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Regional housing study offers zoning, outreach and site ideas to expand housing options in Adams County
Summary
A North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission study presented to the Adams County Board summarized housing demand, barriers to rural development and a menu of zoning and program options aimed at increasing affordable housing supply.
Sam Wessel, senior planner with the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, presented the commission’s year‑long housing study to the Adams County Board, summarizing demographic trends, a demand projection and a series of nonbinding strategies intended to improve housing affordability and availability in Adams County.
Wessel said the study, posted on ncwrpc.org, uses the standard that housing is affordable when it costs no more than 30% of household income and that it shows uneven population growth concentrated near the county edges. “None of them are policies. They’re just ideas. They’re strategies,” Wessel said, describing the recommendations as optional tools for local leaders.
The study includes an analysis of commute and age patterns, a construction‑cost and cash‑flow analysis showing where development budgets fall short in rural markets, and model amendments to comprehensive plans and zoning ordinances that would allow smaller lot sizes and housing forms similar to the county’s pre‑World War II patterns. Wessel also described site plans for vacant, publicly owned parcels near utilities that could be marketed for residential development.
Wessel said the study identifies both short‑term “low‑hanging fruit” actions — developer outreach, educational events for lenders and first‑time buyers, and a housing committee to monitor progress — and longer‑term options that need more coordination and capital. He recommended developer tours, citing a Juneau County example that brought developers to identified sites, and highlighted new lower‑interest loan programs for developers that require up‑to‑date comprehensive plans and zoning.
Supervisors asked about local contractor and material shortages and about programs to train small‑scale local builders. Supervisor Pasoski raised supply and contractor availability as a barrier to increasing local housing stock; Wessel said the study documents those local constraints and lists training and small‑developer programs that could help expand the local construction workforce.
The presentation concluded with Wessel offering paper copies to the county economic development contact and noting the full report and resources are available on the NCWRPC website.
