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CONLEY COMMENTARY (WSAU) – As you consider your vote for mayor in Wausau, consider two critical issues: economic development and affordable housing.
The city is failing in both areas.
Can you recall the last time current mayor Katie Rosenberg stood at a ribbon cutting, welcoming a new large employer to town? I can’t. I do recall the closing of Eastbay and Foot Locker, and the foolish closing of the Wausau Center Mall early. And there was a time when Wausau was considered an attractive place to relocate a company. Now, I’m sure you see the vacant storefronts all over town.
Why do you suppose Amazon picked Weston over Wausau? Well, one community has the highest water rates in the state and will have property tax increases as far as the eye can see. Weston doesn’t.
We’ve heard far more about failures than successes. S.C. Swiderski pulled the plug on retail and housing construction along the Wisconsin River. The projects aren’t viable at today’s higher interest rates and higher building costs. The first phase of redeveloping the Wausau Center Mall has also had fits and starts. The city’s relationship with the developer has been teetering, and we are promised a later-than-expected groundbreaking in mid-May. We shall see.
I feel sorry for renters in Wausau, where there’s a shortage of affordable housing… and what’s available isn’t affordable. Look at any local site that has rental listings. What will you find? Tiny one bedroom above-storefront apartments downtown go for $800 a month. They’re too small for families, and you’ll park your car somewhere else. Consider the West Side Battery Site. They’re going to try to cram 56 apartment units there, some of which will be affordable. It’s another long delayed project. The affordable units will be within feet of the active freight railroad tracks; making it a miserable place to live.
Need a two bedroom rental? Plan on $1,000 or more. Who would have thought you’d need a roommate to make your rent? I took out a mortgage and bought a small home when interest rates were low. Rent is much higher than my mortgage payment… and I own the place. Renters own nothing.
If you think the City of Wausau hasn’t had a lot of success lately, you and I agree. That’s why a change in the mayor’s office is appropriate on election day.
Chris Conley
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