Without a little help from Wisconsin Housing Economic Development Authority, Marissa Downs of Mosaic Ventures may still be searching for a way to bring an affordable housing project to Door County. After looking for years for a suitable site, Downs settled on an over 12 acre parcel located near Northern Door Children’s Center to build a 46-unit complex back in October. Earlier this month, the project was awarded $718,283 in annual tax credits to the project. Connections to nearby utilities and costs associated to land purchases and construction have made previous attempts at similar projects hard to pull off. WHEDA’s partnership with the Door County Economic Development Corporation as part of the agency’s pilot program was key to get the ball rolling according to Downs.
Downs added that she has heard about Door County’s struggle to create affordable, workforce housing for close to a decade. She hopes this is a start to addressing those concerns.
Work is just beginning to make the project a reality as Downs continues to piece together architecture and engineering teams in addition to securing additional financing. She hopes shovels will break ground on the project by the end of the year.
