, a recent project fell through . Oshkosh, a similar example. Town of Brookfield. Examples abound where projects that could have been transformative for neighborhoods and could have delivered additional housing, and even affordable housing, were stymied because of pushback."

Contact Duke Behnke at 920-993-7176 or dbehnke@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @DukeBehnke .

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: 'As much as possible, as rapidly as possible.' Appleton seeks to attract more housing