Did you know that Viroqua has received a grant for $6 million for local affordable housing!?

Big news!

How is this money gonna be spent?

What new exciting housing development project can we expect to see in our future?

To answer these questions my co-host Tony Macasaet and I brought on local architect, urban designer, and former city council member Gregory Splinter.

Some quick facts we uncovered were…

-The city is currently pursuing low-income apartment rental buildings with an out-of-town developer to be built across Main Street from the Viroqua Food Co-op

-In this model, the developer would receive the entire $6 million grant

-The developer would own the land and buildings

-The developer would collect all the rent from the tenants for the next 30 years

Concerned about the implications of these decisions and the broader impact to Viroqua/Vernon County Gregory then presented to us another potential model of his own design…

What if there was a way to keep the value, ownership, and equity within our community? Rather than flowing to an outside entity?

What if the $6 million grant actually went to local residents rather than an out-of-town developer?

What if there was a project based on homeownership? Creating cheap and affordable housing that local residents could actually own!?

What kind of advantage would that give local residents as opposed to renting?

What if this site could be developed by local companies, local architects, and local contractors?

What if the site could have a mix of affordable and market rate housing for ownership rather than primarily low-income apartment rentals?

What if we could build a state-of-the-art pocket neighborhood in the heart of Viroqua that we all could be proud of?

What if you could buy a brand new home in the heart of Viroqua for 40% off??

Would you have to pay property tax on this land for the next 20 years?

What can we do to help the city of Viroqua slow down and reconsider their options?

We will answer all these questions and much more in this show

Conscious Bro Out!

P.S. If you want to see Gregory Splinter’s model become a reality here in Viroqua or if you simply think that the City Council should step back from their commitment with the current developer and have both options compared side-by-side with due diligence in one or more public forums before moving forward click the link below and sign the petition!

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/afford-viroqua