Land Use and Housing

The city’s developed land use totals 8,662 acres—62% of the total area of the community. According to the US Census, this land supports 21,239 households with 2.21 people per household and 2.45 households per developed land use acre. The community-wide density, including all zoning districts is 3.2 residents per acre. Based on the population changes over the last decade, La Crosse may see a population increase of up to 2.6% by 2030. Studies have found that for every 1% increase in population-weighted urban density, household travel emissions reduce by 0.12% to 0.48%. Based on these, establishing zoning ordinances and incentives guiding future growth into options that increase the density of existing developed land will have positive impacts on decreasing total community-wide emissions per household.

The recommended actions in the CAP are:

1. Engage underrepresented community members in identifying underused paved areas and coming up with ideas for their conversion to sustainable green space or infill development that will mitigate heat islands or address affordable housing needs.
2. Focus on increasing housing units in targeted areas within the city that most advance this plan's goals, including increased public transportation, climate resilience, etc.
3. Include land use strategies to advance mobility alternatives in City's redevelopment initiatives - wider sidewalks, bike lanes, reduced off-street parking, and transit-oriented development.
4. Conduct a Development Study to identify and prioritize available sites for redevelopment and infill development (particularly affordable housing) to advance City's walkability, bike ability, and transit utilization. Study should include a review of under utilized surface parking infrastructure capable of being redeveloped.
5. Revise community development plans to integrate mixed use development and infill development close to neighborhoods to provide walkable destinations for daily needs, i.e. "15-minute neighborhoods."
6. Promote affordable and accessible housing development along existing and planned bus routes.
7. Advocate that the State repeal its preemption against inclusionary zoning.
8. Strengthen and enforce existing development design standards that make biking, walking, and busing easier than driving.
9. Incentivize the redevelopment of brownfields, vacant land, and abandoned buildings within the City. Identify unused industrial-zoned areas and explore rezoning to increase viability of development opportunities.
10. Incentivize infill and mixed-use development which result in increased density and improved mobility through alternative code compliance, fee waivers, density bonuses, investment prioritization, development impact fees, TIF financing, etc.
11. Revise zoning codes to allow and encourage Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and accessory commercial units (ACUs).
12. Reduce or eliminate residential parking minimums. Then, require real estate developers and property managers to “unbundle” parking (separate the cost to rent a parking space from the cost of renting an apartment.

According to the US National Climate Assessment, the ten rainiest days can contribute up to 40% of the annual precipitation in the Wisconsin region. By 2080, the La Crosse area can anticipate an increase of up to 15% in total annual precipitation. In addition, the timeframe between rains is expected to continue to increase. Under this scenario, it is likely that certain periods of the year, like spring, may be significantly wetter with storms producing heavier rains. In anticipation of that, it is appropriate to review the areas of the community with flood risk and to review current stormwater management capacity against future extreme rainfall event projections. Increases in impervious cover can dramatically increase the impact of so-called 100-year flood events. Neighborhoods in La Crosse have impervious surface coverage as high as 64%.Consequently, actions that reduce impervious surface coverage are important adaptation avenues.

The recommended actions in the CAP are:

1. Protect and restore natural systems that protect the community from flooding, including parks, wetlands, riparian areas, and natural drainage ways/swales.
2. Require and/or incentivize the use of green infrastructure such as bioswales, permeable pavement, rain gardens, rain water catchment areas, and other pervious surface strategies to reduce flood risk and minimize sediment entry into creeks from trails and roads.
3. Conserve and restore natural areas that slow or store floodwaters, including forests, floodplains, and riparian areas.

Historically, State, county, and municipal plans have carefully analyzed historic data to establish effective and appropriate design standards. An example of this is the common standard of road and bride infrastructure having been designed based on the national standards using precipitation estimates based on historical frequency of heavy rainfall events. Climate change, however, is projected to create wider variations in precipitation patterns and an increase in heavy rain events for our area meaning analysis of historic patterns will no longer be sufficient.

The recommended actions in the CAP are:

1. Develop and use a transparent and inclusive decision-making framework designed to achieve climate, equity, safety, health and prosperity goals when making major infrastructure, transportation, land use, community development and project development plan and investment decisions. Consider existing systems, like STARS and MOSAIC, as models.
2. Prevent the development of new infrastructure not essential to marsh restoration, maintenance, or trail access within the La Crosse Marsh and other floodplain areas.
3. Establish a preparedness education program and an emergency alert system that help protect the community from flooding and extreme heat events.
4. Rezone areas of the city that are at a high risk of flooding in future climate projections. The Floodplain Zoning Ordinance is based on existing risks.
5. Enhance stormwater system plans and infrastructure to handle an increase in severe weather events based on climate change projections rather than historic trends.

Heat island refers to the phenomenon of higher atmospheric and surface temperatures occurring in developed areas than those experienced in the surrounding rural areas due to human activities and infrastructure. Increased heat island effects raise human discomfort and health risk levels in developed areas, especially during heat waves which are projected to become more severe and more common for La Crosse. There is a direct relationship between impervious surface coverage, particularly dark-colored impervious surfaces such as asphalt pavement, of a community and the amount of heat island temperature increase experienced. Heat island impacts in La Crosse are calculated to contribute as much as 10 ° F to perceived extreme heat. Decreasing the amount of dark impervious surfaces will help reduce heat island impacts in La Crosse.

The recommended actions in the CAP are:

1. Based on the City's Ground Cover, Tree Canopy, Heat Island, and Carbon Sequestration Study, identify vulnerable urban tree canopy and street tree sections and develop policies to incentivize, encourage, or require strategic tree planting for heat island mitigation (e.g., around heat islands and in areas that need air conditioning such as schools or city facilities).
2. Add or modify park and boulevard plantings with a priority focus on areas with high heat island potential and those currently underserved by park and green space.
3. Decrease impervious surfaces to mitigate heat island effects, especially in neighborhoods with a high proportion of vulnerable populations.
4. Increase maintenance to sustain mature tree canopy, decrease tree hazards and delay tree replacement needs.
5. Establish a local ordinance requiring that a specific percentage of parking lot pavement is shaded by trees to reduce heat island effects and encourage tree preservation and/or planting.

A household’s energy burden—the percentage of household income spent on energy bills—provides an indication of energy affordability. Researchers define households with a 6% energy burden or higher as experiencing a high burden—some of whom may consequently lack needed access to energy, known as “energy poverty”. People experiencing energy poverty have increased vulnerability to health issues, particularly those associated with indoor temperature extremes. As the frequency and severity of extreme weather events in La Crosse escalate due to climate change, those living with energy poverty will be increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Energy efficiency and renewable energy can lower energy bills for low-income households while also improving health and climate adaptation outcomes by improving indoor air quality, safety, and resilience. Within La Crosse, the renewable energy potential for rooftop solar on low-income residential buildings alone totals more than 49,000 megawatt hours (MWH) annually.

Nearly 1 in 3 residents in La Crosse are low-income, meaning that increasing equitable access to energy efficiency and renewable energy will not only reduce energy poverty in the community but also represents a notable portion of the emissions reduction potential in the community.

The recommended actions in the CAP are:

1. Develop renewable energy programs that increase on-site and community renewable energy and create benefits for low-income community members. Example programs include the City of Dubuque Low Income Solar Renewable Energy Credit (SREC) Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Com-
   munity Solar for Community Action, and theTexas Energy Poverty Research Institute CommunitySolar Program Model. Goal: 10,000 MWh of clean energy delivered through programs annually by 2030.
2. Fund an income-based payment system for low- and fixed-income residents to participate in energy efficiency and weatherization program(s) at little to no cost.
3. Finance energy efficiency retrofits and renewable energy projects for all residential buildings. Establish a tiered incentive based on percent improvement to energy efficiency and income qualifications for applicants.

Land use policies establish the pattern of development and redevelopment of public and private property throughout a community. Policies that guide housing effect accessibility, energy demand, affordability, and access to opportunities for a community’s residents. Other land use decisions can impact the balance of biodiversity, access to and consumption of environmental resources, and the climate resilience of a community.

La Crosse’s 8,622 acres of developed land supports a population of 51,543, averaging 6.1 residents per acre. Meanwhile, according to the US Department of Energy, an estimated 16.4% of all households (3,500) are required to spend over 6% of their total income to meet their home’s energy needs—a condition known as “High Energy Burden” which can greatly exacerbate challenges faced by those living with economic stress.

• Identification of land uses and/ or locations that might be particularly impacted by climate changes
• Potential for transportation disruptions due to direct dam- age from extreme events
• Impacts of climate change on the availability and affordability of housing stock, and costs associated with home maintenance, habitation and repair
• Impacts of climate change on the functioning or maintenance requirements of infrastructure necessary for particular land uses, including residential use
• Access to safe and affordable transportation near affordable housing units, and overall com- munity connectedness for pedestrians, bikers, and vehicles

• In La Crosse, residential buildings account for over 14% of community-wide GHG emissions – representing an important sector in community-wide energy reduction goals, while increasing energy efficiency, particularly within housing serving low-income community members, will result in decreased energy burden.
• The age, condition, quality, efficiency, and affordability of our housing determines the climate resilience of its occupants. Lower-income people without access to quality, affordable, housing consequently face disproportionate risks from extreme heat and weather exposure.
• Involuntary displacement of people from their homes due to climate-related hazards such as flooding or fire increases vulnerability and is associated with poor health, wellbeing, and socio-economic outcomes. Meanwhile, the likely migration of populations into the La Crosse region due to on-going climate impacts elsewhere will increase the strain on available quality housing for all.