A new city of Kenosha program aims to build homes priced at $325,000 or less on at least 53 vacant, city-owned lots.

The program is funded through a $3 million contribution from Uline, one of the city’s largest employers, and $3 million from the city through the extension of existing tax incremental districts, Kenosha Mayor David Bogdala announced Friday.

Kenosha would contract with State Bank of the Lakes to administer the program, which is called the Home Kenosha – Affordable Living, Neighborhood Revival Program.

Kenosha and Uline announced their $6 million investment in an affordable homeownership initiative in September 2023.

The city has spent the past year researching other communities’ housing approaches — including efforts in the city of Sheboygan and in Washington County — and developing its own program, Casey said.

“The program has really been tailored so that folks like firefighters and police officers and nurses and teachers and people working at distribution centers can actually afford to buy a house,” Casey said.

How Kenosha’s program would work

The $6 million would be used to provide lower-interest financing to homebuilders and 0% financing for eligible home buyers, Casey said.

The city would sell vacant lots to homebuilders for $1; there are currently 53 lots available, according to the mayor’s announcement. They’re scattered throughout central Kenosha, with many in the Wilson and Uptown neighborhoods, Casey said.

Read more at the Milwaukee Business Journal.