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UW Extension briefs Kenosha County committee on housing task force progress and regional summit plans
Summary
UW Extension community development educator Savannah Myers updated the Kenosha County Planning, Development and Agricultural Committee on the Housing Task Force’s working groups, new outreach materials and a landing page, and said planners expect a Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Housing Summit on May 7, 2026 if a contract is finalized.
Savannah Myers, community development educator for UW Extension, told the Kenosha County Planning, Development and Agricultural Committee that the county’s Housing Task Force has moved from planning to implementation, with working groups addressing financial tools, planning/zoning and design standards, and promotion. "I am Savannah Myers. I am our community development educator for UW Extension," she said, introducing the work.
Myers said the task force is co‑led by Kenosha County and the Kenosha Area Business Alliance and brings together developers, municipal and nonprofit leaders, real‑estate professionals and residents to promote more housing options across the county. Deliverables now include public fact sheets, a task‑force landing page on the county website and a GIS‑based Development Opportunity Investigator tool that maps zoning, sewer/water infrastructure and tax increment districts to help developers identify buildable parcels.
She described recent outreach: a CLUE (Center for Land Use Education) workshop for elected officials on Oct. 29, a VITA conference presentation that generated developer interest, and a community land trust (CLT) primer intended to highlight affordable ownership models. Myers said the task force is also preparing a state‑level summary and a short glossary of housing terms (affordable, workforce, low‑income tax credit housing) to reduce confusion when options are discussed with municipalities.
Committee members asked about specific housing types and local impacts. Members discussed accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and manufactured homes as possible approaches; Myers said the task force is collecting Wisconsin examples and suggested municipalities could change permitting and design standards to simplify approvals. Erin Carroll cited a news article linking rising home costs to lower U.S. birth rates, noting housing is a long‑term, cross‑sector issue; Myers said public health and other partners are included in the task force’s outreach.
Myers also announced planning work on a Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Housing Summit that would cover a 10‑county area; she said planners expect a signed contract this week and a summit date of 05/07/2026. She invited committee members to the summit and offered follow‑up briefings and demonstrations of the county’s GIS tool.
The presentation concluded with offers for UW Extension staff to facilitate local municipal conversations and to provide printed materials and PDFs of the CLUE workshop and other presentations for committee records. The committee did not take formal action on the presentation; staff noted continued working‑group activity and upcoming outreach events.
