Affordable Homeownership in Viroqua
Broadway and Main Street
Dear Viroqua City Administrator and members of the Viroqua City Council:
We, the undersigned, are a group of Viroqua area residents who would like to see the old County highway shop on Highway 14 and Broadway across from the Food Coop developed into a state-of-the-art pocket neighborhood. Specifically, we are hoping to see at this site:
- A mix of affordable and market rate housing
- A mix of retail, hospitality, and childcare offerings
- Green spaces
- A primary focus on home-ownership rather than rentals
- A world class design that our community can be proud of for decades to come.
We would also like to see this site developed by local companies, local architects and local contractors.
At present, it appears to us that the City has made a premature commitment to an out-of-town developer who helped the City secure a large grant for the project from the State of Wisconsin. We feel that this developer may have gained undue influence over the project through their offer of grant writing. We also believe that the plan they have put forward lacks the features we feel that this site and this town deserve. Specifically, their plan:
- Calls for primarily affordable housing on the site rather than a balanced mix of affordable and market rate housing. This kind of concentration is outdated and has been shown to have negative effects on lower income communities.
- Is based on 100% rental and offers no home ownership options. This means, among other things, that the grant from the state of WI will essentially be a corporate subsidy to the developer rather than a subsidy for people who live and work here who wish to build equity as homeowners. It also means that a huge amount of revenue each year in the form of rent payments will flow out of our community.
- Proposes to demolish the historic county administration building, rather than modify and integrate it into the design of the whole neighborhood.
These defects are serious and we implore the City Council to explore every avenue necessary to step back from a commitment to the current developer. We are aware that a local architect, Gregory Splinter has put forward a design that is much more aligned with the ideals articulated above and has envisioned a Contractor / Developer / Finance team that could carry out this development. We would love to see Gregory’s plan be given serious consideration, and both options compared side-by-side in one or more public forums.
Thank you for your immediate consideration of this request.
Robert Karp, Viroqua, author of letter
Updates
December 18, 2022
The City Council sees these names piling up and they know we are not going to roll over for their backroom deals with out of town developers. This momentum proves that Viroqua residents refuse to let greedy outsiders dictate the future of our downtown.
32 Comments
I strongly urge the City Council to consider the Splinter proposal as the one to most clearly benefit the City of Viroqua and its citizens. Mixed income developments--and easier paths to home ownership--have proven significantly superior to simply offering low-income rental housing in enhancing the economic and social prospects of local communities. Keeping investments and money-flow in the local area should be a high priority for elected decision-makers.
I feel strongly about due process. I work every Tuesday 4pm-10pm; therefore attending a city council meeting is out of reach. Viroqua is facing an opportunity to enrich our community with a vision for preserving the past, honoring the present and moving forward into the future with a sustainable alternative to the run of the mill type of absentee landlord, corporate look alike building.
I firmly believe the best use of the land is for mixed ownership...low income, people with disabilities, young marrieds, seniors, single and multiple renters.... Keep ownership here, keep taxes here, keep working to make this environmentally good for the space, the city and the county.
I have reviewed Mr. Splinter's architectural plans for a proposed mixed shopping and residential neighborhood across from the Viroqua Food Coop. It is very exciting to me in its originality, attention to real community needs, and, and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood. I hope community members will acquaint themselves with the proposed city development plan and sign the petition.
The city gave over $600,000 to the out-of-town developer who built the Rock Avenue apartments and look what we got. Ten years off our tax base and all the rents go out of town. No more subsidies to out-of-town developers. If they want to invest in our community, they can do it without our tax dollars.
I own rentals and believe they should just be short term housing until the tenant can purchase a starter home. Having outside ownership of a subsidized rental does nothing to help the quality of life for the taxpayers of the City of Viroqua.
Affordable housing is not readily available in Viroqua. It is time to make sure that this need is provided for.
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Affordable Homeownership in Viroqua
Broadway and Main Street
Dear Viroqua City Administrator and members of the Viroqua City Council:
We, the undersigned, are a group of Viroqua area residents who would like to see the old County highway shop on Highway 14 and Broadway across from the Food Coop developed into a state-of-the-art pocket neighborhood. Specifically, we are hoping to see at this site:
- A mix of affordable and market rate housing
- A mix of retail, hospitality, and childcare offerings
- Green spaces
- A primary focus on home-ownership rather than rentals
- A world class design that our community can be proud of for decades to come.
We would also like to see this site developed by local companies, local architects and local contractors.
At present, it appears to us that the City has made a premature commitment to an out-of-town developer who helped the City secure a large grant for the project from the State of Wisconsin. We feel that this developer may have gained undue influence over the project through their offer of grant writing. We also believe that the plan they have put forward lacks the features we feel that this site and this town deserve. Specifically, their plan:
- Calls for primarily affordable housing on the site rather than a balanced mix of affordable and market rate housing. This kind of concentration is outdated and has been shown to have negative effects on lower income communities.
- Is based on 100% rental and offers no home ownership options. This means, among other things, that the grant from the state of WI will essentially be a corporate subsidy to the developer rather than a subsidy for people who live and work here who wish to build equity as homeowners. It also means that a huge amount of revenue each year in the form of rent payments will flow out of our community.
- Proposes to demolish the historic county administration building, rather than modify and integrate it into the design of the whole neighborhood.
These defects are serious and we implore the City Council to explore every avenue necessary to step back from a commitment to the current developer. We are aware that a local architect, Gregory Splinter has put forward a design that is much more aligned with the ideals articulated above and has envisioned a Contractor / Developer / Finance team that could carry out this development. We would love to see Gregory’s plan be given serious consideration, and both options compared side-by-side in one or more public forums.
Thank you for your immediate consideration of this request.
Robert Karp, Viroqua, author of letter
Updates
December 18, 2022
The City Council sees these names piling up and they know we are not going to roll over for their backroom deals with out of town developers. This momentum proves that Viroqua residents refuse to let greedy outsiders dictate the future of our downtown.
32 Comments
I am particularly concerned about the outflow of capital from our community. Not only will the property be owned by non-residents. There will be a steady flow of tens of thousands of dollars in rent leaving Viroqua monthly. Morevover, the Northpointe proposal does not identify the proportion of apartments for each income bracket, nor the projected rents.
I strongly urge the City Council to consider the Splinter proposal as the one to most clearly benefit the City of Viroqua and its citizens. Mixed income developments--and easier paths to home ownership--have proven significantly superior to simply offering low-income rental housing in enhancing the economic and social prospects of local communities. Keeping investments and money-flow in the local area should be a high priority for elected decision-makers.
I feel strongly about due process. I work every Tuesday 4pm-10pm; therefore attending a city council meeting is out of reach. Viroqua is facing an opportunity to enrich our community with a vision for preserving the past, honoring the present and moving forward into the future with a sustainable alternative to the run of the mill type of absentee landlord, corporate look alike building.
I firmly believe the best use of the land is for mixed ownership...low income, people with disabilities, young marrieds, seniors, single and multiple renters.... Keep ownership here, keep taxes here, keep working to make this environmentally good for the space, the city and the county.
I have reviewed Mr. Splinter's architectural plans for a proposed mixed shopping and residential neighborhood across from the Viroqua Food Coop. It is very exciting to me in its originality, attention to real community needs, and, and compatibility with the surrounding neighborhood. I hope community members will acquaint themselves with the proposed city development plan and sign the petition.
The city gave over $600,000 to the out-of-town developer who built the Rock Avenue apartments and look what we got. Ten years off our tax base and all the rents go out of town. No more subsidies to out-of-town developers. If they want to invest in our community, they can do it without our tax dollars.
I own rentals and believe they should just be short term housing until the tenant can purchase a starter home. Having outside ownership of a subsidized rental does nothing to help the quality of life for the taxpayers of the City of Viroqua.
Affordable housing is not readily available in Viroqua. It is time to make sure that this need is provided for.
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I am particularly concerned about the outflow of capital from our community. Not only will the property be owned by non-residents. There will be a steady flow of tens of thousands of dollars in rent leaving Viroqua monthly. Morevover, the Northpointe proposal does not identify the proportion of apartments for each income bracket, nor the projected rents.