By Tim Kowols
Fish Creek resident Donn Dresselhuys has seen northern Door County struggle with workforce housing for 50 years, and he has tapped himself as the man to try to solve it. Dresselhuys has approached officials in the village of Sister Bay and the towns of Baileys Harbor and Gibraltar to build a series of two-bedroom houses on land leased by a management firm and sold to local businesses for their summer workers. In Dresselhuys’ view, it is costing businesses potential employees and income to not get behind a project like this.
Dresselhuys says the houses would only be allowed for workforce housing, even if a business decided to sell their building. After having the plan rejected by the town of Gibraltar last year, hope is still alive in Baileys Harbor after it was sent back to its plan commission on Monday night and has another date with the Sister Bay Plan Commission on August 29.
I have an even better idea – instead of “2 bedroom houses” build 2-story rectangular lodge-style “rooming house” buildings. You could house more worlers that way.