DANE COUNTY BOARD TO CONSIDER MORE SUPPORT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING

November 07, 2019
Lauren Kuhl, 608.283.1433
County Board

Six new projects before Board at its Thursday 7 p.m. meeting

 

Responding to the ongoing need for more affordable housing, the Dane County Board is poised to approve funding to assist six new apartment developments in Cottage Grove, Mount Horeb, Fitchburg and Madison.

 

The housing projects are among the key items before the County Board at its regular meeting in Room 201 of the City-County Building at 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in downtown Madison. The meeting begins at 7 p.m. and is open to the public.

 

In total, the six projects up for funding on Thursday will provide 559 units of new housing, with 461 units priced for those meeting income, age or disability guidelines. Monies will come from the county’s Affordable Housing Development Fund.

 

“Dane County already has a great track record of supporting affordable housing and I’m especially pleased to see more housing proposed throughout the area,” said County Board Chair Sharon Corrigan (District 26, Middleton). “This is a great example of how the county can partner with the private sector on projects that benefit all of our communities.”

 

The affordable housing funding proposals before the Board include:

 

  • $650,000 to Movin’ Out for the 70-unit Ace Apartments at 4602 Cottage Grove Road in Madison. The proposed project includes 59 1, 2, 3 and 4-bedroom units priced for individuals making between 30 percent and 50 percent of the County Median Income (CMI) and 11-units offered at market rate.

  • $1,550,000 to Movin’ Out for the 100-unit Glen Grove Apartments on Cottage Grove Road in the village of Cottage Grove. The project is a mix of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom units (affordable at 30 to 80 percent of CMI) with 20 percent of the units set aside for households where at least one family member has a disability.

  • $1,187,550 to MSP Real Estate for a 111-unit project at 1212 Huxley Street in Madison. Ninety-four units will be affordable units including 54 1-bedroom, 24 2-bedroom and 16 3-bedroom units.

  •   $1,350,000 to Gorman & Co. for the 58-unit Landsby Ridge project at 204 Blue Moon Street in Mount Horeb. 53 units will be affordable including 17 1-bedroom, 25 2- bedroom, and 11 3-bedroom units.

  • $450,000 to Gorman & Co. for the 87-unit Elderberry Place project at 8552 Elderberry Road in Madison. This project targets seniors (62+) with a disability, with 73 units designated as affordable including 50 1-bedroom and 23 2-bedroom units.

  • $2,050,000 to J.T. Klein for the 133-unit Limestone Ridge Apartments on Fitchrona Road south of McKee Road in Fitchburg. The project includes 82 affordable units including 50 1-bedroom, 19 2-bedroom and 13 3-bedroom units.

Established in 2015, the Dane County Affordable Housing Development Fund provides assistance to private sector real estate developers to keep monthly rents low for working families, the disabled, veterans, single parents and others struggling to make ends meet.

 

A recent report found Dane County has a severe affordable housing gap, with thousands of residents holding steady jobs or seniors living on fixed incomes paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent (https://communityoutreach.countyofdane.com/documents/housing/dane_county_housing_gap_fact_sheet.pdf). The report also found that 33 percent of renters here were unable to afford a two-bedroom apartment at market rates.

 

"Cottage Grove has no affordable housing options, unlike other municipalities in our county,” said Supervisor Melissa Ratcliff (District 36, Cottage Grove). “Movin' Out provides housing for veterans and families with disabilities and will reduce the housing gap in our community and county. I appreciate Dane County investing in Cottage Grove."

 

Also Thursday, the Board will consider emergency funds to cover the cost of repairs to area parks and trails from the severe flooding in the summer and fall of 2018. A $1 million Park and Trail Flood Repair Grant Program was included in the 2019 County Budget.

 

Projects in line for awards include the city of Middleton Pheasant Branch Creek Corridor restoration $500,000; village of Oregon Rotary Bike Trail relocation $173,536; Wolf Run Association Wolf Run Trail repair $82,738; town of Dunn Heritage Park restoration $29,885; town of Middleton Pope Farm Conservancy Restoration $105,000 and village of Black Earth Community Park restoration $108,841.

 

“These grants represent an investment in the partnerships with our local communities to provide recreation and commuting options,” said Corrigan.

Other items before the board Thursday include:

 

  • Authorizing a lease with Madison Gas & Electric Co. for an electric vehicle charging station at the Dane County Regional Airport.

  • Authorizing purchase of approximately 82 acres off County Highway V in the town of Vienna from the Koch Family Farm, LLC for $779,000 for flood control. Approximately 43 acres of the parcel is wetland and the remaining acreage is cropped.

  • Approving a 3 percent raise for County Board Supervisors to $11,227 and the County Board Chair to $53,045 effective the third Tuesday in April 2021. Those increases are in line with raises for county staff. Also, committee chairs will receive an additional $100 monthly for those extra duties.

     

The County Board will also be meeting on Monday, November 11, 2019 for budget deliberations.  The meeting is at 7:00pm in room 201 of the City-County Building, 210 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.