RURAL HOUSING ROLLER COASTER
October 21, 2021
OCTOBER 2021 WEBINAR
The Executive Director of Wakefield Progressive, Inc., Megan Weaver, presented about the ups and downs of creating rural workforce housing. Weaver shared her personal experience with the Wakefield Economic Development during their housing crisis. She talked about where to get started with a housing programs, her ideas consisted of: getting rid of dilapidated properties, selling city-owned vacant lots affordably, attract contractors/developers, write grants for single-family new construction, and purchase more land for development.
Clearing the Decks for More Effective Housing Development: Local Government Edition
Discover how the City of Central City is transforming housing through an innovative Vacant Property Registry program that tackles blight and boosts community revitalization. In this engaging HomeNE webinar, Michelle Kohl, shares real-world strategies for managing vacant homes.
The 80th HomeNE Learning Network featured Jean Van Iperen, who discussed Columbus, Nebraska’s housing challenges and the city’s proactive strategies to address them. Jean highlighted the city’s 7% population growth and a shortage over 4 years of 387 homes, prompting efforts like zoning reform, streamlined permitting, and investment in new developments, including a 238-unit apartment complex. The city is also planning a new housing study, exploring affordable housing options, and considering mixed-use projects to meet evolving community needs. Participants were encouraged to revisit past webinars for insights and to attend the upcoming session on June 19th featuring Michelle Cole. The session emphasized the value of small takeaways from presentations and invited community members to share their stories for future webinars.
