By State Rep. Brent Jacobson

Wisconsin families are facing a housing crisis. Today, the median home costs $338,000, over 110 percent more than it was just ten years ago. The cost of a new home is even worse, with a median price of over $525,000!
This rising unaffordability has two major causes. First, Wisconsin is not building enough homes. While estimates show that Wisconsin will need at least 140,000 new housing units by 2030, our state has only produced around 11,700 per year since 2020. Second, bureaucratic red tape is driving up costs. Overburdensome regulations delay construction and increase the price of building housing, adding nearly $88,500 to the price tag of every new home.

Home ownership is a cornerstone of the American dream. It is simply unacceptable that young families and working-class Wisconsinites are being denied access to this critical milestone by soaring prices and red tape. This week, my colleagues and I proposed solutions, and voted to pass a package of bills that will make housing more affordable for everyday Wisconsinites.
One of these bills builds on work the Legislature has already done. Last session, the Assembly and State Senate established revolving loan programs to help developers build new housing and restore or convert vacant buildings across our state, however the requirements to access those loans prevented them from being used by developers and our communities. AB 194 modifies those requirements, ensuring this money can go out to increase housing supply.

Some of these bills make technical changes to make building and buying a home easier. AB 452 standardizes the approval process for building housing, removing barriers to applying for and beginning construction. AB 456 increases price transparency for people looking to purchase a home.
Other bills in this package would give municipalities the option to use Tax Increment Districts (TIDs) to build housing, reducing costs and thereby bringing home prices down. AB 451, which I am the second author of, allows cities, villages, and certain towns to create TIDs for one- or two-family homes. AB 453 allows municipalities to extend a TID for two years to finance residential construction. When I served in local government, I learned that TIDs can be a powerful tool to help our communities increase construction. I am excited that this tool could be used to help young families afford a new home!
Finally, AB 450 tackles red tape from bureaucrats, which will drive up the cost of building housing. On September 1st, the Department of Safety and Professional Services implemented changes to the Commercial Building Code that all new projects will have to meet. What this means is that construction that was approved by municipalities, and which would have been approved under the old code, will have to be delayed and redesigned. Make no mistake, this will make these projects more expensive, and that price will be passed onto consumers. AB 450 would ensure that projects submitted under the old code can proceed without expensive redesigns.
I was proud to vote “yes” on these solutions to Wisconsin’s housing crisis, and I look forward to continuing to work with my colleagues to help Wisconsin families achieve the dream of home ownership!