Kenosha council unanimously approves Home Kenosha affordable-living program backed by $3 million from Uline

The Kenosha Common Council on Monday approved the "Home Kenosha Affordable Living Neighborhood Revival" program, voting 16-0 to concur with the finance committee recommendation to move the initiative forward.

The program is intended to support construction of affordable single-family homes across the city. City staff and council members said the initiative is an early step in a broader housing effort; the private sector will continue to be involved, council members said. The mayor and project staff thanked Uline for a $3,000,000 contribution to the program.

The council discussion centered on the need for more affordable housing across income ranges and neighborhoods. An Alderperson from the Third District said the lack of affordable housing is a root cause of many city problems and called the program "a major step in the right direction." An Alderperson from the Sixteenth District formally thanked Uline and noted the company’s presence in that district.

City staff described income eligibility for the program as tied to 150% of the relevant median income. John Morrissey, a city staff member, said, "It's about 120,000, dollars 1 hundred and 18 thousand at this point in time. So if you had, let's say, the salary of a police officer and a teacher, they would probably qualify you for this program." When asked whether that figure referred to combined income for a household, Morrissey responded, "Oh, correct." The council did not adopt detailed income bands, bedroom sizes or specific parcels during the vote; those details will be addressed in subsequent implementation steps.

Finance committee members had recommended approval by a 6-0 vote. The council’s unanimous 16-0 vote moves the resolution forward; no amendments or opposing conditions were recorded during the meeting.

The resolution and related documents approved Monday are intended to jump-start single-family affordable housing production; council members and staff said additional work will continue with developers and private partners to expand housing options including rental units.

Votes on related contracts and lending arrangements tied to the program were listed on the meeting agenda and were taken separately; the council approved related finance and services items by voice or roll call as routine business.