Consultant firm presents La Crosse city housing study to Economic & Community Development Commission

LA CROSSE (WKBT) -- The City of La Crosse needs to update its zoning code and ramp up construction to keep up with housing needs, according to a report presented to the city's Economic & Community Development Commission Wednesday.

RDG Planning & Design found city renting costs have risen higher than wages and inflation.

Almost half of city renters are cost burdened--meaning they spend more than 30 percent of the median area income on housing, which in La Crosse is roughly $51,000.

It also found that if the city wants to provide housing to match the city's comprehensive plan, La Crosse would need to build about 200 new units every year through 2030.

But one of the biggest findings is the city's zoning code needs a full review.

It found 67 percent of all city-zoned land outside of Agricultural zoning that allows housing is listed as the R-1: single family or Washburn residential districts. Those districts don't allow anything other than single-family housing without special approval.

The group said an updated code should do more to remove development barriers.

It recommended the city add a definition for mixed-use buildings to allow more of those in more districts and to allow them "by right in most commercial and high-density residential districts.

It also recommended the city reduce minimum parking requirements and to review development approval procedures so that approval timelines can be more efficient for developers.

Committee members said during the meeting they would be digging into the report. There was no timetable on whether the study's findings would be implemented.

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