RIVER TO VALLEY INITIATIVES moving on– ONLINE Auction to be held May 6th-May 8th
River to Valley Initiatives (RVI) has been instrumental in reshaping Prairie du Chien by leading projects that combine historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and sustainable community development over their 10 year’s work in the area.
Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse
The non-profit secured and envisioned the current Lawler Lofts apartments, at the former Wyalusing Academy. Now home to 42 workforce apartments. RVI, once securing and saving the building, attracted the expertise of Commonwealth Development which retrofitted and now manages Lawler Lofts. The property also serves as a model for preserving the architectural and cultural heritage of Prairie du Chien. By converting historic structures into modern housing, RVI was instrumental in the preservation of this now Nationally Registered Historic landmark.
The question is what is next for the rest of the surrounding land?
The surrounding property, a bit over 8 acres, is now up for an online Auction (www.Auction.com) and drastically reduced in price. When asked about the online Auction, Board President, Julia Henley commented, “We feel an online Auction will level the field for many people to participate. As for the property itself, to accommodate a variety of uses, and due to location, we have since split the property into four logical parcels, to make the use of it more likely for future development of any kind, and ownership for these special locations affordable to specific types of owners.” All properties are currently zoned Multi Family.
Planned Development?
“We have met with the city zoning and planning, and we all agree that a PUD (Planned Community designation) is the most appropriate for the entire parcel, but finding that one developer committed to doing so in the years since having sustained internal shocks to the organization, COVID, interest rates, and also with investment in other parcels by the City, put this property in the back of the line, and has made that goal challenging. The smaller parcels, and via the significantly reduced pricing below value, we hope will result in thoughtful ownership and eventual development to benefit the community”.
Continued Henley, “We would love to see a true respect for the historic significance of the land, including the Native People’s contribution to the area, and creating attractive, affordable, workforce housing in the context of supportive landscaping to wildlife and people. We believe that not only is this a huge opportunity for the right developers financially, but also for the tax base and the community.”
Housing Shortage?
When asked about the reality of building housing in the days of somewhat volatile markets, Henley responded: “Since 2008, with the housing crash and the damage done to the construction industry and homeownership, there has been plenty of naysayers that “it cannot be done”. Frankly, housing HAS been built, and successfully. Despite that crash, interest rates, COVID, recovery, and now current challenges, housing is always a good investment. The timing is never quite right, and it is never wrong. Prairie du Chien in particular is a long lived community, (second oldest in the state) and I expect it will continue to grow over time, with the right investments made. However, our rural communities do not have the housing stock that brings in families and tax base as needed, and that is a problem. Lawler Lofts was filled immediately upon opening. There is always a need. We have assets in building trades already in Prairie du Chien, such as Design Homes, extraordinary custom home builders, and advocates for historic preservation. We can attract good developers to the table. It can be a “win-win” for all concerned.
Henley emphasized, “This is a “Class A” property location, and once it is gone, it is gone–in the right or wrong hands–it is no longer possible for grander visions. I hope something can be done to make it work for the community. We need affordable housing, and we need advocates to ensure a great job is done–increase the tax base, and strengthen the community.”
RVI’s strategy of leveraging tax credits and forming partnerships with developers had already resulted in significant investment in Prairie du Chien and Southwest Wisconsin since 2015–estimated to be over $18 Million in projects.
You can find more information on RVIs website, www.RivertoValley.com