Regional planning commission outlines modular-infill housing pilot, small-business loan activity

Troy Meagan, executive director of the Southwest Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, told the Richland County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 12 that the commission is launching a pilot to place factory-built, modular homes on infill lots and is expanding small-business support through a contract with the Small Business Development Center. "My name is Troy Meagan. I'm the executive director at the Southwest Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission," Meagan said during the presentation.

Why it matters: the commission said using infill and modular construction aims to make housing more affordable while using existing infrastructure; the board heard details about a Lancaster pilot site and how nonprofit partners can reduce costs. Meagan said the commission also administers a regional revolving loan fund meant to fill financing gaps for startups and expansions.

Meagan summarized three work areas—capacity building, planning and economic development—and described a new contractual relationship with the Small Business Development Center to provide business planning, cash-flow help and marketing support. He described a local dealer model with Southwest Community Action Program and a private manufacturer, Skyline Homes, that reduces per-unit costs for targeted buyers. Meagan said target sale prices for the modular units were in the $200,000–$250,000 range, corresponding to household incomes roughly in the $65,000–$75,000 band. He identified priority buyers as nurses, teachers and law-enforcement personnel.

On housing, Meagan said the commission’s SWISH project (Southwest Wisconsin Infill Solutions) will pilot modular infill on a roughly 2.6-acre site associated with Lancaster High School, and he described design choices—concrete basements, structural insulated panels and interior finishes—meant to make the houses comparable to site-built homes. Meagan noted the commission has worked to address local zoning and stigma that sometimes classifies these homes as “manufactured” rather than modular.

On business finance, Meagan said the commission’s revolving loan fund had about $1,910,000 in capital and two active loans totaling roughly $362,000. He said those loans leveraged about $1,100,000 in private or bank financing and supported roughly 28 jobs to date. The commission’s model, he said, is to act as regional loan administrator while local economic-development staff supply the business pipeline.

Board members asked practical questions about mobilization costs for cranes and whether the modular units arrive with finished interiors; Meagan and several supervisors discussed the tradeoffs of mobilizing equipment versus doing clustered foundations to save costs. Supervisor Severson asked about distinctions between manufactured and modular construction, and Meagan and others explained the manufacturing and foundation differences.

The board did not take a formal vote on the presentation; members were asked to consider the pilot and the commission’s services as staff work continues.

The commission said it will follow up with site plans and timelines for the Lancaster pilot and with access to an interactive housing-data map its staff developed for local planning.