EC City Council set to act on Zoning Code update next week
   In a process that began in 2023, the Eau Claire City Council is set to act at its meetings next week on a complete overhaul of the City's zoning code. It will hold a Public Hearing on Monday, July 21, and is scheduled to take action at its Legislative Session on Tuesday, July 22.
   The effort has been dubbed the "Century Code Update," commemorating the 100th anniversary of the City's first zoning ordinance. The process has been led by City Planning Manager Ned Noel with the assistance of a consultant, under the direction of the Zoning Policy Advisory Committee (ZPAC) consisting of the City Council and Plan Commission.
   Since the City's latest significant overhaul occurred over 33 years ago, there was a consensus among City leadership and local industry that it was time to review and update the code based upon current housing and economic needs, as well as incorporating best practices. A project overview presentation from February 2024 enumerated 12 primary purposes of the initiative (click here and see pages 7-8 for the complete list), including such goals as "Produce more housing supply, diversity of choices, and affordability," "Improve development process certainties," "Lessen pressure on sprawl and environmental and habitat degradation," "Produce more complete streets and neighborhoods with housing choices, commercial and jobs within walking distance," "Reduce exclusionary zoning practices," and "Educate with evidence-based literature/data on the need for zoning reforms and associated co-benefits." The City Planning Department has posted online the full draft 425-page document.
Chamber supports efforts to enhance housing supply, affordability
   The Chamber has been closely watching and involved in the code update process. Its Business Issues Agenda supports the process to "Update zoning codes and policies to eliminate outdated and arbitrary standards in order to encourage infill development, creation of missing middle housing types, a greater diversity of housing choices, compact growth, efficiency of public resources, and the ability to build the types of housing demanded by the marketplace. It is also important to reduce uncertainty in the development process, develop objective standards that can be adhered to without subjective approval processes, and respect property rights."
   In a May 5 letter to ZPAC, the Chamber expressed concerns about some provisions in the draft that could negatively impact supply and affordability. The Chamber letter encouraged policymakers to "carefully consider the supply and affordability consequences" of the issues highlighted there, while supporting the overall goals of the rewrite.
   On June 30, the Eau Claire Plan Commission recommended to the City Council that it pass the code with two amendments proposed by City Council Member Aaron Brewster. One recommended standardizing the maximum garage frontage projection for all housing types at 15 feet (longer than proposed in the code for twin homes), and the other reduced the number of required design amenities for multi-family buildings from three to two, effectively eliminating the mandate to include balconies. Both of these provisions were among those that affordability advocates and home builders suggested needed to be amended because of their anticipated impact on cost of construction, housing prices, and rents.
Affordability concerns detailed
   Recent letters and communications to the Plan Commission and City Council have come from the JONAH Affordable Housing Task Force, City of Eau Claire Housing Opportunities Commission, and the Housing Our Neighbors Planning Cooperative, as well as earlier input from the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association and the Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce.
   Each expressed appreciation for many of the zoning provisions that support the update's goals to "Produce more housing supply, diversity of choices, and affordability." such as those related to lot sizes, gentle density increases, improving development process certainties, and other improvements. However, they pointed out that some provisions should be reconsidered, "given their potential to raising housing costs," including aesthetic standards that have to be recovered din the building price or rental rates, onerous tree preservation standards, park impact fees, mandates for multi-family amenities, and parking mandates.
   Some amendments to the code may be proposed next week to address some of these issues.
More information:
Century Code Update full website (City of Eau Claire)
Draft minutes from June 30 Plan Commission meeting (Go to pages 84-88)
Housing affordability and supply communications:
  Zoning letter - JONAH Affordable Housing Task Force (JONAH)
  Zoning Letter (Housing Opportunities Commission)
  Zoning communication (Housing Our Neighbors Planning Cooperative)
  Chamber letter to Zoning Policy Advisory Comm (Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce)
  Remarks to June 30 Plan Commission (Scott Rogers, Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce)
  Comments and Recommendations about the Proposed Zoning Code (Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association)

Other housing stories...
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Wisconsin home sales down for third straight month in May, realtor association says (Journal-Sentinel +)
Three Madison housing policy proposals move forward in City Council (The Cap Times)
Madison City Housing Tracker shows 1,000 new homes build so far this year (InBusiness Madison)
City of Madison Housing Tracker (City of Madison)
Green Bay residents air affordable housing, homelessness concerns at public hearing (Green Bay Press-Gazette +)
City of Milwaukee could support 100 East conversion with $14 million in TIF (BizTimes)
North Carolina bill to eliminate parking minimums statewide passes House unanimously (Axios)
Boulder to end parking mandates for new developments citywide in major shift (Boulder Reporting Lab)
Gov. Newsom signs housing bill overhauling California’s landmark environmental law (AP)

Housing food for thought...

Sprawl Is Still Not the Answer (Rushad Nanavatty, Jacob Korn, Jackie Lombardi and Ben Hollan, Bloomberg +) A chorus of critics insist that building on undeveloped land is the only way out of the US housing crisis. But the environmental costs of unrestrained growth are overwhelming.

There’s More Than One Way To Save a Street Tree (Emma Durand-Wood, Strong Towns) Here’s the challenge: most people can easily grasp the ripple effect that happens when a tree is lost. But, what gets overlooked is that a city is a system, too, and within it, every decision has the potential to create unexpected and unforeseen consequences.