Planners on the ‘Front Lines’ of Housing

By Catherine Hinshaw

Legislative sessions kick off nationwide this month, with even more to follow in the first quarter of 2020. But because state sessions move quickly, the groundwork for influential advocacy really began in 2019.

Drew Pennington, AICP, APA Wisconsin's vice president for chapter affairs, addressed the state assembly's Committee on Community Development at the end of October. During an informal hearing, he spoke about the housing challenges Wisconsin is facing, offering recommendations on state-level policies, incentives, and statutes that will help communities and developers work together to create more housing options and opportunities. Armed with input from APA Wisconsin members and APA's Housing Policy Guide, he advocated for tax increment financing reform, better accessory dwelling unit legislation, and more tools to support missing middle housing.

Drew Pennington, AICP, APA's Wisconsin Chapter vice president for chapter affairs, addressed the state assembly's Committee on Community Development.

Pennington was invited to speak by Chairman Scott Allen (R-Waukesha), who also has a background in planning. "His boots are on the ground in all of this," Allen said while introducing Pennington, the director of planning and building services for the city of Beloit, Wisconsin. "So we appreciate [him] bringing the local perspective to the table today."

"In my experience, legislators across the political spectrum view planners as being on the front lines of the housing issue," says Pennington, "and many are genuinely interested in learning more about a wide range of policy solutions that planners are uniquely positioned to recommend."

Catherine Hinshaw is the senior state government affairs associate for APA.