In 2022, the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC) researched and inventoried all industrial parks across its ten-county region and determined total, vacant, and developed acreage of each park. These locations and calculations were verified by local staff when possible. NCWRPC also analyzed air photos from 2000, 2010, and 2020 within the boundary of each identified park to determine the rate at which lots were developed to forecast future acreage demand.

This study was funded by the Economic Development Administration’s Recovery Assistance funding under the 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) act. The goal of this project is to inventory industrial space and identify future need in the region. A variety of acreage calculations, maps for marketing purposes, and data to support industrial park-related infrastructure grant applications and planning decisions is provided.

For more information about the North Central Region Industrial Park Inventory, Absorption, and Needs Study, please contact Sam Wessel at [email protected] or by calling 715-849-5510, Extension 303.

Eight communities in the Wausau Metropolitan Area and Marathon County worked with the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (NCWRPC) to produce this report in response to growing concerns over housing affordability. Housing affordability affects the region’s quality of life and ability to compete economically, and it affects the health, safety, and happiness of the region’s residents. This project consisted of robust data collection, public surveys, public open houses, and stakeholder interviews to understand which housing types are highest in demand, and what barriers prevent an adequate supply of desired housing. This assessment recommends a variety of strategies and programs that each individual community may explore depending on their own needs to encourage the construction and rehabilitation of needed housing.

For more information about the Wausau Metro Housing Assessment, please contact Sam Wessel at [email protected] or by calling 715-849-5510, Extension 303.

The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) partnered with the NCWRPC to administer the Main Street Bounceback Grants program which provided $10,000 grants to new or existing businesses and non-profit organizations moving into vacant properties in Wisconsin's downtowns and commercial corridors.

The competitive application period for Cohort 3 of the Dream Up! Grant Program will be open February 20 - March 17, 2023. Through this program, awarded communities will receive strategic planning support from First Children Finance (FCF), along with $75,000 in grant funding. Additional $5,000 stipends will be allocated to local, participating childcare providers who submit updated business plans during the strategic planning process. Through a collaborative community approach, teams of community stakeholders, will work to evaluate, plan, sustain, and expand existing childcare, and support new childcare programs.

You can preview the application questions now. The application preview document is for informational purposes only to get you to start thinking about how you and your community’s core team will complete the application when it is posted on February 20.