Prairie Du Sac administrator outlines workforce-housing deal, childcare tie to boost local staffing

Alan Wildman, village administrator for Prairie Du Sac, told the Waunakee Village Board on July 8 that his village negotiated a school-district land sale and a development agreement to create workforce housing and related amenities intended to keep employees — including teachers and hospital staff — in the community.

"I'm Alan Wildman. I'm the village administrator for the village of Prairie Du Sac," Wildman said, explaining the project's origin. He said the school district offered about 40 acres it had bought in 2008 and placed conditions on the sale that cap rents based on what a first-year teacher could afford under a 30% rule. "They took the first-year teacher's salary and determine what they could afford for housing using that 30% rule," he said.

The village amended a nearby tax increment district (TID) to include the site so it could provide infrastructure assistance while keeping the development within TID housing limits. Wildman said the village negotiated incentives intended to cover some infrastructure costs and accelerate construction.

Wildman described the planned build as including five workforce apartment buildings (about 118 units), roughly 52 duplex-condo units under construction, a potential 70-unit senior building and other market-rate or mixed-use lots on the nearly 40-acre site. He said the developers guaranteed a multi‑million-dollar development and that the tax increment would not be released until roughly 115 units were complete to encourage a faster schedule. "They are anticipating the other 4 buildings being completed by the end of the year, because they don't get the increment until the 115 units are built," he said.

Wildman named the developer as HC Properties (Brian Rykal and Jason Hughes). He said apartments under the rent limits are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and that eligibility includes background checks; the caps are not exclusive to particular occupations. "A doctor could move into these units," he said, noting the village aims for a mix of residents to avoid stigma and opposition.

He also highlighted childcare as a significant workforce constraint. Prairie Du Sac owns a childcare building operated by its school district — built with community donations and certified for 160 children but serving about 60 currently — which Wildman said allows the district to offer teacher-level pay and retain staff. "Our survey found that on average the employee was spending one hour of their day at work dealing with child care issues," he said, describing the daycare as adjacent to the Culver Community Park.

Wildman told Waunakee officials the project faced typical community resistance but had notable business support; he cited Milwaukee Valve, which operates employee shuttles due to previous housing shortages. He recommended outreach and business backing as key tools for overcoming opposition.

Wildman closed by inviting board members to tour the first completed building next week and offered to answer follow-up questions about the development, the rented-unit rules and the village's child-care approach.

The presentation provided a concrete example for Waunakee of one municipality's mix of land-use negotiation, developer incentives, rent limits tied to local occupations and coordinated child-care investments designed to address workforce recruitment and retention.