05/20/2026
On Monday I participated in the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce Forum where the topic was the changes to zoning code in the City of La Crosse. 🏡 They are making some big moves on housing. The city is in the middle of a full zoning code overhaul, and the details are worth paying attention to.
Here's what the new code is designed to do:
🔹 Smaller lots, more flexibility. Reduced lot size requirements mean more homes can be built in more places — including duplexes, row houses, accessory dwelling units, and "pocket neighborhoods" that fit within existing residential fabric without blowing up neighborhood character.
🔹 Less red tape. By-right zoning changes (meaning you don't need a variance or rezoning hearing just to build something reasonable) will make it easier for property owners to invest and improve. That's good for sellers, buyers, and the tax base.
🔹 Mixed-use where it makes sense. Near downtown and in commercial corridors, the updated code encourages housing above storefronts and allows small neighborhood commercial uses in residential areas — the kind of "third places" that make a neighborhood feel like a neighborhood.
🔹 Comprehensive rezoning coming. A city-wide review of parcel designations is underway to correct mis-zoned properties and open the door to more investment in existing structures — not just new builds.
La Crosse needs roughly 200 new housing units per year through 2030 just to keep up with demand. Zoning reform alone won't solve affordability, but it removes some of the barriers that have been slowing things down — and that matters for everyone who wants to own, sell, rent, or simply stay here.
(Any errors in these numbers are mine. I did my best to capture a lot of info!)
I'm Bridget, Onalaska + La Crosse local and real estate advisor. >>> https://linktr.ee/bridgetravenrealty
