PESHTIGO – The City of Peshtigo hosted a public input session regarding the concept plans for the Crossing Point Property.
This Crossing Point Property is a collaborative effort led by inVenture North, Marinette County Tourism and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to construct affordable workforce housing in Peshtigo on a city-owned plot, located at West Front Street and Hale Road. Affordable workforce housing refers to whether or not the “available housing stock meets the needs of the area residents’ incomes,” according to the presentation.
After City of Peshtigo Mayor Katie Berman introduced the project and explained that no permanent decisions were being made at this stage, Cedar Corporation Senior Planner Eric Fowle broke down why this additional housing is needed, how this extra housing can be introduced and what needs to be done to make this plan a reality.
Fowle explained that the affordability of new home ownership is of significant concern for Peshtigo area residents.
One method for determining what affordable housing is comes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. They use the “30% rule,” which states that a household should spend no more than 30% of its gross annual or monthly income on total housing costs.
For this project, the rule is applied to households earning between 60% and 120% of the County Median Income (CMI). This means a two-person household earning $89,160 per year could afford $2,229 per month in total housing costs. On the other end, a two-person household earning $44,580 per year could afford $1,115 per month.
However, with new home construction costs hovering between $165,000 and $275,000 — excluding land and infrastructure — building homes that average working people can afford is extremely difficult.
“We’re talking about the average person — firefighters, teachers and nurses — those folks that make decent money, but even nowadays it’s still a big challenge to be able to afford to purchase a house,” Fowle said.
When asked by members of the public if additional housing was even needed, Berman shared that around 75% of staff at the Peshtigo school live outside of the district due to housing constraints. She added that other businesses — like Rennes — have spoken with her regarding limited housing for employees.
“If people live here and work here, they have more buy in,” she said.
Fowle connected this lack of affordable housing with an overall lack of housing in the city. He said that due to younger people delaying the age in which they have children and seniors desiring to live independently longer that there is a missing gap of small — around 1,500 sq. ft. — homes in the city.
These financial constraints and lifestyle changes have made it apparent to the people working on this project that Peshtigo is in need of affordable workforce housing.
The Crossing Point Workforce Housing Project site is located at the edge of town near the train tracks on West Front St. and Hale Rd. It consists of approximately 7.2 acres located along the Peshtigo River.
Berman and Fowle both said that this location would allow for the creation of a new community within the city, which also means there are many factors to consider.
The site already had a variety of existing infrastructure components, like adjacent municipal water and sewer mains for easy connection.
Aspects that would be needed include streets and sidewalks, curbs and gutters, shutoff meters and stormwater ponds. Other aspects are included in the plans, but are not a requirement or housing necessity. This includes recreational paths, a storm shelter/recreational pavilion, a playground and a public kayak launch.
The estimated costs of infrastructure for either of the two main concept plans are approximately $2.6 million, with a significant portion being the construction of the shelter/pavilion at $650,000.
The proposed housing options would majoritively be 1,000 sq. ft. single family homes with one or two bedrooms. In December of 2025, the Cedar Corp. projected that the construction price — if built at grade and without a garage — would range from $165,000 to $215,000. The infrastructure cost per home would be around $75,000.
Fowle said that this infrastructure cost would greatly raise the price of the homes because the developer would place that cost on the homeowner.
Some of the options he shared to mitigate these costs could include providing incentives to a developer — such as reducing land acquisition costs — using tax increment funding and applying for grants.
Members of the public questioned if these houses would be attractive to buyers without garages and basements and if they can be added.
Berman responded that these aspects can be added, but the more complex the housing becomes the more expensive it would be.
She also responded to questions regarding the scope of the project and whether or not it could begin with just a few houses.
Berman said that multiple “phases” would add to mobilization of construction costs, but ultimately it would be up to the developer. She reiterated that nothing is being decided right now, but all options are being explored.
Berman and Fowle wrapped up the meeting by previewing the next steps of the Crossing Point Property project.
Once the city council endorses a concept plan, the project team can promote the site, meet with developers, evaluate infrastructure funding options and vote on proactively re-zoning the property to residential housing.
The plans for affordable workforce housing at the Crossing Point Property will be discussed at the March 3 council meeting at 6 p.m. at city hall.
Until then, Berman urged anyone with questions, concerns or additional input to reach out to her.
“Every piece of input matters, we’re not trying to rush into anything. This project isn’t necessarily for me, but for my kids. It’s their future we’re planning,” she shared.
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