Business
Apartment builders cut ribbon on 120-unit housing complex near Black River in La Crosse
Developers and La Crosse community leaders have celebrated a ribbon cutting for the Driftless Apartments, built near the Black River. The 120-unit project has been in the planning stage for several years at the old Mobil Oil site along Copeland Avenue, and the building opened last fall.
Mayor Shaundel Washington Spivey attended the ceremony, and says he’s the seventh mayor of La Crosse to oversee the River Point project, dating back to Pat Zielke in the 1990’s. The mayor wants people living in La Crosse to have affordable housing. “We’re recognizing that rates are going up, folks that want to own homes, mortgage rates are increasing as well,” said the mayor, “and so we just want to make sure that people have the right type of housing they need in order to be able to take it to the next level.”
Last May, city leaders held a press conference at River Point, celebrating progress on the new affordable housing being built near the causeway. The Driftless apartment complex began admitting tenants last fall, and Brian Martin with the Asset Management company says the building is now more than half full.
“We are at about 70 per cent or so,” said Martin. “We hope to be completely full by the end of summer, beginning of fall.”
Rental rates for units at the Driftless building have been listed at between $800 to $1700 a month.
Donny
May 9, 2025 at 11:28 am
Affordable….yeah, sure. Affordable for what percentage of people from here? What a joke.
Debra Herrera
May 9, 2025 at 10:21 pm
Yes you are so right who is living there
Debra Herrera
May 9, 2025 at 10:19 pm
Where are all these people coming from to occupy these apts??? In the last 6 years or so there have been at least 6 apt complexes built in LA Crosse. Are the people coming from Chicago Madison maybe Milwaukee??? Because a lot of the people in LA Crosse have criminal records theft etc so they will not qualify to live there. Also the sexual predators can’t live there near children.
VICKIE HOGDEN
May 10, 2025 at 12:18 am
They don’t have enough apartments available at the 30% rate . Please do the math…if you make $1 more per YEAR..for their income limit….you go to the 50 % rate of $886 ? Per month. That would be over half of your income. Even credit counseling will tell you should only pay 33 % of your income for rent. I did vote for you…but you need to dig a little deeper in your research. More charities in LaCrosse help those that are not from around here and have never worked much in their lifetime . Feel free to contact me.
Susie
May 10, 2025 at 8:40 am
Wants everyone to have affordable housing
*builds apartments that are not affordable for the majority of people.