New Affordable Housing in Rockland - WXOW News 19 La Crosse, WI – News, Weather and Sports |

Rockland, Wisconsin (WXOW) - Affordable housing options are growing in the village of Rockland.

Couleecap celebrated the completion of three new duplexes in Meadow Park Estates. After a developer went through foreclosure on 60 lots in Rockland three years ago, the county and village tried to find a way to put the land to use and generate tax revenue. This is when Couleecap stepped in.

Couleecap is a non-profit organization which offers programs that help fight poverty and promote self-sufficiency in La Crosse county.

These three new buildings are phase two of a three phase project to create affordable housing for low and middle income families in Rockland. When this project is finished it will result in 14 new homes by the end of October.

Couleecap Community Development Director, Todd Mandel, said, "Before, these lots were generating zero tax dollars for the county and the village, because they were owned by the county. By the time we're done, there will be more than a million dollars of tax base that's generating property taxes for the school districts and the city and the county."

This project has created 10 housing units so far, with 4 more to be finished by the end of October. The project has also protected 32 area jobs in the process.