By Jen Walker & Sharon Johnson, Madison For More Neighbors
Madison For More Neighbors March Recap:
We hosted a small but dynamic group at our Community Conversation on March 19th at the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center. Participants shared enthusiasm and alignment around the goal of increasing Madison’s housing supply.
Alders and city staff in attendance demonstrated strong collaboration and shared commitment to expanding Madison’s housing supply. While state-level preemption remains a major constraint, participants discussed opportunities for local leadership.
Key topics included: missing middle housing, market and construction cost barriers, and the potential for city-led pilot projects on publicly owned land. Engagement with faith communities emerged as a promising and unifying strategy for pro-housing advocacy. There is also growing support for eliminating parking minimums, though success will depend on effective messaging to address neighborhood concerns and reduce barriers faced by developers and lenders.
Potential Next Steps
- Continue engaging alders and city staff to leverage leadership and momentum
- Deepen conversations with stakeholders focused on housing market conditions and missing middle development
- Center renter needs and protections for vulnerable communities more explicitly in housing discussions
- Explore future faith-based housing conversations
- Assess opportunities to support city-led housing pilots and parking reform efforts
Join the Next Community Conversation on Housing!
Join Jen & Sharon for a free, solutions-focused event hosted by Habitat for Humanity of Dane County that brings together community, business, and government leaders to address barriers to affordable housing in Dane County. Explore diverse perspectives, build connections, and move this work forward together. Register Here.
- Turning A Key to Homeownership: A Community Conversation on Affordable Housing
- Wednesday, April 22, 8a-11:15a
- Madison, WI (in-person or virtual)
Do you know someone who would want to be part of future conversations? Invite them to sign up for the Madison for More Neighbors email list!
Interested in the topic of state-level preemption and statewide policy reform? Connect with 1000 Friends of Wisconsin’s new Housing Onward statewide initiative!