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Volume 7, Issue 51, May 5, 2025
 Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, Eau Claire, Wis. 
Published the first business day of each week
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Contact: Scott Rogers, VP Governmental Affairs
rogers@eauclairechamber.org
Chamber Business Hours: Mon-Thu 7:30a-5:00p, Friday 7:30a-1:30p

In this issue:
 • Final ZPAC meeting Monday for EC Zoning Code draft
 • Meet your Street Ambassadors event on May 7
 • Local legislators promote youth mental health, film office bills
 • US Chamber: Small businesses need tariff relief
 • Food for thought
 • Mark your calendar
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Last chance to register...
Eggs & Issues: State Budget Update
   With a Democratic Governor and a Legislature controlled by Republicans, the challenging process is underway to enact a biennial state budget. At this edition of Eggs & Issues, we'll take a look at the political state of play as the legislature's Joint Committee on Finance continues its deliberations. Among those who will provide insights into the forces at work will be Bill McCoshen, partner at Michael Best Strategies, and John Jacobson, Director of Public Affairs, Ruder Ware. We'll also get perspectives from Republican State Senator Romaine Quinn (R-Birchwood), a member of the Joint Finance Committee, and Democratic Representative Jodi Emerson (D-Eau Claire), a member of the Assembly Minority Leadership.
• Friday, May 9, CVTC Business Education Center
   Click here for details and to register  

Also for your calendar...
• Morning Momentum - Wednesday, May 7
• Chamber Royale - Thursday, May 15

Final ZPAC meeting Monday for EC Zoning Code draft
Home Builders, Housing Opportunities Commission, Chamber
comment on housing affordability concerns
   The final meeting of the City of Eau Claire's Zoning Policy Advisory Committee (ZPAC) will be tonight, Monday, May 5, 4:00-6:30 p.m. at the LE Phillips Senior Center, followed by a public open house 6:30-7:30 p.m.
   The ZPAC consists of members of the Eau Claire City Council and the Eau Claire Plan Commission. It has served as the policy committee for the complete rewrite of the City of Eau Claire's zoning code, which has been underway since 2023. The process 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.
   As the ZPAC moves towards finalizing the proposed code, it is expected to be taken up by the Plan Commission for a formal recommendation in late June, and then the City Council for approval in early summer. The initiative's website also lists a "Pre-Adoption Open House" on Tuesday, June 17, 11:30-1:30 p.m. at the public library.
Purposes of zoning rewrite
   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."
   As ZPAC, city staff, and the consultant move into the home stretch of this herculean task, concerns have been expressed that some provisions might have unintended consequences related to supply and affordability:
Housing Opportunities Commission: Affordability must
be "paramount consideration"
   At its April 9 meeting, the City's Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) voted to send a letter to ZPAC, endorsing the goals of the initiative, but also asserting that the code update's goal for producing more supply, diversity of choices, and affordability is "the most critical purpose and should be a paramount consideration against which all sections of the code should be measured."
   HOC was created by the City Council in 2020 to “Recommend and review ordinances and other policies of general application that best ensure the availability of affordable housing in the city of Eau Claire.” It has 11 members representing a variety of housing-related interests and meets monthly to work on housing affordability issues.
   The HOC letter, signed by Commission Chair Jennifer Chaput, noted that "A significant number of the proposed new standards have the potential to advance these goals though changes in minimum lot sizes, allowing gentle density increases, incentivizing compact and sustainable development, improving development process certainties, reducing exclusionary zoning practices, and lessening pressure on sprawl," but that "It is important for ZPAC to carefully consider the impact on supply and affordability as it reviews proposed content related to building design standards, parking requirements, aesthetics, anti-monotony mandates, tree preservation, park impact fees, and other sections. If not done in a carefully balanced way, they could produce unintended consequences that could inhibit improvements to supply and affordability."
Home builders weigh in with support, concerns
   On April 14, the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association (CVHBA) distributed a four-page document to members of ZPAC supporting several key aspects of the proposed code, but raising concerns about provisions "that could have a negative impact on housing affordability."
   "There have been a lot of great additions to the code that will improve the development process and could help reduce housing costs. By increasing density, less overall land is developed and the cost of housing can be lowered with smaller lots. However, it’s important to ensure that we don’t overcome the benefits with a lot of added costs," states the document.
   CVHBA praised the inclusion of changes that provide for smaller lot sizes and setbacks, revised zoning districts to allow for more housing types, and streamlined administrative approvals. However, CVHBA also raised questions about portions of the proposed code which could add significant costs to new homes or apartment rental rates, including those related to landscaping, tree preservation standards, expensive cosmetic requirements in building design, park impact fees, and amenity requirements for multi-family developments.
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 referenced the CVHBA and HOC communications and encouraged ZPAC to "carefully consider the supply and affordability consequences" of the issues highlighted there, while supporting the overall goals of the rewrite.
Code revisions posted on Friday, April 25
   The City Planning Department on April 25 posted an updated version of the 425-page document. According to an accompanying email from Planning Manager Ned Noel, the May 5 ZPAC meeting will include "A full presentation will be provided that details remaining policy questions."
More information:
Zoning Policy Advisory Committee
 • Monday, May 5, 4:00-7:30 p.m. LE Phillips Senior Center, 1616 Bellinger St.
    Agenda: 4:00-4:30 p.m. Public comment (up to 3 minutes/speaker)
                 4:30-6:30 p.m. Presentation and ZPAC discussion
                 6:30-7:30 p.m. Community Open House with staff/consultants
Latest full draft of codes (see “Newest Documents,” City of Eau Claire)
Century Code Update full website (City of Eau Claire)
Comments and Recommendations about the Proposed Zoning Code (Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association)
Letter from Housing Opportunities Commission (City of Eau Claire, Housing Opportunities Commission)
Chamber letter to ZPAC (Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce)
City aims to make it easier to build more urban density for developers (Leader-Telegram $)