Council discusses RDA-owned 147 Sheboygan St.; member urges transparency on redevelopment inventory
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Summary
Councilmember Schisler raised neighborhood concern about 147 Sheboygan Street, a property acquired by the Redevelopment Authority in January 2022, and asked for more public information about RDA-owned sites.
Councilmember Schisler placed the Redevelopment Authority—s (RDA) December 2021 acquisition of 147 Sheboygan Street on the July 23, 2025 agenda to raise neighborhood concern about an apparently vacant, deteriorated house and to ask for greater transparency about RDA-owned properties. He described the house as a late-19th-century structure in poor condition and said the property had previously been assessed at $186,000 on the tax rolls through 2021. Schisler said RDA acquisition in January 2022 reflected city work to identify and act on blighted properties.
"I learned from the 4 point approach to economic development used by the Main Street program ... you improve your city 1 property at a time," Schisler said, urging more public reporting (photos, lot size, zoning, required permits, asking price or incentives) about RDA holdings so neighbors and council can track redevelopment options. He said demolition-by-neglect can lead to irreversible loss of historic housing stock and urged RDA transparency.
Community Development Director Diane Benson explained designation differences: state and national historic listings do not impose local architectural controls, while local historic designation brings properties under the city—s historic preservation ordinance (chapter 3-74) and requires a certificate of appropriateness for exterior alterations. Benson said local designation is voluntary; property owners are informed after periodic historic/architectural surveys and must opt in to local designation. She also said federal restrictions tied to the RDA—s purchase affect redevelopment options for that parcel.
Schisler asked whether being in a designated historic district automatically imposed architectural controls; Benson clarified only properties with local designation are subject to local controls and enforcement. The council did not take any formal action on 147 Sheboygan Street at the July 23 meeting; Benson said the RDA, an independent body created under Wisconsin law, will make decisions about sale, rehabilitation or other disposition.
Next steps: Schisler asked staff to consider ways to make RDA-owned property information more accessible to council and the public, either by periodic report at meetings or a prominent website posting; staff did not set a formal timeline at the meeting.
