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2019 Sustainability Issue – April 19 – 26: The Housing Issue

In our 13th Sustainability Issue we turn our eyes toward the affordable housing crisis and take a fresh look at what makes a community sustainable.

On the Cover
Art by Ryan Miller

Introduction: The Housing Issue
Why housing matters, what we’re missing, and what we can do about it.

PODCAST: Affordable Housing in Door County
Andrew Kleidon and Myles Dannhausen Jr. discuss why affordable housing matters to the future of Door County, and what makes the issue so difficult to solve.

Defining Affordability
The federal government says 30 percent of income is affordable for housing costs, but in Door County is that realistic?

DCEDC: Attainable Housing Makes a Sustainable Economy
Housing isn’t just about lifestyles, it’s a an economic necessity for industries throughout Door County.

The Airbnb Effect: Vacation Rentals and Housing Stock
Are short-term vacation rentals driving up rent and home prices?

A Place of Our Own
Five residents discuss their struggles to find housing on the peninsula.

Bedrock Flats: A Recycled Housing Development
An early attempt at an affordable housing development fell to a familiar foe: NIMBYism.

Zoned Out: Communities Loosen Grip on Land Use
Zoning makes a big impact on the price of building.

PODCAST: Househunting in Door County

If You Build It, They Will Come
Main Street Market builds a new 20-bed home for seasonal workers.

IDEAS: In Wisconsin Dells, Dorms Fill Seasonal Housing Void
Dorms have worked for some businesses in Door County, but large-scale community efforts have stalled.

IDEAS: Time is Ripe for Housing Trust
Mariah Goode on how a housing trust could play a crucial role in creating options for first-time home-buyers to get a foot in the door.

IDEAS: New Life for Old Containers
The shipping container was invented in Sturgeon Bay. Could it have new legs in affordable housing?

IDEAS: Tiny Homes Seem Fun, But Are They A Practical Solution
They’re trendy, they’re fun, but could they make a difference here?

IDEAS: Affordability Goes Beyond the Walls of a Home
Virge Temme on why affordability isn’t just a matter of mortgages and rent levels.

By the Numbers: The Housing Gap

Greening Your Home

 

 

In this issue

  • ‘Every Day Is Earth Day’ Fest Set for April 26-28

    The inaugural Every Day Is Earth Day Festival is scheduled for April 26-28: a three-day celebration of the people, organizations and businesses that respect, preserve and protect our earth-care culture in Door County and beyond. The Earth Week Door County Steering Committee is planning a weekend of resource exchanges, speakers, demonstrations, films, activities for kids […]

  • The Challenges of Home-buying in Door County: Pulse Podcast

    Andrew Kleidon and Myles Dannhausen are joined this week by Aleah Kidd to discuss the unique challenges that come with house-hunting in Door County. They also bring updates to the upcoming highway reconstruction project, and new columns featuring the DCVB and DCEDC in upcoming issues of the Peninsula Pulse.

  • Sustainability 2019: Can Home Sharing Fill A Gap?

    by Ashley Lusk I moved to Door County in 2009, and like so many other young workers, I struggled to find a place to live. Jobs were plentiful, but housing was scarce. All six potential employers I interviewed with offered me a job – contingent on me finding a place to live. Fortunately, I was […]

  • Sustainability 2019: Main Street Market Builds New Home for Summer Workers

    Kaaren Northrop recalls a time in the not-too-distant past when summer employees would show up for work and ask, “Where am I living?” “The whole process is way more difficult now,” she said. “Now when you fill out the paperwork for J-1 Visa students, you either have to have a place for them to live […]

  • Sustainability 2019: New Life for Old Containers?

    When Leathem D. Smith of Sturgeon Bay invented the Safeway shipping container in 1945, he revolutionized the shipping industry. Seventy-four years later, could that same idea revolutionize housing in Door County? In Europe, shipping containers have been a popular way to fill housing gaps for more than a decade, particularly in temporary situations. In London, […]