Jordan Brown, corporate attraction market lead for the Racine County Economic Development Corporation, told the Mount Pleasant Village Board on Sept. 8 that county prospect activity is up roughly 40% in 2025 compared with 2024 and described business- and housing-focused programs targeting Mount Pleasant.

Brown said a November 2024 housing study shows Racine County could absorb about 4,275 residential units from 2025 through 2029, with roughly half of that demand for single-family housing. He also said about 4,500 units have gone online or been announced since the county's 2020 housing study.

The numbers matter because, Brown said, rising home prices have left many potential buyers priced out of the market and prompted RCDC to explore alternatives such as down-payment assistance, alternative financing and developer relief with partner counties and local stakeholders.

Brown summarized RCDC’s first-half 2025 work on business attraction and retention. He said the agency has engaged with 55 businesses and recruitment prospects countywide, 29 of which are in Mount Pleasant; 12 prospects are actively considering the village. RCDC reported project support for two Mount Pleasant efforts: Fiduciary Real Estate Development on Spring Street and GZ Print Pack LLC (operations at 13505 Louis Sorensen Road). Brown said RCDC had provided site-selection assistance, incentives and loan support for those projects.

On business outreach, Brown said RCDC recorded 148 direct assistances to businesses countywide (11 in Mount Pleasant), plus outreach to 221 businesses and bank partners with five in-person business visits in Mount Pleasant. He said three Mount Pleasant businesses used the Racine County matching grant program this year.

Brown described several ongoing programs and events that include Mount Pleasant: a quarterly manufacturing forum (next session Nov. 18) and a new Racine County Continuous Improvement Roundtable, participation for two Mount Pleasant firms; the Biz Starts entrepreneurship program (third cohort underway); a Racine–Kenosha intern mixer that hosted 61 participants; and a promotional video produced with the Mount Pleasant Tourism Commission to support talent attraction. He also said the county is accepting applications for the Pitch Perfect business-competition event (Nov. 12; applications accepted through the 17th). "It's like almost like a Shark Tank thing," Brown said of Pitch Perfect, describing it as a business pitch competition with feedback from regional business leaders.

Brown said RCDC continues engagement with Microsoft and prime contractors on implementation at the Wisconsin Technology Park in TID 5, and that staff are working with multifamily and other housing developers on site-selection and required assistance requests.

Trustee Nancy Washburn pressed on the single-family housing question and how Mount Pleasant could accommodate a large share of county demand. "Basically the way to create those 2,000 single family units is by using our zoning code as efficiently as we can," Washburn said, pointing to narrower lots and denser single-family designs that some recent developments have used. She said developers and builders face cost pressures — including roadway construction and higher-end home finishes — that limit how low sales prices can go without subsidy or different building models. Washburn also noted that the county-level absorption figure is a Racine County total, not a Mount Pleasant-only obligation.

Discussion versus action: Brown’s presentation was informational; trustees asked questions but did not take policy action on zoning, incentives or specific projects during the meeting. The board moved and approved the consent agenda by voice vote but pulled one item for further discussion: Trustee Boccia moved to approve the consent agenda and to pull item 6, described in the meeting as "approval of a settlement agreement related to the Steen County case number 2024, CAsIn Charlie, v As in Victor, 8 34," for continued discussions. The motion passed on a voice vote. The board subsequently moved to adjourn.

The presentation and trustee exchange highlighted two persistent local issues: attracting new employers and talent while responding to countywide housing demand, and the difficulty of producing lower-cost single-family homes under current development costs and market preferences. RCDC officials and trustees indicated further conversations will be needed on incentives, zoning efficiency and partnering with nonprofit builders to target lower-price segments.