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Coffee with Katrina in La Crosse
This is an in-person event on Wednesday, January 31 that will also be streamed online.
Join in community for an evening with acclaimed writer, actress, and teacher Anna Deavere Smith as she reflects on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. through the lens of her work.
5 p.m.: Doors open (general admission; no tickets needed)
5:30–7 p.m.: MLK Symposium program
7–8:30 p.m.: Reception in Sunset Lounge (light refreshments)
The keynote will be followed by a moderated Q&A.
The livestream will be available to watch during the live event only; it will not be available for on-demand viewing. Click here to go to the livestream link on the day of the event.
The City of La Crosse Common Council referred legislation for 60 days to gather additional public input on a proposed Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) ordinance. This decision came after City Plan Commission and the Judiciary & Administration Committee held public hearings for Legislative File 23-1243 in December. This zoning change aims to address the growing demand for affordable housing options while promoting responsible land use planning within our community.
Virtual meeting
Wednesday, January 17th at 5:30 pm
Zoom link: https://cityoflacrosse-org.zoom.us/j/86213560258?pwd=w74Aa8CEEXcCrvq6jSrHNmU6wuwKJv.1
Meeting ID: 862 1356 0258, Passcode: 691982, Phone Number: (507) 473-4847
In-person meeting
Thursday, January 18th at 5:30 pm
The Nature Place’s Marshview Room, 789 Myrick Park Dr., La Crosse, WI 54601
These public meetings are an additional step in ensuring that the voices of our community members are heard and considered in the Common Council’s decision-making process. Attendees will get an overview of the ordinance, be able to ask questions, and make comments that will be compiled in a report to the Common Council for consideration in February. For those unable to attend the meetings in person, residents may contact the Department of Planning, Development, and Assessment: kuhlmanl@cityoflacrosse.org
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Other considerations:
Who can afford to build/offer an ADU? To offer an ADU for rent, you have to be a property owner. And, your property has to be large enough and in the right neighborhood. So, relatively well-off property owners will benefit by being able to earn rent from ADUs.
That's not a bad thing, necessarily, but to tout this as an affordable housing solution maybe doesn't tell the whole story.
We do have a lack of affordable AND liveable housing. Poor insulation, leaky windows, inefficient appliances, and other issues are a problem with many area rentals. To be sure, new ADUs may be more energy efficient, but they are not required to be. So, in a city supposedly determined to reduced carbon emissions, does building more small, unconnected dwellings that may be inefficient really help? Building new things costs carbon after all.
Properties where ADUs are likely to be added are relatively large and expensive, out of reach for many in our community where the per capita income is less than $33,000 per year. Building a little house owned by the people in the big house may add rental units, but that does not necessarily increase the affordability of housing or access to home ownership.
Another solution to affordable housing, and one that would open up ownership of quality properties to a wider range of people might be to remove unrelated persons restrictions and change parking requirements. In other communities, co-housing or housing co-ops are making more quality housing available to a wider economic spectrum of people. Can several young professionals or a group of retired people share a large beautiful home? If there's transit nearby, does everyone have to have a parking place?
Remember, in the olden days, families lived in smaller spaces and large houses were often rooming houses. But when large former rooming and multi-family houses are converted to single family dwellings, housing is lost.
MONDAY, JANUARY 15 at the Viterbo Fine Arts Center, La Crosse
Celebrate and honor the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior with neighbors and friends, and honor our local leaders who embody his spirit and determination to "re-dedicate ourselves to the long and bitter, but beautiful, struggle for a new world."
*Note: Doors open at 6:30 PM. Free and open to the public. This event also live-streamed via Facebook at www.facebook.com/viterboethics
Guest Speaker, Rev. Alexander Gee. Rev. Gee is CEO of The Center for Black Excellence and Culture. Gee is a published author, adjunct faculty, community activist, life coach, international lecturer, and relief worker. Gee is considered a serial social entrepreneur, having started four successful small businesses and initiatives that currently employ nearly 40 staff.
In recognition of his work within the local community, Rev. Gee has received numerous honors, such as the 1994 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Humanitarian Award from the City of Madison. Rev. Gee studied at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Fuller Seminary, and Bakke Graduate University. He is the author of two books and host for the award-winning podcast, Black Like Me.
Attendees of his presentation in celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will come away with a deeper appreciation of the life of Dr. King and how we can continue his legacy today.
