Menomonie City Council public hearing: Nicholas Drive rezoning for affordable apartments
Menomonie residents who follow planning decisions will want to watch next week’s meeting details for Nicholas Drive: the Menomonie City Council agenda for Monday, July 6, 2026 (listed for 7:00 p.m.) includes a public hearing on Proposed Ordinance 2026-10—a rezoning request that would shift certain land along Nicholas Drive from Agriculture (A) to Multiple Family Residential (R-3).
The same agenda also lists a separate item for Council to discuss (and potentially take action on) issuing an RFQ—a Request for Statements of Qualification—for an Affordable Multiple Family Housing Development on Nicholas Drive.
What the agenda says Council will hold a hearing on
According to the City’s agenda packet, the public hearing is specifically for Proposed Ordinance 2026-10: rezoning “certain lands along Nicholas Drive” from A District to Multiple Family Residential (R-3).
After the hearing, the ordinance is described on the agenda as an item Council will consider for discussion and possible waivers of readings and adoption (the agenda language indicates possibilities, not a final outcome).
The related RFQ item: how an affordable project could move forward
Alongside the rezoning hearing, the agenda lists “Issuance of Request for Statements of Qualification for an Affordable Multiple Family Housing Development on Nicholas Drive” as an item for discussion and possible action.
In practical terms, that RFQ step is where the City would formally begin soliciting and evaluating responses from qualified partners who might develop an affordable multiple-family housing project—what happens next depends on what Council decides during/after the meeting.
Why affordability is part of the planning context
The City’s broader housing-affordability framing comes from its 2023 Affordable Housing Analysis (Permit Year 2023). That report notes HUD’s commonly used affordability benchmark: housing is generally treated as affordable when housing costs do not exceed 30% of household income. It also provides local data on renter cost burden.
In Menomonie, the analysis reports that:
- About 45.04% of renters pay 30% or more of their household incomes for housing costs; and
- The analysis lists a median gross rent of about $899 (using 2018–2022 ACS data).
Those figures help explain why the City is pairing a land-use step (the A-to-R-3 rezoning) with an affordable-housing process step (the possible RFQ issuance).
What residents should watch next
This is an agenda-listed hearing plus potential next-step actions—not a final confirmation by the agenda itself. After July 6, residents may want to look for:
- Whether Council advances the rezoning ordinance after the public hearing; and
- Whether Council moves toward issuing the RFQ and what criteria could be included in later materials.
For the most direct updates, keep an eye on the City’s posted meeting materials, agenda follow-ups, and the Council record after the hearing date.
Sources
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