ACLU Urges Planning Commision and Waukesha County to Be Smart About Fair and Affordable Housing

July 22, 2004

Today, the American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin urged the Southeast Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC), and the Waukesha County Comprehensive Development Advisory Committee, to ensure that Smart Growth planning addresses the need for fair and affordable housing in southeastern Wisconsin. The Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet this afternoon to work on its comprehensive plan with SEWPRC's assistance. Smart Growth in Wisconsin law requires counties and municipalities to engage in comprehensive planning - including planning for community housing needs.

"The ACLU and many other organizations have previously criticized SEWRPC for its lack of attention to the needs and concerns of minority and low-income families during transportation planning. It now seems that the lack of attention to these communities is carrying over to housing planning," said Karyn Rotker, ACLU of Wisconsin staff attorney today.

In a letter to Philip Evenson, SEWRPC's Executive Director, the ACLU of Wisconsin pointed out that SEWRPC’s housing planning materials ignore the deep-seated and continuing problem of regional housing segregation, an issue of which the Commission has been aware for at least three decades. The materials also fail to adequately address the responsibilities set out in Wisconsin’s Smart Growth law for communities to “provide a range of housing choices that meet the needs of persons of all income levels” and enact “policies and programs that promote the availability of land for the development or redevelopment of low-income and moderate-income housing.” Waukesha County’s materials also fail to adequately address these issues.

In its Regional Framework for “Smart Growth” Planning And Development in Southeastern Wisconsin the planning agency admits that many elements of the Commission’s previous housing plans must be updated for Smart Growth purposes.

"It is critical that in doing the updating, SEWRPC and Waukesha County address, evaluate and incorporate issues involving the regional nature of housing markets, the need for affordable housing, and the income and non-income-related issues of race and housing," observed Chris Ahmuty, the ACLU of Wisconsin's Executive Director.

Click Here to read the letter sent to SEWRPC