Eau Claire housing panel appoints interim chair, advances zoning review and reviews 2024 housing data

The Eau Claire Housing Opportunities Commission on Feb. 12 appointed Commissioner Chaput as chair and voted to postpone a fuller officer election until May after new commissioners are seated. Commissioners also discussed plans for regional stakeholder roundtables, a draft zoning-code overhaul slated for review in March, and a year-end housing data briefing showing rising single-family prices, increased twin-home construction and large multifamily projects underway.

The commission’s discussion centered on near-term process steps rather than new policy approvals. Staff outlined a timeline for the zoning-code update — a ZPAC (zoning advisory) presentation was scheduled the week after the meeting, plan commission review was expected in June, and a final city council vote was anticipated in July — and said the full draft would be in the commission’s March packet. Staff also summarized 2024 construction and price trends and gave project updates, including last-night approvals for the Paragon rezoning and development agreement, a project the city said will include about 305 units with 20% of units reserved at 60% of area median income (60% CMI).

Why it matters: the zoning overhaul and the stakeholder roundtable are the commission’s immediate vehicles for shaping how the city addresses housing supply and affordability. Commissioners emphasized both the practical constraints developers face — including construction cost and financing pressures — and the commission’s role in reviewing draft code language and offering feedback to planning staff and elected officials.

Commission action and near-term schedule Commissioners voted to appoint Commissioner Chaput as chair and to hold a full officer election in May after appointments to vacant seats. The commission also approved its Jan. 8 meeting minutes.

Votes at a glance - Motion to appoint Commissioner Chaput as chair and to hold an officer election in May after new members are appointed: Passed (voice vote). Mover: not specified in the record; second: not specified. Outcome: approved. Note: election to be revisited in May. - Motion to approve minutes of Jan. 8, 2025: Passed (voice vote). Mover: not specified; second: not specified.

Regional stakeholder roundtables and public comment Staff outlined plans for two annual regional housing roundtables (spring and fall) to convene housing providers, developers, social-service organizations, economic development partners and local governments from the West Central Wisconsin region. Staff recommended at least one in-person meeting and suggested mid-morning timing for a two-hour session; commissioners proposed March or April for the spring meeting and October for the fall meeting.

At the start of the meeting, resident Diego Marin urged a scheduling change to let public comment occur at the end of future meetings so community members could comment on agenda items after hearing the discussion. "I would like to preemptively ask that in the future, you hold public commentary periods at the end of your meetings," Marin said during the public comment period.

Zoning-code overhaul and input opportunities Staff said a revised draft of the zoning code — the product of months of redrafting and legal review — would be provided to the commission ahead of the March meeting. Staff asked the commission whether it wanted a high-level summary in March or more detailed review and suggested the commission could draft a formal memo or letter with feedback before the plan commission review in June. Staff recommended commissioners attend a formal ZPAC presentation and an open house the week of the meeting to ask detailed questions; the planning consultant and staff will also be available to answer section-by-section technical questions.

Housing data and project updates Planning staff presented a 2024 housing-data recap. Highlights included: - New single-family permits remain below the 2016–2019 peak; however, average sale prices and per-unit construction costs rose sharply after 2020, driven by material, labor and lot-price increases. - Twin homes/duplexes have grown as an affordable new-construction product, selling at lower per-unit prices than comparable single-family homes. - Multifamily permitting and construction surged in 2021–2023, including several large projects; a notable example is the PNR project in the Cannery District, whose permits were issued in 2023 and whose phased occupancy will occur over subsequent years.

Staff said that, for large multifamily developments, rising interest rates materially increase financing costs: one developer told the city that each quarter-point increase in interest rate translated to roughly $5 million in additional long-term borrowing cost on a typical large project.

Project-specific notes - Paragon (rezoning, certified survey map and development agreement): Approved at the most recent council meeting; staff said the Paragon will deliver about 305 units and that 20% of the units are guaranteed at 60% CMI. - Other projects mentioned in staff remarks included PNR (Cannery District), Reiche Properties (Sky Park District), B7 (near Barstow) and a Marks/Held project off Sessions; several projects are in varying stages of permitting and construction.

Affordability constraints discussed Staff and commissioners reiterated that deep-affordability levels (for example, rents targeted at 50% CMI) are difficult to achieve without substantial subsidy or access to specialized financing programs. Staff said the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program and other specialized funding channels enable financing that traditional commercial loans do not, and commissioners noted state-level policy changes could influence the pipeline (one example discussed was a circulating bill to increase annual LIHTC allocations from $42 million to $100 million).

Community concerns and land-banking Commissioners and staff discussed qualified census tracts (QCTs) and how limited QCT geography in the city constrains which sites qualify for certain scoring bonuses under state programs. Council input on downtown parking also surfaced: staff said the Slagle Milch lot is unlikely to be offered for housing projects in 2025 while the city completes a downtown parking study; any future offer would be a council-level decision.

Next steps Staff said the zoning draft and a proposed stakeholder-roundtable agenda would return to the commission in March, and commissioners agreed late spring was an appropriate time to consider drafting any formal feedback for plan commission or council consideration. Staff also said the Home for Good presentation on community land trusts, which was canceled for the Feb. meeting, is scheduled for the March meeting.

Ending note The commission adjourned after voting to appoint Commissioner Chaput as chair and scheduling further review of the zoning draft and stakeholder planning at the next meeting.