Wausau committee hears regional housing update as vacancy data, projects point to continued demand

The City of Wausau Economic Development Committee on June 3 heard a presentation from Sam Wessel of the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and a city planning update from Assistant Planner Carrie Edmondson outlining regional population projections, vacancy rates and a slate of housing projects that officials said together partly address previously modeled demand.

Wessel summarized the 2022 metro housing assessment he led and said the study’s earlier projections called for 2,077 housing units by 2025 and another 1,153 by 2030 across the eight participating municipalities. “We projected 2,077 units needed by 2025 and another 1,153 by 2030 for the 8 municipalities that participated in the study,” Wessel said. He added that, accounting for projects already built or underway, roughly three-quarters of the 2025 target has been met when two large developments are included in the count.

Why it matters: committee members and staff said low owner vacancy and continued low countywide rental vacancy suggest persistent demand for both new and preserved housing stock. Wessel noted changes in official state population projections based on the 2020 Census that are lower than older…