John Fellows introduced Eric Dorshing, president of Tracy Cross & Associates, who presented a housing market study for West Bend and Washington County. Dorshing said Washington County’s rental market is “as tight as we’ve seen” with a countywide stabilized vacancy around 1.0 percent and West Bend’s stabilized developments at about 1.4 percent, compared with a 3.1 percent rate for the Milwaukee region. He called those rates “undersupplied.”

Dorshing emphasized a growing disconnect between household incomes and new-construction prices. He said new-construction single-family prices have risen sharply and that resale homes remain substantially less expensive, creating a large gap for middle/mainstream buyers. He told the council the county could absorb roughly 725 units annually (about 3,600 through 2030) if product were aligned with local demand.

The study flagged two tightly undersupplied segments: rental housing and “mainstream” for-sale housing aimed at households earning roughly 50–150 percent of median income. Dorshing recommended three rental product types (including two-story garden apartments and ranch-villa rentals) and four for-sale product types, including higher-density townhomes and smaller-lot single-family units designed and value-engineered to lower price points. He said changes could include optional basements, simplified home footprints, and denser site planning to reduce per-unit costs.

Dorshing also suggested the city consider larger-scale rental communities (100–180+ units) and stronger municipal coordination with builders — including potential use of tools such as tax-increment finance or NextGen-style programs — to help reach price points where demand exists. He argued West Bend could capture a larger share of county demand and urged strategic planning to bring a hierarchy of product to market.

Council members asked for clarification on affordability and income bands. Dorshing said a household at median income (about $90,000, as discussed in the meeting) could typically qualify for a mortgage in the mid-to-upper $200,000 range under current interest-rate assumptions; rental product generally serves households at roughly 50–100 percent of median. The presentation closed with Dorshing encouraging council members to review the full written report for details and implementation ideas.

The council thanked Dorshing for the study; no formal action was taken during the presentation. The full report is included in the council packet and available for further review.