A new housing plan for the seven-county Southeastern Wisconsin Region was adopted by the Regional Planning Commission in March 2013. An earlier housing study conducted by SEWRPC was adopted in 1975. The 1975 effort and the resulting plan represented a comprehensive study of housing problems in Southeastern Wisconsin and a recommended plan to abate those problems. SEWRPC also undertook a continuing regional housing program between 1969 and 1981. That program delivered an ongoing housing outreach program and a continuing housing planning effort. SEWRPC was not able to undertake the work necessary to revise and extend the regional housing plan or continue the housing outreach program because of the elimination of Federal housing planning funds administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the early 1980’s.
In response to several requests, and with the permission of Federal and State of Wisconsin Departments of Transportation to use part of the Federal and State funds used by SEWRPC for land use and transportation planning, SEWRPC undertook a new effort to identify housing needs in the Region and develop an updated regional housing plan.
The housing planning work included:
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Inventories and analyses of existing housing
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A vision for housing in the Region, expressed in terms of housing objectives and standards
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Housing recommendations intended to achieve those objectives and standards
Plan recommendations address a number of issues, including:
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Affordable, market-based housing
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The Region's subsidized housing stock
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Housing discrimination
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Accessible housing units for persons with disabilities
Advisory Committee
Preparation of the year 2035 regional housing plan was conducted by SEWRPC staff under the guidance of a 29-member Regional Housing Plan Advisory Committee. The Committee consists of individuals appointed by SEWRPC from groups representing housing advocacy organizations; local, county and state government agencies; home builders and realtors; and research and policy organizations and institutions. The Advisory Committee serves as a direct liaison between SEWRPC and the government agencies and housing advocacy groups directly responsible for implementing the recommendations of the plan, in addition to providing oversight to the planning process. Meeting materials may be found here.
SEWRPC also worked with the Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF) to obtain input on the housing plan. The EJTF is an advisory body formed by SEWRPC to enhance the consideration and integration of environmental justice in all regional plans.
Public Informational Meetings and Newsletters
Three series of public meeting took place during the planning process.
The first series of public meetings was held in May and June 2009, and provided the basis for briefing residents of the Region on the regional housing plan scope of work, thereby providing an opportunity for early comment on the planning process.
A second series of public informational meetings was held in late 2011, to enable discussion on initial data and findings and solicit suggestions for potential recommendations.
The third series of public meetings for the regional housing plan was held in November and December, 2012. The meetings provided an opportunity for public review and input on the preliminary plan recommendations and the findings of the draft socio-economic impact analysis of the plan.
The Record of Public Comments received during the comment period from November 13 through December 21, 2012, and newsletters and brochures produced as part of the planning effort are listed under "Study Materials" on the right-hand side of this page.
Draft Regional Housing Plan Chapters
Socio-Economic Impact Analysis of the Preliminary Regional Housing Plan
SEWRPC’s Environmental Justice Task Force (EJTF) requested that a socio-economic impact analysis be conducted for all regional plans prepared by SEWRPC. One of the purposes of the EJTF is to help identify the potential benefits and adverse impacts of regional plans with respect to minority and low-income populations and persons with disabilities (environmental justice populations), and to help assess whether such populations may be expected to receive a proportionate share of any plan benefits and/or a disproportionate share of any plan negative impacts. The socio-economic impact analysis is considered one method to address this purpose. SEWRPC contracted with the UW-Milwaukee Center for Economic Development (CED) to conduct the socio-economic impact analysis of the preliminary housing plan.
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Newsletter summarizing the draft SEI (October 2012).
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Folleto que resume el borrador de los resultados del análisis de impacto socioecónomico (Octubre 2012)
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Final SEI.
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More information about the SEI is available on the CED website.
Related Materials
The following publications and information have been collected and/or compiled as part of the Year 2035 Regional Housing Plan. The information is organized by the report chapter in which it is included or referenced, or under "General Information and Links" if related to multiple chapters.
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Chapter IV: Existing Housing
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Chapter V: New Housing Development
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The Metro Area Impact of Home Building in the Milwaukee Metro Area, WI, Comparing Costs to Revenue for Local Governments, National Association of Home Builders, Housing Policy Department, February 2012.
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The Metro Impact of Home Building in the Milwaukee Metro Area, WI, Income, Jobs, and Taxes Generated, National Association of Home Builders, Housing Policy Department, March 2012.
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The Local Impact of Home Building in Racine County, WI, Comparing Costs to Revenue for Local Governments, National Association of Home Builders, Housing Policy Department, March 2011.
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The Local Impact of Home Building in Racine County, WI, Income, Jobs, and Taxes Generated, National Association of Home Builders, Housing Policy Department, March 2011.
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The Local Impact of Home Building in Walworth County, WI, Comparing Costs to Revenue for Local Governments, National Association of Home Builders, Housing Policy Department, April 2011.
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The Local Impact of Home Building in Walworth County, WI, Income, Jobs, and Taxes Generated, National Association of Home Builders, Housing Policy Department, April 2011.
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Chapter VI: Housing Discrimination and Fair Housing Practices
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Chapter VII: Demographic and Economic Characteristics
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Chapter VIII: Job/Housing Balance