Regional Housing News - January 2026

IN THE NEWS

Regional Housing Strategy Spotlight: Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs)

N EW Accessory Dwelling Unit 101 FACT SHEET

Upcoming RHN Webinar: Addressing Racial Disparities in Housing and Homeownership - What Your Community Can Do!

Thursday, February 12, 2026, 3:00-4:00 PM

Housing and Sustainability - Take the Survey Now!

Housing Resources, Jobs, Events

Housing Supply Accelerator Challenge

Applications Due January 30, 2026!

News and Articles

Regional Housing Strategy Spotlight

Accessory Dwelling Units as a Tool for Adding Housing Supply

What is an Accessory Dwelling Unit?

An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), also known as a granny flat, in-law unit, or backyard cottage is a smaller, independent residential dwelling unit located on the same lot as a detached single-family home and vary in size from 600-1,00 square feet.

Benefits of ADUs to your community

ADUs can be used as a tool to add housing units into an existing neighborhood and provide additional housing for local residents.

ADUs can play a role in increasing a community’s senior housing supply. ADUs can be built with accessible features and zero entry (no steps) that allow seniors to safely age in place in their community.

Will allowing ADUs change my neighborhood’s character?

Municipalities can create guidelines to ensure that ADUs blend in with the primary structure, such as creating height limits, setting parking limits, requiring that detached units be located behind the house, or ensuring that the design compliments the primary dwelling unit.

Are ADUs allowed in my community?

Currently, four municipalities in Dane County allow Accessory Dwelling Units on single-family residential lots by-right, meaning that building an ADU is approved automatically if it complies with standards outlined in the municipality’s zoning and building codes.

To learn more about ADUs and if they are right for your community, please check out the new RHS Accessory Dwelling Unit 101 FACT SHEET here.

Upcoming Regional Housing Network (RHN) Webinar— Please Join Us!

Thursday, February 12, 2026, 3:00-4:00 PM

Addressing Racial Disparities in Housing and Homeownership - What Communities Can Do!

February Regional Housing Network Webinar

Addressing racial disparities in housing and homeownership was one of the top priorities identified by the RHS Housing Advisory Committee they felt should be addressed at a regional level. This webinar will provide an overview of ongoing disparities in housing and homeownership, some of the impacts, and provide information on current efforts and resources. Also shared, will be a new RHS Fact Sheet on Racial Disparities in Housing and Homeownership and the impact to people and communities.

Katey Nelson, Operations Director, YWCA, and 2024 recipient of the Dane County Hometown Housing Hero Award, will discuss YWCA's work in racial justice. Katey will outline the programming and resources that support people of color to gain and maintain access to stable housing. She will also provide examples of how you and your community members can benefit from YWCA's work and get involved.

Tiffany Malone, Co-Founder, Own It: Building Black Wealth, will discuss her organization's mission and programming to address disparities in homeownership for people of color, and how you, your community and the private sector can participate in the solutions.

Share the RHS newsletter and invite your friends to sign up here!

Housing and Sustainability

Opportunities for Energy Efficiency in Home Building - Passive Solar Design and Technology

Passive Buildings are gaining in popularity with various US and Canadian cities and several states - MA, NY and WA, enacting "stretch" energy efficiency codes, which include the Passive House standard.

Join the City of Fitchburg Committee of the Whole on Wednesday, January 28, at 6:30 pm to learn about passive solar and how this design and technology can go a long way to reducing emissions, lowering energy bills, and provide:

Greater indoor air quality—great for those dangerous wildfire smoke days, and anyone with respiratory issues
Further your community's climate goals - as Passive Buildings consume10-20% of the heating and cooling energy compared to typical buildings

Speakers include a certified passive house professional and architect, and Kyle Frank, Construction Manager, City of Madison, to discuss Madison’s Passive House Certified multi-family building code.

You can attend in person, or join the meeting by registering at this link - available later this week:

agendas.fitchburgwi.gov/OnBaseAgendaOnline/, OR HERE.

Take the Dane County Sustainability Survey Today!

Survey Closes on January 28, 2025

The Dane County Office of Energy & Climate Change invites you to participate in a short survey to help identify the most promising opportunities for clean energy financing for housing and other sectors. Your feedback will help define community priorities for energy financing across Dane County. The survey includes sections specific to single-family and multi-family housing so input from housing experts is especially appreciated. Please feel free to skip the sections that don’t apply to you. The survey will take 5-10 minutes.

To take the survey, please follow the link below:

TAKE THE SURVEY

Housing Resources, Jobs and Events

Housing Supply Accelerator Challenge

Applications Due January 30, 2026

The Housing Supply Accelerator Challenge, a collaboration between the American Planning Association and the National League of Cities, was created to help communities tackle their local housing challenges. The Housing Supply Accelerator Challenge accepts up to 30 communities annually, providing participating communities with technical assistance, housing supply experts, and much more!

In order to participate, communities must be active participants in the Housing Supply Challenge for 18 months and use the Housing Supply Accelerator Framework to apply innovative housing strategies to their local context. At least two city staff members should be identified to serve as lead participants, with additional community and city partnerships encouraged.

Read more about the Housing Supply Accelerator Challenge and its requirements here. To begin the application process, take the initial self-assessment for your community here.

Applications are due January 30, 2026. Questions can be directed to housing@planning.org.

Sun Prairie Seeks Housing Case Management Services

The City of Sun Prairie has released an RFP seeking an organization to provide housing case management services for families experiencing housing instability. The program will offer housing case management paired with short-term financial assistance to support families in Sun Prairie who are at risk of homelessness or who are currently experiencing homelessness and transitioning back into stable housing.

DemandStar

https://www.demandstar.com/app/buyers/bids/518969/details

VendorNet

https://vendornet.wi.gov/Bid.aspx?Id=a15227c2-71f1-f011-906d-00505684483d&name=