AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Zion Affordable Housing Newsletter

Weekly Update for 4-11-25

On Monday, Bonnie and Kandie met to discuss zoning regulations with regard to renting out spaces in the two school buildings. The Appleton Area School District is renting much of that space through the end of August, but efforts are being made to clear other spaces, make needed repairs, and address required zoning and liability issues prior to renting out additional spaces. Kandie is the point person for this work, with Brianne Connelly assisting.

On Tuesday, Bonnie and Jason Schulist from Generative Local Community Institute (GLCI) met with three of the Principal Planners from the City of Appleton to again discuss zoning issues relevant to renting church space to outside entities. In addition, toward the end of the meeting, Bonnie asked specifically about the potential for cluster housing on the Zion lot zoned R3. Lindsey Smith, Principal Planner for the City of Appleton suggested that Bonnie meet with her again to discuss that as many factors weigh into the potential for that method (cluster housing, which is not currently recognized by the City of Appleton) to work, including zoning issues, the current Comprehensive Plan, the upcoming updated Comprehensive Plan, the future land use map, building codes, and more. Bonnie will get that meeting scheduled ASAP.

On Wednesday, Bonnie, Jason and Kandie attended the monthly meeting of the Appleton Town Makers group. There were several new people present so we did a round of introductions and some problem-solving ensued with regard to the Zion project and a senior housing project Maiyoua Thau of Long Chen has been stymied with on her property. This is the incredible value of attending this group as other members had some creative ideas as to how to move these projects forward. Since building a series of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU) is not allowed by the City, and City Planners were moving away from Planned Unit Development as another option that had been suggested by Marissa Downs, a local developer, another method for accomplishing the desired outcome was suggested by one of the members and Bonnie will bring that up with the City Planner as a potential option.

Several of the developers at the meeting, including Bonnie, expressed dismay over the difficulties caused by the zoning requirements despite the City's expressed goal of developing more affordable housing. One member ran into odd set-back issues when wanting to add an ADU behind his house. Typically the set-back is 10', but for some reason, in his case, he was told it needed to be 25' which put the unit too close to the back of his house. In Maiyoua's case, she had planned twice the units for development and was told by the City she had to have parking spaces in front of each unit despite the fact that most of her intended residents don't have driver's licenses and she has a huge parking lot adjacent to the spot she was going to build the senior housing. That reduced the number of units she could potentially build and made the cost per unit definitely not affordable, so her project is stalled.

We discussed the potential for petitioning the City to eliminate the parking requirements which would allow projects to move forward. A former City Council member was present and did point out some of the issues with regard to that, but it was noted that several other cities have done just that, eliminating the parking requirements, thus freeing up developers to move forward with affordable housing projects. Stay tuned for more updates on the workings of local government.

Weekly Update for 3-21-25

This week held several interesting meetings with implications for the Zion Project. On Monday, Bonnie met via Zoom with Jo Muehl, Monk Elmer, and Noel Halvorsen to discuss the Affordable Housing "lever", which is one of five levers coming out of the Faith-Based Housing Summit from last Fall. Jo had emailed information about the expectations for the leaders of each lever ahead of the meeting so Noel and I were able to ask questions about that information and get a better sense of how Housing Summit Leadership was viewing our roles moving forward. There were six areas of focus suggested, including doing the discernment/due diligence around housing, collaborating with other faith communities in creating and funding church property development and more. It was agreed that Noel and Bonnie would meet to discuss their thoughts and how best to bring together the faith communities that expressed an interest in being involved in the Affordable Housing lever from the Summit. That meeting will be next week.

Tuesday Bonnie had coffee with Debbie Blank whom she had met at a previous training on how to talk about Affordable Housing with government folks. Debbie's focus is on the responsible use of funding by local government. She talked about the explosion of housing around the perimeter of Appleton which, apparently, does not get counted in the planning efforts being put forth by Appleton since it's not within the city limits. Bonnie shared information about the Zion Project and GLCI as both seemed relevant to Debbie's work.

Plan Appleton Update Meetings were held on Tuesday, March 18th at the Appleton Public Library. This was a chance for the City to share what they've learned thus far from their previous listening sessions about desired changes to the City of Appleton Comprehensive Plan and taking a deeper dive into opportunities including affordable housing. Here were the primary themes that emerged from the previous listening sessions:

Affordable Housing and Welcoming Neighborhoods were mentioned by 65% of the people who offered feedback at the prior listening sessions!

Thriving Economic and Cultural Scene were mentioned by 36% of people at the prior listening sessions.

Improved Walking, Biking, and Riding Throughout the City were mentioned by 25% of the people at prior listening sessions.

Sustainable Development and Accessible Green Spaces were mentioned by 13% of the people surveyed.

Responsible, Collaborative, and Transparent Leadership were mentioned by 26% of the people surveyed.

This clearly placed Affordable Housing front and center as the top issue needing to be addressed in the updated City Plan. An updated housing assessment conducted in 2025 showed that Appleton will need an additional 3200 rental units AND 3600 owner-occupied units in the next 20 years to keep up with demand with an emphasis on "starter" homes.

The City's next steps will be to generate the report itself and then begin implementing the action items associated with those previously mentioned focal points, including Affordable Housing.

Bonnie wants to profusely thank all of the Zion folks, Historic Central Neighborhood folks, and Zion Project Supportive folks for turning out in DROVES for this meeting! It was so exciting to watch people who've attended our Roundtable meetings, followed along with Zion's process, and who receive these emails show up and talk to those who have the power to make this City Plan something that supports us getting our project (and many other similar projects) funded and D.O.N.E!

Weekly Update for 3-14-25

This week we held the rescheduled Roundtable meeting for updating anyone who wished to attend about the Zion Project. Updates since the previous meeting last October were provided along with opportunities to ask questions and share information. There were 16 people present, with a good turnout from Zion leadership and congregation members. Main topics were the change in focus from WHEDA funding and a "big box" developer to other funding options and focus on smaller projects, including Bonnie's pursuit of required changes to the City of Appleton's Comprehensive Plan, future land use map, zoning regulations, and more such that a "pocket neighborhood" could be an option for one of the vacant lots on Zion's property. We also discussed Kandie Wilz taking over some of the Project Manager duties to free Bonnie up to do this other work. Everyone was brought up to date on the current status of Carrie Sanders' work with the Zion community. It was also noted that Zion is now seeking a full-time pastor rather than a part-time one which may help in bringing some candidates to the fore. Also, Bonnie encouraged anyone who can attend the upcoming meetings at the library on Tuesday, the 18th, at 4, 5, or 6 to hear what the City learned from their previous listening sessions regarding their comprehensive plan and offer suggestions that we want more R-3 zoned areas in town, along with increased density allowances, that would be great!

Wednesday night both Bonnie and Kandie attended the monthly Town Makers meeting which included Q & A with Monte Anderson, a developer from Dallas, TX who had some great ideas for funding projects such as Zion's. Bonnie plans to work up a proposal based on the information shared by Monte and seek some input from area leaders on how best to implement that proposal.

There are many more things going on behind the scenes at this juncture and will be reported here as they unfold, but suffice it to say the time is ripe for some things to fall into place and some significant progress to be made with regard to this project. To that end, the next paragraph is our current Call to Action.

Plan Appleton Update Meeting on Tuesday, March 18th at the newly reopened Appleton Public Library beginning at 4 pm. This will be a chance for the City to share what they've learned thus far from their previous listening sessions about desired changes to the City of Appleton Comprehensive Plan and taking a deeper dive into opportunities including affordable housing. Presentations will be given at 4, 5, and 6 pm followed by activities designed to learn more from us as to what's wanted and needed in Appleton. You can learn more about the Plan and this event at www.planappleton.org. Please support our project by speaking out on the need for more flexible zoning and building codes and our desire for "cluster housing" on the Zion campus.

Weekly Update for 3-7-25

You are invited to Zion's rescheduled Roundtable meeting on Tuesday, March 11th, from 4:30-6 pm in the Fellowship Hall at Zion. All are welcome to learn about the current status of potential development at Zion Lutheran and efforts that continue with regard to affordable housing.

This week Bonnie attended the Introduction to Advocacy for Affordable Housing training offered by the Fox Cities Housing Coalition and the Wisconsin Council of Churches. Rev. Brianna Ile'ne' from Wisconsin Council of Churches, Susan Garcia-Franz from Winnebago County Public Health, and Richard Dodge from First United Methodist Church presented on ways to advocate for affordable housing with various governmental entities. This included an overview of federal, state, and local government and the entities within each that impact housing in our state. We also learned how a bill becomes a law. Takeaways for Bonnie were the "Enabling Better Places" report, subtitled "A User's Guide to Wisconsin Neighborhood Affordability" which contained a lot of useful information, especially about needed code reform which is likely to be discussed at the upcoming Listening Session at the Appleton Library on Tuesday, March 18th (see below). The speakers were also advocating for support for the Wisconsin Opportunity Act which fights against poverty and creates renewed investment in housing, transportation, employment, and business development among other things.

Regarding the "Enabling Better Places" document, Bonnie is passing along the following examples of code changes that would benefit affordable housing development:

1. Allowing multi-unit housing as permitted uses in single-family zoned districts which have historically included two-family and multi-family buildings.

2. Realigning lot widths and areas to match historic patterns which favored narrower lots.

3. Reducing setbacks to historic distances to allow greater use of existing lots.

4. Allowing accessory dwelling units (ADU's) by right for all single-family zoning districts.

5. Permitting residential uses within downtown and main street zoning districts.

6. Permitting residential uses, including multi-family, in commercial districts.

7. Managing residential density with building types not units per acre in each district.

8. Reducing or eliminating parking minimums.

9. Assessing and streamlining the subdivision and workforce housing application process, including standards that direct development outcomes and a time limit on municipal response.

Some of these changes have already been implemented by the City of Appleton, but others warrant modification yet. To learn more about these changes, click here.

Today, Bonnie met with Wendy Harris from NEW Mental Health Connection to learn more about a new initiative on social connectedness across the tri-county region of Calumet, Outagamie, and Winnebago counties. This initiative, which Bonnie has been invited to join, is bringing together a diverse group of community leaders who work with communities disproportionately impacted by disconnection and isolation, including older people, LGBTQ, BIPOC, immigrant, people with disabilities, and others to hear from these communities on what is needed to improve social connectedness at individual, community, and systemic levels. The result will be a report detailing recommended actions to improve social connectedness, which will include housing initiatives, to be disseminated to local nonprofits, health systems, schools, funding organizations, and other stakeholders, providing a map for future projects and sustaining and expanding existing efforts.

Weekly Update for 2-21-25

This was a pretty quiet week in terms of activities in the housing realm. Bonnie did attend the Fox Cities Housing Coalition's meeting on Wednesday and learned about HeadsUp, presented by their program director, Jennie Micke. HeadsUp is a program to support youth aged 16-24 as they age out of the fostercare system. Just a few stats to give you a sense of the dire circumstances these kids face: 20% end up homeless when they age out of the fostercare system, 70% of former fostercare females are pregnant before age 21 (clearly a highly vulnerable population), and housing remains one of the toughest needs to fill for this group of humans. Pillars has collaborated with HeadsUp on a program which can provide housing for up to 12 people aging out of fostercare, which is awesome, but there's still much need.

Bonnie has accepted an invitation to partner with Noel Halvorsen from NeighborWorks Green Bay to launch the Affordable Housing lever for the Faith-Based Housing Summit's ongoing work post-Summit . The gist of this work would be to bring together the faith communities that expressed an interest in housing issues at the Summit and begin work on creating next steps and a collective action plan regarding housing in our area.

ACTION STEP: Bonnie is pursuing more information about this upcoming meeting, but please plan to attend the March 18th meeting at the library to request the city add "cluster housing development" as an option to their Plan as well as other "missing middle" housing options. Thanks in advance!

Also, please tentatively save the date for Zion's rescheduled Roundtable meeting on Tuesday, March 11th, from 4:30-6 pm in the Fellowship Hall at Zion.

Weekly Update for 2-7-25

This week was filled with opportunities to connect with individuals and groups interested in housing issues. Bonnie met with Susan Garcia Franz, Winnebago County Community Health Strategist, to discuss housing and share with her a book Bonnie received from the Strong Towns group entitled Escaping the Housing Trap: The Strong Towns Response to the Housing Crisis written by Charles L. Marohn, Jr. and Daniel Herriges which offers a paradigm shift toward missing middle housing such as building duplexes, triplexes, and Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU's) to meet the overwhelming need for more housing.

Bonnie met via Zoom with the Affordable Housing Subcommittee of the Fox Cities Housing Coalition. The meeting was to share the current status of the Zion Project and Bonnie was asked if there was anything the Subcommittee could do to foster the much-needed housing being built on the Zion campus. Bonnie talked about the Strong Towns work and, at that time, couldn't think of specific action steps the Subcommittee could take on Zion's behalf; however, since that meeting, one opportunity has come to light! (See next paragraph).

Bonnie met via Teams with Colin Kafka, Principal Planner for the City of Appleton. The meeting was to clarify the information she had received from Colin's colleague, Lindsey Smith, another Principal Planner for the City, on Accessory Dwelling Units. Bonnie had been hoping that might be a route Zion could take for building multiple single-family homes densely situated on the open lots Zion owns. Colin educated Bonnie that the ADU's would not be a valid vehicle for accomplishing that goal, but her idea fit more with a "cluster housing development" which currently is not zoning that exists in Appleton's Comprehensive Plan. He indicated that, since the Comprehensive Plan is being updated, now is an ideal time to pursue this change to the Plan such that zoning could be modified to accommodate this type of building model. He also stated that, in addition to modifications to the zoning code, modifications to the building code might also be necessary. I stated that I had read in Escaping the Housing Trap that building codes are often not kept current with innovations to building methods and materials. He agreed and Bonnie offered to send him a copy of the book to read and share with his colleagues. The more people in positions of power who have a newer perspective, the better, so Bonnie will be sure they get a copy.

Bonnie then researched how to offer additional input to the Comprehensive Plan since the listening sessions she attended were several months ago. Interestingly, Lindsey Smith was listed as the contact person in an old email Bonnie found about the previous listening sessions. Following up with Lindsey yielded the following information: "Currently, we have not finalized specifics on housing recommendations for the Comprehensive Plan. The good news is the January 31st deadline was only for the first round of community engagement. We are planning another open house event on March 18th at the Library (Bold and italics are Bonnie's), save the date flyers should be finalized by end of next week to share with the public. At the March open house we will be asking more specific questions for style of housing within in our existing neighborhoods, along corridors, and new subdivisions on the north side."

ACTION STEP: Please plan to attend the March 18th meeting at the library to request the City add "cluster housing development" as an option to their Plan as well as other "missing middle" housing options. Thanks in advance!

Weekly Update for 1-31-25

Bonnie and Kandie met to discuss streamlining their work on the project and preparing for a Zoom meeting with Carrie Sanders from Hope Community Capital. Bonnie feels that because Kandie is a member of Zion and on the Council, she's uniquely positioned to stay on top of decisions that are being made that impact the project. We discussed what we needed from Carrie and what we felt could be accomplished prior to Zion's process of clarifying leadership being completed.

Bonnie and Kandie then participated in a Zoom meeting with Carrie Sanders from Hope Community Capital. The meeting was to clarify some Action Items to be worked on in the coming weeks. Kandie offered some updates on things related to our work, including that the search for a Pastor for Zion had been modified in some positive ways and preparations have been made for Zion's Annual Meeting with the congregation to inform them of current status. We came up with three main areas of focus, all of which will benefit the ongoing efforts to utilize Zion's campus and buildings more effectively. These include modifying the search for a Pastor from a part-time position to full-time, clearing and renting out spaces in the schools temporarily that are not being utilized by AASD, and continuing Carrie's work with Zion.