Family & Home
Habitat’s Kahya Fox on La Crosse housing situation, and city’s short-term rental, ADU legislation
We look at the housing situation Tuesday on La Crosse Talk PM and some key legislation going currently through city committees on short-term rentals and “ADUs” with Kahya Fox, the executive director of Habitat for Humanity of the Greater La Crosse Region.
La Crosse Talk PM airs weekdays at 5:06 p.m. Listen on the WIZM app, online here, or on 92.3 FM / 1410 AM / 106.7 FM (north of Onalaska). Find all the podcasts here or subscribe to La Crosse Talk PM wherever you get your podcasts.
It’s committee week in La Crosse and the city is looking at regulations on short-term rentals and whether to allow what’s called Accessory Dwelling Units. We also couldn’t come up with a better name for “ADUs,” though Fox called them “Mother In-Law homes.”
We also discussed the crunch the city is in for housing stock, and how the city’s population could drop below a key threshold which would make it ineligible for government funding. The city of La Crosse saw the biggest per capita drop in population across Wisconsin in 2023.
We began the show talking about a Habitat program that allows homeowners to get help working on projects around their property.
We ended discussing how Habitat set a record for rebuilding and rehabbing homes, and how it’s in the midst of a statewide public voting competition called Carols for a Cause to win a $15,000 award. To vote for Habitat La Crosse, click here to vote.
nick
December 6, 2023 at 11:38 am
There are too many small old homes in LaCrosse that hinder the city through no one’s fault. This housing does not attract many people and drives u the price of more modern homes that do exist.
The city just lauded the pocket homes on Green Bay that cost around $250,000 each; that is not affordable housing for many.
There is no answer to the problem without razing. In addition, I do not see any semblance of city planning when apartments, bars and small businesses are spread out all over the place.