(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Assembly approved its housing plan, but without a carve-out for communes.
State representatives voted on a series of plans they say will make housing more affordable and accessible across the state. Most of them make technical changes, but one plan got plenty of attention.
AB 455 would set aside $7 million in state taxpayer money to help take apartment buildings or other multi-family homes and turn them into condos.
Originally, it included language that made references to communes as well.
That angered Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater.
“What the hell is going on,” Nass wrote when four Republican lawmakers voted for the housing package, including the commune language.
The Republican-controlled Assembly eventually voted at the last minute to cut the commune language.
One of the Republicans who voted for the housing-plus-commune language, state Rep. Jim Piwowarczyk, R-Hubertus, said he idea of the entire package is to make housing more affordable.
“Wisconsin’s lagging behind the national average when it comes to new housing units per capita,” Piwowarczyk said. “It’s time to turn that around.”
He said the median home price has jumped from $160,500 in 2015 to $338,000 today and homeownership has “become out of reach for many people just starting out.”
Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Markesan, said the other focus on the housing package is to get government out of the way.
“Government red tape almost always leads to more problems, especially when it comes to housing,” Dallman said. “By removing unnecessary barriers at the local level and creating a more transparent, accountable permitting process, we can help grow Wisconsin’s housing market and give more families a place to call home.”
The whole housing package now heads to the Wisconsin Senate.
