Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels
Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels says there’s no doubt that the top priority for the city in 2023 is to address and tackle the shortage of affordable senior and workforce housing in the community.
Nickels tells Seehafer News that there are projects going on at, “The Mirro site for workforce affordable housing, the former Santa’s Best building, right down the street from there, with the affordable senior housing, we have housing development happening on Reed Avenue…That is the first subdivision in the city for quite some time. We are seeing a record number of homes being built.”
The Mayor says he’s constantly asked why cities like Sheboygan and Appleton have more of these amenities.
He noted that those are referred to on a federal level as “Entitlement Communities”, or those with populations of at least 50,000 people, which puts them at a distinct advantage.
“They get a lot more federal dollars into their community for things like low-income housing, even building inspection, housing inspection…The City of Manitowoc doesn’t get a dime because we are not an ‘Entitlement Community’,” he explained. “It sets us back when we are trying to have the conversation of how can we get that veteran housing, workforce housing. That’s where we need to be more aggressive in applying for the grants that are outside those entitlement dollars, which is exactly what we are doing.”
Nickles adds that it’s still vitally important to attract and retain quality workers to live and work here, but it has become just as, if not more important to make sure that there’s a quality and affordable place for them to call home.
