Although this is principally a housing blog, housing is very influenced by, and influences, other issues such as employment, transportation, etc. One issue in Waukesha County is that for people who don't have a car, who cannot drive (due to age or disability), there are not many transit options, which can severly limit their housing options.
The Coalition for Advancing Transit is urging people to contact their legislators as well as Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan and Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker to support AB-723 and SB-511, which would authorize a Regional Transit Authority (RTA). The next step in the process, now that the bills have been introduced, is for a hearing to be scheduled.
At this time, it is unlikely that Waukesha County would be part of the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Transit Authority, although there is no reason why Waukesha County cannot be part of it in the future, which would link Waukesha County to transit options in the southeastern Wisconsin region. Visit the Coalition for more information & contact information for the legislators.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Support affordable housing in City of Waukesha
Next Wed., Feb. 24, the City of Waukesha Plan Commission will address two potential affordable housing developments. Come to this meeting at 6:30 p.m. at the Waukesha City Hall, 201 Delafield St., to support these developments!
There will be a rezoning request from a developer, Real Estate Equities, and Waukesha State Bank for a 60-unit workforce housing development along the west side of Meadow Lane and north of Willowood Drive. There will also be a rezoning request and site plan/architectural review from Hebron House of Hospitality for a 10-unit building at 620 Summit Ave.
A representative from the Affordable Housing Task Force will make a statement of support on behalf of the group of you who comes, so all you need to do is come and stand up! One of our endorsers, SOPHIA, will also have a group of supporters there. Don't miss this chance to have a positive influence on your community!
There will be a rezoning request from a developer, Real Estate Equities, and Waukesha State Bank for a 60-unit workforce housing development along the west side of Meadow Lane and north of Willowood Drive. There will also be a rezoning request and site plan/architectural review from Hebron House of Hospitality for a 10-unit building at 620 Summit Ave.
A representative from the Affordable Housing Task Force will make a statement of support on behalf of the group of you who comes, so all you need to do is come and stand up! One of our endorsers, SOPHIA, will also have a group of supporters there. Don't miss this chance to have a positive influence on your community!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Housing & Water in Waukesha
This Daily Reporter article (via The Political Environment) discusses Waukesha's thirst for water. Before I get into that and its impact on housing, let's quickly review what's happening here (keeping in mind I'm no expert).
As some of you may have heard, the Great Lakes Compact is a pact between the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces to protect the water in the Great Lakes. Part of that pact is that "...it also requires that member states of the Great Lakes Commission to begin regulating their own water use, and to promote conservation of the lakes."
Since Waukesha lies on the border of the Great Lakes Basin and with water quality woes, many feel that Waukesha should be allowed to draw on the Great Lakes water. The city government apparently is planning with the assumption that they will receive the water (despite the fact that other states & provinces can veto any diversion plan). Toward this end, they're spending an impressive amount of money on studies & lobbyists to justify the diversion plan.
Waukesha is planning on drawing significantly more water-an amount enough to add an estimated 21,900 people to the population! Their logic being that they only want to go to the Great Lakes Commission once, so it's better to ask for a lot now than to try & get incremental increases down the road.
The City of Waukesha's current plans call for mostly more residential development, and with a current ban on multi-family housing, we're going to see more subdivisions of homes with large yards (requiring more water), ending up with more sprawl. This does not offer more housing options in Waukesha for those who are older, have disabilities, or want to reduce the amount of driving he/she does. With sprawling subdivisions, the obligatory big-box stores and strip malls, this sounds like the exactly kind of thing the Great Lakes Compact was designed to contain.
And the depressing thing is, the money spent trying to justify this could've been better spent on actual programs & services that would help the people in the community.
As some of you may have heard, the Great Lakes Compact is a pact between the Great Lakes states and Canadian provinces to protect the water in the Great Lakes. Part of that pact is that "...it also requires that member states of the Great Lakes Commission to begin regulating their own water use, and to promote conservation of the lakes."
Since Waukesha lies on the border of the Great Lakes Basin and with water quality woes, many feel that Waukesha should be allowed to draw on the Great Lakes water. The city government apparently is planning with the assumption that they will receive the water (despite the fact that other states & provinces can veto any diversion plan). Toward this end, they're spending an impressive amount of money on studies & lobbyists to justify the diversion plan.
Waukesha is planning on drawing significantly more water-an amount enough to add an estimated 21,900 people to the population! Their logic being that they only want to go to the Great Lakes Commission once, so it's better to ask for a lot now than to try & get incremental increases down the road.
The City of Waukesha's current plans call for mostly more residential development, and with a current ban on multi-family housing, we're going to see more subdivisions of homes with large yards (requiring more water), ending up with more sprawl. This does not offer more housing options in Waukesha for those who are older, have disabilities, or want to reduce the amount of driving he/she does. With sprawling subdivisions, the obligatory big-box stores and strip malls, this sounds like the exactly kind of thing the Great Lakes Compact was designed to contain.
And the depressing thing is, the money spent trying to justify this could've been better spent on actual programs & services that would help the people in the community.
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