Winneshiek County Development survey shows housing needs; appropriate space is a challenge

There's a high demand for housing in Winneshiek County, but a shortage of places where affordable single-family housing can be built.
 
That's the common conclusion of people who attended five public input sessions this week held by Winneshiek County Development.  The organization has hired consultant Marty Shukert from RDG Planning & Design in Omaha to sort through public testimony and help develop a plan to increase Winneshiek County's housing stock.
 
WCDI Executive Director Randy Uhl says the public input sessions from realtors, business executives, the public and other interested groups created "a ton of information."  Uhl says all communities in Winneshiek County suffer from a lack of housing—not just Decorah.  Calmar and Ossian and other towns also would like to have more housing built, but, as Uhl notes, "There are issues for these other communities as well."
 
Shukert will now take that information and develop recommendations, to be unveiled at a January 8th presentation in Decorah.