12/09/2019- While affordable housing continues to be an issue plaguing the City of Marinette and surrounding area, it’s not a problem unique to this region. Marinette Mayor Steve Genisot recently traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in a round-table discussion with dozens of mayors from cities across the U.S. dealing with similar housing issues. Genisot reports the event gave a voice to local leaders who see the direct impact housing shortages have on their communities, particularly the ways in which it hinders workforce and overall economic development. He says, beyond just discussing what the issues are, the round-table also allowed these leaders to exchange and promote new ideas for solving them.
“So they had asked (about)…working on legislation not only locally, but statewide and federally to help speed this process up. And it wasn’t all about funding, but it was about unique opportunities that included building standards and different housing types- from tiny homes, different types of materials, to refurbishing housing.”
Genisot says Scott Turner, Executive Director of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, was also in attendance at the event. Turner toured Marinette recently to talk more about local Opportunity Zones and Genisot says he spoke on the same topic at the round-table and made mention of the collaborative efforts between Marinette and Menominee to resolve some housing and economic concerns as an example for other communities. Genisot says the discussion on affordable housing solutions remains “ongoing.”