The Issues will be an ongoing series from CREDA Wisconsin’s Public Policy Committee and leadership, offering short, plain‑spoken briefs that highlight the real challenges facing Wisconsin’s commercial real estate industry — and the practical policy work CREDA is doing to address them. Each brief will cover one issue, explain why it matters, and share how CREDA is engaging through advocacy, research, and member input. The goal is to build a living library of reports that members can access, react to, and help shape over time. The Issues will give members, partners, and policymakers a clear window into the problems we’re tackling and the progress we’re making together. A special thank you to Jeff Hoffman, Cushman, Wakefield, Boerke, for his leadership in creating this series!
The Issues: Paper #1: Workforce Housing
Access to workforce housing remains one of Wisconsin’s most stubborn—and most promising—development challenges. With the 2023–25 biennial budget directing $525 million toward new state initiatives, developers were offered fresh tools across Infrastructure Access, Restore Main Street, and WHEDA’s Vacancy‑to‑Vitality conversion program. Yet even as the intent was strong, CREDA warned early that the program’s qualifiers and loan structures could limit real‑world usability. Our new paper takes a clear, candid look at what worked, what didn’t, and what Wisconsin’s development community needs next.