City needs better messaging on affordable housing plan

Will they or won’t they? Should they or shouldn’t they? One La Crosse city committee has voted down a plan to turn a former northside La Crosse credit union into affordable housing, while another has approved the project. The final word will come at the meeting of the Common Council this Thursday. But so far it seems the city has failed to make the case for why this is the best use of as much as $9 million to build a total of just 30 apartments. Mayor Mitch Reynolds is right when he says La Crosse needs more affordable housing, and the money set aside for the project comes from the federal government with the express purpose of providing affordable housing. But is this the best site for the project, or the best use of the federal money? As some on the council pointed out, you could build dozens of brand new homes for the same cost. And it is still not clear if some of the apartments that could be built at the former Marine Credit Union building would be used to house the homeless. City hall has been pretty vague about that. Before the city shells out millions to address a clear need, it seems they need to work harder to make the case that this location and this plan are the best way to provide more affordable housing in the city.