Kenosha County Executive Samantha Kerkman is sponsoring a Comprehensive Housing Study and Needs Assessment to support the efforts of the Kenosha County Housing Task Force, Kerkman and Kenosha Area Business Alliance President Nicole Ryf announced today.
This comes as the Task Force — a joint effort led by the county and KABA — is developing recommendations and strategies to increase the availability of housing for people of all income levels across Kenosha County.
“In doing this work, the Task Force has found it needs more data to inform its work,” Kerkman said. “By conducting this study, we aim to learn more about the strengths, weaknesses, and needs in our housing market, so we have a clearer picture of how our public and private partners can work together to grow our housing stock to meet our growing needs. I appreciate the ongoing support from our Task Force members, and from Chairman Monica Yuhas and the County Board.”
Following a process that involved interviews with several consulting firms, Schaumburg, Ill.-based Tracy Cross & Associates was selected to conduct the study. This firm, Ryf noted, has familiarity with the market here as it has completed similar past studies for developers and municipalities within Kenosha County and has also recently completed a study for Racine County and the Racine County Economic Development Corporation.
“This study is an important step in aligning housing availability with the needs of our workforce and growing economy,” Ryf said. “It also directly supports the priorities identified by the Kenosha County Housing Task Force, which has brought together leaders from the business, government, nonprofit, and development communities to better understand our housing challenges and opportunities.”
“By building a stronger data-driven foundation, we can move forward with strategies that expand housing options and support the long-term success of both our residents and our employers,” Ryf added.
The study is to include the following components:
- Determine the housing market for Kenosha County in the next five to 10 years.
- Create conclusions about the marketability of each type of housing that is needed.
- Offer specific design, product, and rental rate/pricing recommendations.
- Offer a geographic positioning strategy for the introduction of new housing products throughout the county, segmented by submarkets and municipality.
- Offer specific action items necessary to implement recommendations, such as building/developer selection.
The Kenosha County Housing Task Force was established in late 2024, in partnership between KABA and the county.
Task Force members include developers, municipal and nonprofit leaders, financing experts, real estate agents, large employers, and other community members interested in encouraging more available housing throughout the county.
“The Task Force was designed to develop tools and solutions that could be implemented locally to help address the housing shortage for all income levels,” said Savannah Meyers, who is helping to facilitate the group in her role as Community Development Educator with Extension Kenosha County.
“Our current research shows a need for a wide range of housing types, and this study will deliver new, detailed data that we can act on,” Meyers said. “It will help us better understand local housing needs, to educate the public and decision-makers, and clearly demonstrate our specific priorities to developers.”
More information about the task force and its ongoing work is available at https://www.kenoshacountywi.gov/HousingTaskForce.