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Chequamegon Bay
Chequamegon Bay is the third and final community to participate in the rural affordable workforce housing pilot process. The Chequamegon Bay pilot includes the counties of Ashland and Bayfield and the Tribal Nations of Red Cliff and Bad River. The Pilot Design Team began the process in late March 2022 with a target completion date in early 2023.
According to the Chequamegon Bay Housing Study, housing demand in the county is driven by these market dynamics:
- Lack of public support for affordable housing
- High saturation of short-term rentals and second homeowners in some areas of the pilot
- High cost of construction and development
- Zoning and land use barriers
Source: (2021). Chequamegon Bay Regional Housing Survey Report.
Core Areas of Focus
The Chequamegon Bay Pilot Design Team identified a set of core focus areas to guide their work:
- Encouraging small scale development
- Addressing the financial gap that exists for rural developments
- Becoming a zoning and development-friendly community
Progress Summaries
Coming soon.
Chequamegon Bay Project Timeline
October 20, 2020
Finalist communities are announced by WHEDA for the Rural Affordable Workforce Housing Pilot
March 2022
The Chequamegon Bay Pilot Design Team is introduced and began organizing work together and planning for community-based research on the local workforce housing affordability challenge.
March – June 2022
The Chequamegon Bay Pilot Design Team conducted a series of engagement workshops with community stakeholders who are impacted by and work closely with the local workforce housing challenge, informing their work as they gear up for generating ideas.
June 21 - 22, 2022
A two-day workshop was held for the Chequamegon Bay Pilot Design Team to gather and reflect on their data, and make decisions about which opportunities to pursue further on the second day, where they opened the doors to host a public brainstorming session with community members and other local stakeholders.
July – November 2022
Based on the ideas generated during the Ideation Sessions, the Chequamegon Bay Pilot Design Team began developing tangible concepts, ultimately testing and prototyping a select few which demonstrate the greatest potential to be both feasible and sustainable.
December 9 and 14, 2022
The final two-day workshop for the Chequamegon Bay Pilot Design Team was used to prepare for the implementation phase. During Day 1, the Team evaluated and prioritized concepts developed during the Prototyping Sprint. The team also shared the data found with a wide audience of stakeholders and community members to solicit feedback and insights on concepts.
December 2022 – winter 2023
The Chequamegon Bay Pilot Design Team began developing a series of pilots, based on the concepts prioritized during the Action Workshop. The Team will continue to engage with practitioners, subject matter experts, and community members in order to create a clear plan for the final pilot solutions.
Chequamegon Bay Webinars
| Title | Date | Video | Presentation Deck |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rural Affordable Workforce Housing Pilot Concept Feedback Session |
December 15, 2022 | Watch the Webinar | View the PowerPoint Presentation |