HOUSING STUDY AND NEEDS ASSESSMENT City of Chetek, Wisconsin 2019 West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission This page is intentionally left blank. Acknowledgements We want to thank the residents, employees and staff in the City of Chetek who invested their time on this project and provided insight into the housing needs of the City and County. A special thank you to Dave Armstrong, Executive Director of the Barron County Economic Development Corporation, for his assistance and efforts to the project, specifically his help in coordinating the employee workforce survey. This study was funded in part by the Wisconsin Department of Administration, Division of Energy, Housing and Community Resources through a Community Development Block Grant. i | P a g e This page is intentionally left blank. ii | Page Table of Contents Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................................ i Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................................... iii I. Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 1 a. Study Scope .......................................................................................................................................... 1 b. Defining Affordable ................................................................................................................................ 2 c. Addressing Low- and Moderate-Income (LMI) Housing ....................................................................... 2 d. Planning Process .................................................................................................................................. 3 e. Data Sources, Methods, and Limitations .............................................................................................. 4 II. Demographics and Economics ................................................................................................................ 5 a. Demographic Trends ............................................................................................................................. 5 b. Income and Cost of Living Trends ........................................................................................................ 9 c. Renter Profile ...................................................................................................................................... 11 d. Owner Profile ...................................................................................................................................... 11 e. Other Economic Trends ...................................................................................................................... 12 III. Housing Supply ..................................................................................................................................... 16 a. Housing Counts and Characteristics ................................................................................................... 16 b. Renter-Occupied Housing ................................................................................................................... 17 c. Owner-Occupied Housing ................................................................................................................... 17 d. Other Housing ..................................................................................................................................... 18 e. Conditions and Rehabilitation Potential .............................................................................................. 20 IV. Land Availability and Development Costs ............................................................................................ 23 a. Land Availability .................................................................................................................................. 23 b. Land Use Planning and Regulations ................................................................................................... 24 c. Land Development Costs .................................................................................................................... 24 d. Property Taxes .................................................................................................................................... 25 e. Other Factors Influencing Construction Costs .................................................................................... 25 V. Housing Needs and Analysis ................................................................................................................. 28 a. Lifecycle Housing Stages .................................................................................................................... 28 b. Overall Housing Market ....................................................................................................................... 31 c. Current Rental Market ......................................................................................................................... 35 d. Current Home Ownership Market ....................................................................................................... 43 e. Housing Demand Projections ............................................................................................................. 52 f. Additional Growth Opportunities .......................................................................................................... 57 VI. Housing Influence on Workforce: Attraction & Retention ..................................................................... 58 VII. City of Chetek Housing Priorities ......................................................................................................... 59 VIII. Recommended Housing Goals ........................................................................................................... 60 iii | P a g e a. Rental Housing .................................................................................................................................... 60 b. Owner / “For Sale” Housing ................................................................................................................ 62 IV. Recommended Housing Strategies ...................................................................................................... 65 a. Take Action to ‘Narrow the Gap’ by working both ends of the housing cost equation. ...................... 65 b. Support Diverse Housing for Special Population Groups ................................................................... 68 c. Planning and Regulation ..................................................................................................................... 70 d. Education and Collaboration ............................................................................................................... 72 Appendices Appendix A: Workforce Housing Survey Barron County Appendix B: City of Chetek Development Potential Map Appendix C: Housing Snapshot - City of Chetek and Barron County iv | P a g e List of Tables Table 1 Population Change 1970-2017 ........................................................................................................ 5 Table 2 Basic Demographic Indicators of Housing Demand, 2016 (Barron County communities) .............. 6 Table 3 Race & Ethnicity 2016 (Barron County & City of Chetek) ................................................................ 9 Table 4 Select Income Statistics 2016 .......................................................................................................... 9 Table 5 Household Incomes 2016 (City of Chetek & Barron County) ........................................................ 10 Table 6 Renter-Occupied Housing Units 2016 (City of Chetek) ................................................................. 11 Table 7 Owner-Occupied Housing Units, 2016 (City of Chetek) ................................................................ 12 Table 8 Employment by Industry, 2010 to 2016 (Barron County)............................................................... 13 Table 9 2017 Median Earnings for Top 10 Occupations (Barron County) .................................................. 13 Table 10 Travel Time to Work 1990 to 2016 (Barron County) .................................................................... 15 Table 11 Housing Characteristics 1990 to 2016 (City of Chetek) ............................................................... 16 Table 12 Manufactured Home Parks .......................................................................................................... 19 Table 13 Example Lot Costs from Actual Development 2007 .................................................................... 24 Table 14 Rental vs. Owner Housing Mix, 2017.......................................................................................... 31 Table 15 Rental Market Supply Trends, 2017 ............................................................................................ 35 Table 16 Renter-Occupied Housing Affordability by Monthly Contract Rent, 2016 (City of Chetek) .......... 39 Table 17 Ownership Market Supply Trends, 2017 ..................................................................................... 44 Table 18 Owner-Occupied Housing Affordability by Cost 2016