PROMOTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING

VIA ZONING REFORM\

Tom Larson, executive vice president of the Wisconsin REALTORS® Association (WRA), has been working on smart growth and housing affordability issues with state and local lawmakers for a quarter century.

In 2019, WRA commissioned University of Wisconsin-Madison professor of urban and regional planning, Dr. Kurt Paulsen, Ph.D., AICP, and his report, “Falling Behind,” highlights three main causes of the workforce housing shortage:

· Not building enough homes to keep up with population and income growth.

· Construction costs outpacing inflation and incomes.

· Outdated land-use regulations that significantly drive up the cost of housing.

· The results of these root causes of the workforce housing shortage bring about the following results:

· Housing costs on the rise.

· A severe decline in homeownership.

· A continued decline in overall housing affordability.