New Election, New Opportunities + October Recap

Ken.Smith

2 days ago

5 min read

fall foliage in Rhinelander, Wisconsin during housing summit — The last of fall colors in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, on October 14, 2026, as part of Ken's visit to the North Woods.

What I’m Watching

How Money Works (YouTube): How American Real Estate Is Delaying the Inevitable… For Now…
Breaking Points (YouTube): Worst Housing Market on Record
Pew (YouTube): ADUs Create Housing Options in Existing Communities
Breaking Points (YouTube): Saagar rips Boomer Who Says He Shouldn’t Pay Property Tax
Casual Finance (YouTube): The Money Squeeze That’s Choking the Economy
City Beautiful (YouTube): How to Be the Best Trick or Treat Neighborhood

What I’m Reading

Quartz: Millennials are buying homes too late to build wealth like their parents did
New York Times: Life Feeling Too Expensive? It’s Not Just You. And It’s Not Just Inflation
Urban Milwaukee: City Backs Free Designs to Jumpstart Backyard Carriage Homes
Milwaukee Business Journal: Zenith condo tower lands early buyers
Cap Times: Madison approves west side housing project despite neighbor concerns
Cap Times: Madison rezones 4,000 properties to help home projects, cut paperwork
State Smart Transportation Initiative: When driving is necessary, it isn’t freedom

The Results Are In.

Wisconsin has a new governor and a new legislative majority.

While it is an exciting time to push for change, we will continue to work in a nonpartisan manner to achieve land use reform and make it easier to produce more housing (even with changes in party control). As I mentioned back in February, toward the end of the 2025-2026 Legislative Session, housing enjoys a seemingly rare status these days of being a bipartisan issue, even if there is disagreement on many of the details.

Before the 2027-2028 Legislative Session begins, we will continue engagement with the public and legislators to advocate for the land use reforms we know must happen to help restore reasonable housing prices and make our communities better places to live.

Oneida County Economic Development Corporation (OCEDC) Annual Fall Summit

Rhinelander

As part of that engagement, I drove to the North Woods and attended the Oneida County Economic Development Corporation’s annual fall summit in Rhinelander on October 14. There I advocated for land use reform so that the community has sufficient housing so workers need not drive for hours. More housing would help attract and retain teachers and medical professionals in the area. Building on already developed land would not necessitate additional infrastructure like roads, sidewalks, water, or sewer.

Wisconsin Climate Action Navigators (WI-CAN) Conference Stevens Point

On October 26-27, Ali and Executive Director Trevor Roark attended the Wisconsin Climate Action Network’s (WI-CAN) annual statewide gathering in Stevens Point. It was valuable to connect with other organizations across Wisconsin focused on sustainability goals.

From a housing perspective, one key takeaway was how energy costs factor into overall housing affordability. While our conversations often focus on housing prices, supply factors, and mortgage rates, energy efficiency is another important piece of the affordability equation. Learning about home retrofits, energy-efficient design and construction, and renewable technologies like solar and geothermal heat pumps highlighted opportunities to help homeowners reduce their long-term costs.

During one breakout session, we explored how the WEDC Green Innovation Fund could support more sustainable housing through ideas like a revolving loan fund for home improvements or pre-approved building plans that incorporate energy-efficient and environmentally friendly design principles. We even discussed the role manufactured housing could play in sustainable building, proposing a green design contest to highlight the role pre-fab housing will play in a more sustainable future. Do you have ideas here? Let's chat!

WI-CAN 2026 Conference in Stevens Point
WI-CAN 2026 Conference in Stevens Point
WI-CAN 2026 Conference in Stevens Point
WI-CAN 2026 Conference in Stevens Point
WI-CAN 2026 Conference in Stevens Point

Community Housing Academy

Milwaukee

Our first Community Housing Academy wrapped up last month in Milwaukee. It was facilitated by our former Community Engagement Manager Tehila Cohen and also Montavius Jones of Narvarte Development and Together for Homes. Don't miss it: Montavius wrote a compelling piece on how we should see homes differently.

October 14

To continue where I left off last month, on October 14, our CHA learned the rules behind housing development. University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee urban planning professor Lauren Nolan presided over CHA participants playing the Zone! game, which was developed by staff of the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point Center for Land Use Education. Afterward, Nolan gave an introductory lecture on zoning, describing it as the set of “rules” for how land use is governed at the local level. Upon conclusion of Nolen’s lecture, participants heard from a guest panel consisting of Connor Goggans, real estate project manager for the Milwaukee County Housing Division; Emily Wagner, city planner for the City of West Allis (who won Strong Towns’ Strongest Town competition this year); Tanya Fonseca, planning director for the City of Milwaukee; and Matt McGovern, trustee of the Village of Shorewood. They explained their perspectives on housing development in their respective communities and showed how housing is developed from the municipal side of things.

October 21

So that future advocates may understand how legislative change happens, on October 21, the Community Development Alliance’s Johanna Jimenez shared her own homeownership journey and how legislation passes at the municipal and state levels and how to push for change. Following Johanna, Franz Meyer and Kiante Shields of Common Ground shared the basics of how their group organizes for change in the name of the public good and how Common Ground and Tenants United have yielded practical results compelling landlords to be accountable in maintaining their properties to a safe and dignified standard for tenants. The method Common Ground uses can be utilized by others who organize.

October 28

Tehila Cohen, Montavius Jones, Ken Smith pose together at the Milwaukee Community Housing Academy

Finally, on October 28, Ali joined us in Milwaukee as participants shared their final projects with the group and a few community guests.

Final projects reflected the range of housing issues facing the greater Milwaukee area and the creative thinking needed to address them. Some topics included: strengthening homeownership and home repair programs, reducing barriers to building affordable homes, helping neighborhoods navigate new housing developments, housing stability for people returning from incarceration, and policies that could help residents manage rising energy costs. Ultimately, participants were unified by a desire to make housing better for their community. Special thanks to Tehila for seeing through the end of the CHA even after she started her new position.