County leaders review development for downtown La Crosse

La Crosse could see more housing development soon, as the building industry bounces back from slowdowns during the pandemic. 

City planner Andrea Trane tells a La Crosse County development committee that builders are catching up on plans made years ago.

“What I hear from a lot of developers is they actually feel that there’s been about a 5-year backlog of housing development in our community,” said Trane. “So there’s actually a lot more need than what we’re seeing.”    

On Thursday, the committee was shown ideas for developing empty lots which can be found near the county buildings, the post office, and Western Tech.  The ideas are part of the ‘Imagine 2040’ plan for downtown La Crosse, also called City Vision.

Urban planner Cory Scott says one of the proposed development ideas for downtown La Crosse is to set out a scenic walkway on Pine Street, near Western Tech.

“It’s essentially taking that path that’s already there and making it a little bit more comfortable to walk, and realizing it’s a connection for people who are either working at the county or visiting the county, or Western Technical College, or the neighborhood,” said Scott, adding that the walk would go down to Riverside Park. 

The county contributes about 10 per cent of the cost of the City Vision project.