THE HOUSING HOUSING MARKET IS ON FIRE
AND ALONG WITH THAT THE COST OF
HOUSING.
IT'S BECAUSE DEMAND OUT STRIPS
SUPPLY.
THAT'S ESPECIALLY SO FOR
AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
THIS YEAR THE ANNUAL RURAL
SUMMIT PUT ON BY WISCONSIN RURAL
PARTNERS KICKED OFF ITS FIVE
SESSIONS, TALKING ABOUT HOUSING
AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT THE LACK OF
IT.
SPECIFIC TO THE RURAL HOUSING
LANDSCAPE.
WE'RE JOINED BY STEVE PETERSON
FROM WISCONSIN RURAL PARTNERS
AND HE JOINS US FROM KENDALL AND
THANKS A LOT FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> SO I HEARD IN THIS WEEK'S
SESSION OF YOUR SUMMIT THAT
SINCE THE GREAT RECESSION, JUST
NOT ENOUGH HOUSES WERE BEING
BUILT TO MEET DEMAND.
SO THIS IS A LONGSTANDING
PROBLEM.
HOW BIG OF A PROBLEM IS THIS
LACK OF HOUSING AND AFFORDABLE
HOUSING IN RURAL AREAS?
>> WELL, THE ONE THING WE'VE
SEEN IN THE RURAL AREAS IS IT'S
MULTIFACETED AS FAR AS WHERE ALL
THE SHORTAGES ARE COMING FROM.
ONE IS NOT ENOUGH HOUSES BEING
BUILT.
WE ALSO SEE THE BOOMERS THAT
WOULD GO INTO TRANSITIONAL
HOUSING AND DON'T WANT TO LEAVE
THEIR HOMETOWNS, SO THEY'RE
RETROING AIR HOUSES SO THEY HAVE
RAMPS AND EVERYTHING.
THEY'RE NOT MOVING.
SO THAT'S A PROBLEM.
AND THEN PRICES OF HOUSES ARE
JUST GOING CRAZY.
AS YOU KNOW, YOU LIST A HOUSE
AND YOU'LL HAVE FIVE OR SIX
OFFERS AND A LOT OF TIMES MORE
THAN WHAT YOU WERE LOOKING TO
GET FOR IT.
AND THAT'S CAUSING AN ISSUE TOO.
AND BIDDING BUILDING COSTS ARE HIGH.
THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS
ATTACKING THE MARKET FROM
DIFFERENT AREAS.
>> SO HOW WOULD MORE HOUSING
HELP CIEWRL ECONOMIES?
>> WELL, BECAUSE OF THE COVID
PANDEMIC WE FOUND YOU CAN BE
PRETTY PORTABLE WHEN IT COMES TO
WORKING FROM HOME.
WE THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
LEAVING THE URBAN AREAS AND
WANTING TO MOVE INTO THOSE RURAL
AREAS.
THEY WANT TO BE CLOSER TO LAKES
AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS.
WE'RE SEEING SMALL TOWN
COMMUNITIES, IF THEY CAN HAVE
BROADBAND IN PLACE, YOU'LL SEE
PEOPLE WANTING TO MOVE FROM THE
BIG CITIES TO THE RURAL AREAS.
I THINK THE RURAL AREAS HAVE AN
OPPORTUNITY TO GROW QUICKLY IF
THEY CAN KEEP THE INFRASTRUCTURE
GOING TO KEEP UP WITH DEMAND.
RIGHT NOW WE GOT TO GET HOUSING
STARTED AND BUILT.
WE DON'T HAVE THE DEVELOPERS WE
USED TO HAVE.
THAT NEVER CAME BACK FROM THAT
2008 BUBBLE BURST.
>> IT WAS ALSO INTERESTING TO
UNDERSTAND THE IMPLICATION OF
HOW SECOND HOMES AND THE
CONVERSION OF EXISTING HOMES TO
SHORT-TERM RENTALS PULLS EVEN
MORE UNITS OUT OF THE HOUSING
STOCK IN IEWRL IEWRL AREAS.
YOU TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE COMING
BACK TO THE LAKES, BUT HOW DOES
OUT-MIGRATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE IN
RURAL WISCONSIN EXACERBATE THIS
PROBLEM OF MAINTAINING VIBRANT
COMMUNITIES?
>> WELL, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE
LOOKING AT THE YOUNGER
GENERATION OF YOUR WORKFORCE,
THEY'RE NOT LOOKING FOR THE BIG
HOUSES.
YOU KNOW, THEY'D LIKE TO HAVE A
LOFT.
THEY'D LIKE TO LIVE UP ABOVE A
BUILDING, A STOREFRONT.
SO YOU'VE GOT THAT COMPONENT TO
WORK WITH.
BUT WE'RE SEEING THE COMEBACK OF
SOME OF OUR YOUNGER GENERATION
THAT LEAVE.
THEY WANT TO SEE WHAT LIFE IS
REALLY ABOUT, BUT THEN ALL OF A
SUDDEN THEY WANT TO SETTLE DOWN
BACK IN THEIR HOME AREAS.
WE'RE SEEING THAT EFFECT WHERE
PEOPLE HAVE LEFT AND THEY'VE
MAYBE GOTTEN A TASTE OF LIFE AND
NOW WANT TO GO BACK HOME WHERE
THEY HAVE ALL THE GOOD MEMORIES.
IF WE CAN GET THE BROADBAND AND
GET COMPANIES THAT ARE
COMFORTABLE HAVING PEOPLE LIVE
IN RURAL AREAS, I THINK THEY
HAVE TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL IF WE
CAN JUST GET THE DEMAND COVERED
BY GETTING SOME OF THESE HOMES
BUILT.
WE'RE WORKING HARD ON THAT
THROUGH WISCONSIN RURAL
PARTNERS.
>> WHAT OTHER TOPICS ARE COMING
UP IN YOUR SERIES?
>> IT'S ALL DOVETAILING TOGETHER
ON HOW CAN WE MAKE RURAL
COMMUNITIES STRONGER?
HOW CAN THEY RECOVER FROM THE
PANDEMIC AND WORK TOGETHER IN
CLABCOLLABORATION?
WE'RE SEEING MORE REGIONS
COLLABORATING, SHARING RESOURCES
AND REVENUE STREAMS.
SO WE'RE PUSHING THAT A LOT
MORE.
WE'RE GOING TO BE TALKING ABOUT
HOW TO MAKE YOUR COMMUNITY MORE
IDEA-FRIENDLY.
HOW CAN YOU WORK TOGETHER AS
GROUPS AND QUIT HAVING MEETINGS
TO HAVE MEETINGS AND HOW ABOUT
IF WE ROLL OUR SLEEVES UP AND
ACTUALLY MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.
OUR BIGGEST SESSION WILL BE
COMING UP ON MAY 19 AND THAT'S
BROADBAND IN YOUR BACKYARD.
WE ANTICIPATE A HUGE AMOUNT OF
ATTENDEES AND WE'RE COVERING
BROADBAND IN THAT SESSION.
>> WE'LL BE DOING SOME REPORTING
AROUND THAT COMING UP LATER THIS
MONTH.
STEVE PETERSON, THANK YOU SO
MUCH AND THANKS FOR YOUR WORK.
>> THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT AND
HELPING RURAL PARTNERS GET THE
WORD OUT.
LET'S GET