Advocacy

Various issues and initiatives the committee has undertaken:

City of Appleton Housing Development Policy Guide

The City of Appleton’s economic development team, in collaboration with consulting firm Green Bicycle Co. and members of Mayor Jake Woodford’s Taskforce on Housing Development Policy recently finalized a new Housing Development Policy Guide.

This endeavor, which was finalized in March 2024, utilized the expertise of selected internal and external stakeholders to identify opportunities for refinement and improvement of City of Appleton housing-centric policies, processes and communication. Thank you to HBA Fox Cities CEO Heidi Zich for serving on the Mayor’s Task Force along with member Tom Rooney, Mark Winter Homes, as well as to HBAFC members who participated in the various focus groups.

Housing Strategy

In 2022, Outagamie County initiated a process to develop a housing strategy focused on supporting housing production, housing affordability, and the diversity of housing options in the Fox Cities/Greater Outagamie County region. Recommendations in the strategy were established by a housing advisory task force composed of municipal representatives, housing service providers, home builders, Home Builders Association of the Fox Cities, Realtors Association of NE WI, and other stakeholders from across our region. The strategy is intended to promote a healthier housing system by catalyzing intergovernmental and public-private collaboration throughout our region. Click to view the final Housing Strategy for Fox Cities and Greater Outagamie County.

Housing Now Coalition Created

In June 2023, Home Builders Association of the Fox Cities and REALTORS® Association of Northeast Wisconsin (RANW) spearheaded the launch of Housing Now Coalition (HNC), along with an advertising campaign to raise public awareness of the current housing crisis and to advocate for creative solutions to provide more housing for everyone. The coalition is comprised of stakeholders from across Northeast Wisconsin including RANW, builders associations, local chambers of commerce, economic development groups, businesses and other trade organizations. For more information about HNC, click here.

New-home Construction 101

In February 2024, Home Builders Association of the Fox Cities (HBAFC) and REALTORS® Association of Northeast Wisconsin (RANW) coordinated a New-home Construction 101 session for members, which was presented by Tom Rooney, Mark Winter Homes. Nearly 200 members of both HBAFC and RANW gathered to learn the basic in’s and out’s of selling new construction houses. After the presentation, participants broke into smaller groups for more specific discussion on particular topics.  

Appleton Building Inspection Survey

The Housing Advocacy Committee worked with the City of Appleton to heighten awareness of delays and inconsistencies within the building inspections department regarding application of building codes to new construction and various home improvement projects. This resulted in a survey initiated by the City’s Inspection Department for which the public could provide anonymous feedback regarding both negative and positive experiences. These responses are then used to help in the evaluation of staff performance.

Appleton Special Assessment Policies

The Housing Advocacy Committee was successful in lowering the interest charged to homeowners for deferred special assessments from 9% to a percent that is based upon the prime interest rate at the time of the special assessment. In addition, the Association was successful in advocating that the City of Appleton adopt a policy by which homeowners of new construction would be assessed for costs of road installation rather than being billed by the developer. This allowed for better transfer of information regarding future assessments during real estate transactions as well as providing homeowners the additional option of paying in installments rather than one lump sum. 

NEWSC Model Stormwater Ordinance

The Housing Advocacy Committee worked closely with the Northeast Wisconsin Stormwater Consortium regarding their proposed Model Stormwater Ordinance for communities throughout NE WI. The committee advocated to both NEWSC and participating communities to refrain from adopting provisions that were stricter than the state requirements which would negatively impact private property rights and unnecessarily increase the costs of housing. 

Outagamie County Airport Overlay District

The Housing Advocacy Committee fought against zoning department policy changes that prohibited stormwater ponds within the airport overlay district; advocating for continued used of best management practices for waterfowl deterrents outlined in the FAA manual and utilized by other airports throughout the state of Wisconsin and the country.   

Outagamie County Plat Approval Process

The Housing Advocacy Committee worked with various Outagamie County representatives to develop a framework which more clearly outlined the process and timeline for Outagamie County’s plat approval process. The new policy outlines what benchmarks County staff will be held accountable to, and offers some clarity for those seeking preliminary plat approval regarding what to expect through the process. 

Planning

Reviewing and monitoring communities’ comprehensive plans, zoning and subdivision ordinances.

Wetland/Floodplain Regulation

Members testified at the State Capitol on two bills in the legislature, SB 600 and AB 547.

Workforce Housing

Educating local communities about the need to increase the supply of available housing, as well as the affordability of housing for all income levels, and how local regulations and fees impact the housing supply.