The Kenosha County Housing Task Force is continuing to gather information on strategies to boost available housing locally.

Established by the Kenosha Area Business Alliance and Kenosha County in late 2024, the task force includes 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.

Since the full Task Force’s first meeting in November, three subcommittees have been working on specific issues, collecting information and developing recommendations to help address the housing shortage in the county.

The subcommittee areas include:

• Financial tools.
• Zoning, planning and design standards.
• Marketing and promotions.

The most recent meeting, held at the Aurora Pleasant Prairie Ambulatory Surgery Center last week, included presentations on local and regional initiatives to address the housing shortage.

Presenters included leaders of Livable Kenosha, which reported on the results of a survey administered by KAC to determine the current state and future needs of housing for seniors and people with disabilities in Kenosha County.

University of Wisconsin Extension-Bayfield County Housing Outreach Specialist Kelly Westlund offered insights on developing community land trusts.

Kenosha County Geographic Information Systems Analyst Joshua Birndorf demonstrated a website application that the county is developing to allow for easier access to zoning and infrastructure information.

The Task Force subcommittees are expected to continue meeting throughout the summer to work on the action plan, which is anticipated to be rolled out toward the end of the year.

Read more at the Kenosha News.