Rice Lake Property Could Be Converted to Housing, Retail Space

A massive Rice Lake property could become a solution to the region’s need for additional housing, child care facilities, and retail space.

The Barron County Plan Commission has agreed to recommend a zoning change for the Burton Family Trust property on the south side of the city. According to a Rice Lake Chronotype report, the plan commission recommended rezoning the property for mixed-use development.

Officials expect the land to be sold off in a few smaller parcels for different uses. Early plans call for an apartment building, multi-family housing, strip malls, a day care center, and a nursing home. If the City Council follows the County Plan Commission’s rezoning recommendation, the first planned project would be a 60 unit market-rate apartment building on a 4.5 acre parcel of the property.

County officials say there are up to 1,000 open positions in the region that can’t be filled because there simply isn’t enough accessible housing and child care for workers. A lack of housing has become a troublesome issue across the Northwest Wisconsin region as homes continue to get more expensive while the unhoused population continues to grow.

Other municipalities have undertaken similar efforts to increase their housing stock. Eau Claire agencies recently formed a task force to seek community-lead solutions to those issues, including targeting short term rental properties with stricter regulations and establishing a street ambassador program. Dunn County also approved the use of accessory dwelling units earlier this year to increase their available housing stock.

If plans to rezone the Burton Family Trust property do come to fruition, the Barron County Plan Commission and Rice Lake City Council will also need to address increased traffic concerns in the area.