Rep. Rob Brooks has announced a package of bills to build on last session’s bipartisan housing legislation and efforts to boost affordable housing in Wisconsin.
Brooks, who chairs the Assembly Housing and Real Estate Committee, led a series of housing bills Gov. Tony Evers signed into law in 2023. The package sought to address the state’s housing shortage, setting aside $525 million for affordable housing development loans.
At a Capitol press conference yesterday, Brooks joined fellow Republicans and stakeholders in announcing the latest effort.
Brooks said Wisconsin is in an affordable housing crisis.
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“We can’t operate and move Wisconsin forward if we can’t address affordable housing. It’s something that affects both rural and urban communities,” Brooks said.
Brooks said he expects cooperation with Evers’ office and bipartisan support again this session. A spokesperson for Evers’ told WisPolitics the guv’s office hasn’t given Brooks any indication Evers supports the bills, adding the office still needs to review them.
Those who spoke in support of the legislation at the press conference included representatives from the Wisconsin Realtors Association, Wisconsin Builders Association, and Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, and Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein, D-Middleton, did not immediately return requests for comment on the package.
Some of the proposals include bills:
- Clarifying that the commercial building code updated in August applies to public buildings, structures or places of employment if the plans for them are submitted for compliance no later than April 1, 2026;
- Establishing a condominium conversion grant program to award grants of up to $50,000 per parcel of land to convert multifamily housing into condominiums;
- Enabling cities and villages to establish workforce housing tax increment districts, allowing a portion of the tax increment from new homes to be used to offset infrastructure costs;
- Establishing mandatory rezoning for certain requests related to residential development and allowing the duration of a tax increment district to be extended for up to two years for housing stock improvement; and
- Creating a workforce home loan program to help first-time home buyers by providing loans up to $60,000.
