Middleton presents draft housing action plan, debate focuses on how to spend TIF extension

Carrie Laurie, a member of Middleton’s Community Development Authority, and Alan Hickel, chair of the workforce housing committee, presented the city’s draft housing action plan at the Jan. 20 council meeting, calling it "a strategic road map tailored to Middleton's unique economic landscape." The presenters said Middleton faces what they called the "big squeeze"—a growing gap between local wages and housing costs—and recommended creating an affordable housing fund using revenue from the TID 3 extension and hiring a dedicated staff person to manage implementation.

The plan lays out four strategies: increase the number of attainable units, fund support services to prevent evictions and preserve tenancies, rehab existing affordable housing, and expand pathways to homeownership. Laurie told the council that data indicate Middleton needs an average of 318 housing units per year through 2040 and that about 26% of those should be legally restricted affordable units, citing the Dane County Regional Housing Strategy.

Council members asked detailed questions about scope and safeguards. Alder Myers said she supports using competitive RFPs for service contracts but objected to mentioning or highlighting a potential provider on the same plan page as the RFP, calling that "not appropriate" for a solicitation process. Alder Kalish asked the authors to add a clearer inventory of current affordable units and measurable goalposts so the public can track progress. Alder Hennaro defended the inclusion of supportive services, saying the TID statute contemplates both building units and helping people remain housed: "We can build the units, but it may take assistance from people who know how to do case management and help folks identify resources," she said.

Presenters and councilors repeatedly discussed fund structure. Hickel said the intent is to use the TID extension monies to seed an affordable housing fund and to leverage additional private and public resources; he described two "shovel‑ready" projects they expect to support within a year. Hennaro clarified that the TID funds do not need to be spent within a single year and referenced examples of other communities that mixed grants and donations to stretch initial funds.

Next steps: presenters recommended continuing public outreach and scheduled additional listening sessions, with a proposed council action to close TID 3 and consider approval of the action plan on April 7. No final council vote to adopt the plan or to appropriate specific TID funds occurred on Jan. 20; the meeting recorded detailed discussion and direction to refine the plan and provide clearer, measurable targets for evaluation.