Racine Sun

A new 45-page report has revealed several ways the State of Wisconsin could clear any hurdles in the way of the path to building additional affordable housing for low-income families.

The report called "Enabling Better Places: A User's Guide to Neighborhood Affordability" has also garnered support from organizations representing builders, realtors, commercial developers, municipalities and planners, according to the Racine County Eye.

"Whether it was big Falls or Milwaukee, there is a housing crisis everywhere in Wisconsin. In most cases, it was lack of housing that people with good, local jobs could afford," Jerry Deschane, Wisconsin League of Municipalities, said in the article. "This is a very Wisconsin-specific cookbook of ways local government can make workforce, affordable housing more possible."

Some of the report's recommendations include: Shrinking large lot sizes, allowing multi-unit buildings in areas zoned for single-family dwellings, allow multifamily construction in commercial areas and prioritize the municipal review of affordable housing and workforce applications, according to the article.

One of the biggest concerns officials currently have is whether Wisconsin voters will object to the idea right away, or be open to the idea of making change, the article noted.

The report also offered tips about how to both communicate with people who are renters, according to the article.