City of Middleton

Summary: In 2003 the mayor of the City of Middleton appointed a task force to study the housing needs of the city’s workforce and make recommendations to address those needs. Following release of the task force report, the Partnership signed a consulting contract with the City to implement several of the task force’s proposals.

Staff contact: Katherine Kamp

Wisconsin Partnership's role: Consultant

Status of work: Ongoing

In 2003, one of the first official acts of newly elected Mayor Doug Zwank of the City of Middleton was to create an Affordable Housing Task Force. Housing that meets the needs of Middleton workers with a wide range of incomes was one of his top priorities. In addition to the mayor and city alders, task force members included a builder, an architect, representatives of nonprofit organizations, a former mayor and long-term city residents.

As task force members began their work, the Partnership escorted them on a tour of The Uplands, our development project in Sun Prairie. The task force concluded that The Uplands could serve as a model for some of Middleton’s workforce housing efforts.

The task force released its goals and objectives in early 2004 with a prominent focus on housing options for all kinds of community workers. The emphasis was on balanced growth that would include rental and ownership housing for a range of incomes, life situations, and cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

In November 2004, the Partnership entered into a consulting contract with Middleton to help implement some of the task force recommendations. The scope of services has three components:

• Seek, apply for and manage grant funds from government, nonprofit and other sources to implement the city’s down payment assistance program.
• Manage the down payment assistance program to facilitate home ownership by city residents with incomes between 40% and 80% of the county median income.
• Facilitate partnerships among private, nonprofit and public entities for the production of workforce housing. For example, at the request of the City, the Partnership might assist a for-profit developer in producing and selling affordable homes within a larger development project.