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Volume 8, Issue 12, Aug 4, 2025
 Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce, Eau Claire, Wis. 
Published the first business day of each week
Business Advocate Past Issues
Public Meetings Calendar
Chamber Events Calendar
The Chamber's Advocacy Principles
The Chamber's Business Issues Agenda
"Talking Po!nt" Podcast
How to become a Chamber investor
Contact: Scott Rogers, VP Governmental Affairs
rogers@eauclairechamber.org
Chamber Business Hours: Mon-Thu 7:30a-4:30p, Friday 8a-12n

Special note: The Chamber office is closed today, Monday, August 4
...for the annual Golf Day in Eau Claire at the Eau Claire Golf & Country Club and Wild Ridge. We will be back to regular hours on Tuesday. 

In this issue:
 • EC Plan Commission to meet on recommendations for Zoning amendments
 • Jon Johnson confirmed as new EC County Administrator
 • Report: Wisconsin apprenticeships at record high
 • Visit Eau Claire's Kennedy Domerchie wins state tourism recognition
 • National and economic stories
 • Mark your calendar

Note on article links: A subscription is required for those marked with "$"
Publications known to have article limits or other access restrictions for non-subscribers are marked with "+"

Eggs & Issues: Higher Education in the Chippewa Valley
  At this edition of Eggs & Issues, we'll hear from the leaders of the three major institutions of higher learning in the Chippewa Valley: CVTC President Sunem Beaton-Garcia, UW-Stout Chancellor Katherine Frank, and UW-Eau Claire Interim Chancellor Mike Carney. They'll each share with us the current status of their organization, their unique mission in serving their students and the community, and the challenges of staying relevant into the future.
• Thursday, Aug 21, 7:00-8:30 a.m., CVTC Business Education Center
   Click here for details and to register  

Also for your calendar...
• Business After Hours - Monday, Aug 11
• Employers: Maximizing Your Internship Impact with Handshake - Tues, Aug 12
• Morning Momentum - Tuesday, Sep 9
• Eggs & Issues: The Economic Impact of Local Tourism - Friday, Sep 19
• Business Day in Eau Claire - Wednesday, Sep 24
• 32nd Annual Chippewa Valley Rally - Thursday, Feb 19, Madison

Monday: City of Eau Claire Zoning update to take next step
with Plan Commission consideration of amendments
City Council amendments must have Plan Commission recommendation 
before next Council action on Aug 11-12
   The City of Eau Claire's comprehensive zoning code update takes its next step towards enactment at the City's Plan Commission Monday evening. Because of state law, four new amendments passed by the City Council on July 22 must go back to the Plan Commission for a recommendation before they can be finalized. These amendments are the only zoning code-related action the Plan Commission can take on Monday, since it already provided a recommendation on the rest of the code's provisions.
   The amendments to be considered include three related to the tree preservation standards: 1. Exempting lots with two or less residential units (passed City Council on July 22 by a vote of 11-0), 2. Exempting affordable housing projects that contain at least 25% affordable housing units with rents affordable for those at less than 60% County Median Income and with a 30 year deed restriction (passed City Council 9-2), and 3. Allowing for a simplified permit process when 10 or fewer high value trees are removed, rather than the 5 in the original language (passed City Council 11-0).
   The other amendment to be reviewed reduces the distance of required bicycle parking for commercial properties to 25 feet or less from the main entrance (passed City Council 11-0). 

Zoning Update and meeting information: 
Century Code Update full website (City of Eau Claire)
Full zoning code documents (City of Eau Claire)
Eau Claire Plan Commission
• Monday, Aug 4, 6 p.m. Agenda Packet
Eau Claire City Council
 • Monday, Aug 11, 6 p.m. Public Hearing Meeting information
 • Tuesday, Aug 12, 4 p.m. Legislative Session Meeting information
   Click here to send an email to all City Council members
   Click here for individual contact information for each City Council member 
    Link to videos of city meetings (City of Eau Claire)
    City News Updates -incl. City Manager's Weekly Update (City of Eau Claire)

Chamber favors the three affordability-related amendments
to be considered by Plan Commission
   The Chamber encourages the Plan Commission to recommend final approval of all three of the amendments related to the tree preservation standards. They each put a priority on the urgent need in the community for increased housing supply and improved affordability, and provide at least some needed balance with a push to enact onerous tree standards that could significantly inhibit the creation of infill housing in the city. 
Current status of the new zoning code is mixed bag for
housing supply and affordability
   At its marathon Public Hearing and Legislative Session meetings last week, the council took votes on 11 potential amendments after hearing from the public about the code's anticipated effect on housing supply & affordability, property rights, and tree preservation. 
   The Council approved two affordability-related amendments that had been previously recommended by the Plan Commission. One allows residential structures of up to four units to have a maximum front-loaded garage projection up to 15 feet, rather than the 5 feet in the code draft for 2-4 unit buildings (passed on an 11-0 vote). The former language would have increased building costs for twin homes and similar buildings. The other Plan Commission endorsed amendment (passed 10-1) changes amenity requirements for multi-family developments to eliminate what effectively would have been a requirement to have balconies on a majority of the units, which the Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association estimated would have added $150/month to rents. 
   The most controversial provisions of the draft code relate to requirements for homeowners and builders to replace or pay significant fees for high value trees over 12 inches in diameter that are removed. At a proposed $400 per inch for the required 30% replacement, in some scenarios fees could run into the thousands of dollars even for just a few affected trees. As noted, the three amendments approved and going to Plan Commission provide exemptions and simplified compliance in some cases, especially for homeowners.
Trees take precedence over housing in tree diameter vote
   Perhaps the most disappointing Council vote on July 22 was on an amendment proposed by Council Members Jessica Schoen and Charlie Johnson to modestly increase the diameter of high-value trees subject to regulation from 12 inches to 14 inches, which lost 4-7. This is the provision most anticipated to impact the building of new housing in the area and has the most potential to drive projects to other jurisdictions with less onerous rules.
    In that vote and in the public comment and debate over this provision, a perceived but unsubstantiated danger of a significant and imminent degradation of the city's tree canopy seems to have taken precedence over the clear urgency to address housing affordability and supply in the community. That sentiment appears to have been driven by a very loud, aggressive, and well-organized group of "biodiversity" advocates who have dominated the public comment periods at zoning-related meetings with alarming rhetoric about climate change dismissing supply and affordability arguments as "misinformation."

More information about the City Council's July 22 action:
Business Advocate newsletter - July 28 (Eau Claire Chamber of Commerce)
Full recap of July 22 amendments and votes taken (Provided by Chippewa Valley Home Builders Association)
Tally of the votes taken by City Council Members on July 22 (Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce)
City of Eau Claire’s Proposed Tree Ordinance, Explained (Volume One)

Chamber supports overall zoning goals
   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.