A $200,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation will help the Village of Elkhart Lake move forward on two housing developments providing badly-needed affordable housing. The Idle Site Redevelopment Grant program is an initiative of the WEDC to address housing needs in rural Wisconsin, an issue that is critical to the economies of smaller communities often facing special challenges.
Elkhart Lake will use its funds to cover demolition and infrastructure costs related to the development on a former Sheboygan County Highway site on South Lincoln Street. Plans include a 50-unit development providing affordable housing for seasonal workers as well as veterans and people with disabilities, while the other will consist of 70 townhomes with no income restrictions.
Village Administrator and Clerk Jessica Reilly said that, “We’re a resort community with a lot of hospitality industries, so we’re hoping this will help a lot of those employees struggling to find places to live. We don’t have a lot of apartments in the village. With these two apartment developments, we’re hoping to expand who can come here to live and work.”
Other grant recipients include Ladysmith, which will invest its $200,000 grant towards conversion of a former elementary school into 40 rental units for workforce housing, and Rhinelander, which will use $228,000 to convert a former motel into a 31-unit apartment building.
From the program’s inception in 2013 through January 2023 WEDC has awarded nearly $45.2 million in CDI grants for 215 projects expected to generate more than $879 million in capital investments statewide.
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