Working toward more entry-level housing in Sheboygan County

Rachel Sankey

Past Staff

August 26, 2024

PLYMOUTH – For the Sheboygan County Economic Development Chamber (SCEDC), Executive Director Brian Doudna said it’s important to be able to support the community in any way it can.

Doudna said that’s why the SCEDC recently submitted a rezoning request for 32 acres in Plymouth, which will be used for a potential housing development. 

The plot of land – located west of South Pleasant View Road – was originally zoned Multi-Residential Residential (R-4) – meaning for apartments and condos.

SCEDC’s request asked for the property to be rezoned to Traditional Neighborhood District (R-5) – which opens the door for single-family home development.

The request to rezone was passed unanimously by the Plymouth City Council Aug. 14.

Doudna said the plan is to create more housing for single families and first-time home buyers on the lot.

The subdivision would be the third of SCEDC’s Housing Initiative.

“The housing initiative was started back in 2021 when we had a task force looking at what we could do to deal with entry-level homes and availability of home inventory for bringing in talent into the marketplace,” he said. 

The goal of the SCEDC Housing Initiative is to build nearly 600 homes throughout Sheboygan County over the next five years.

To help accomplish its mission, Doudna said the SCEDC raised $10 million from four local, private-sector donors – Johnsonville, Kohler Co., Masters Gallery Foods, Inc. and Sargento – and $2 million from Sheboygan County, to create the Forward Fund.

“The Forward Fund’s purpose is to build single-family, entry-level homes throughout the county,” he said. 

Doudna said Forward Fund dollars can only be used to develop entry-level homes.

Right now, he said the SCEDC has an offer to purchase the 32 acres as part of the due diligence period.

“We are going through environmental and zoning reviews, as well as working on a development agreement with the municipality,” he said. 

As long as “everything goes well,” Doudna said engineering of the homes will happen over the 2024 winter months and into the spring of 2025, with plans to break ground by summer or fall. 

The timing is right

The reason the need for more entry-level housing is crucial now, Doudna said, is due to the county’s house inventory.

“The reality is, in Sheboygan County, our house inventory – last time I looked – we have less than 15 days of inventory for single-family homes in the marketplace at any price point,” he said. “And those lower-priced homes, for first-time homebuyers and those that are entering the market – the days of inventory are even fewer.”

Doudna said this is coupled with the fact that area companies are growing faster than the county’s population.

According to the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) and WisConomy’s (a labor market information database for Wisconsin) 2023 Workforce Profile for Sheboygan County, employment is expected to grow 8%, or more than 35,000 jobs, between 2020-30. 

However, between now and 2040, Sheboygan County’s population is only expected to grow 5.65% – or from 118,465 people to 125,160 people.

And only 12.8% of Sheboygan County’s housing stock was built after 2000. 

The report said the Department of Housing and Urban Development considers 30% of income as the guideline for housing affordability, however, it found renters in Sheboygan County are more likely than homeowners to designate more than 30% of their income to housing.

And with increasing rent rates, the report estimates the percentage gap will continue to rise.  

That’s why, Doudna said, it’s “mission critical” for the SCEDC to grow the housing stock.

“We need to support population growth and community growth in order to support the long-term growth of our generational companies here in Sheboygan County,” he said. 

Third subdivision

Doudna said as he mentioned earlier, if everything goes as planned, this will be the third subdivision of the SCEDC Housing Initiative – with the first two developments being Founders’ Pointe and Founders’ Pointe Neighborhood.

He said Founders’ Pointe, which is located in Sheboygan Falls, features 54 housing properties and is “just finishing up.”

“Our last homes will probably be sold in that subdivision by April of next year,” he said. 

Founders’ Pointe Neighborhood, which is located just north of Sheboygan Falls, Doudna said, will have 41 homes, and “will be part of a pocket neighborhood concept” – which is a planned community that has groups of smaller residential properties, and oftentimes is centered around a common area.

The final home prices, he said, are tied to material and construction costs.

“Our home pricing is targeted at a breakeven from the cost of construction and through direct selling on these homes on our someplacebetter.org website,” he said. 

Community support

Since starting the SCEDC Housing Initiative, Doudna said the development has received “very positive reviews.”

“Of the first 20 homes that have sold in our first project, 15 are first-time homebuyers – even though that was not specifically the goal of the project,” he said. “We are definitely meeting a need in the marketplace, and we look forward to continuing to grow the inventory of entry-level homes throughout the county.”

Doudna said the SCEDC hopes the Housing Initiative will continue to attract new working families who both want to work, and live, in the county.

To keep up with the potential third housing development in Plymouth, visit sheboygancountyedc.com.