Affordability is top-of-mind for homebuyers, thus making it top-of-mind for the Chippewa Valley Homebuilders Association as well. As the affordability conversation continues, the local organization touches on how zoning impacts builders' ability to keep costs down. (Photos from an open house event on the Century Code Update in 2025)

In summer 2025, the City of Eau Claire accomplished a years-long effort when it adopted new zoning codes as part of the Century Code Update. 

The project, as described by the City, helps guide “how land is developed and used, in order to protect public health, safety and welfare.” Simply put, the Century Code Update aimed to clarify and modernize development regulations and standards.

Christina Thrun, the executive director of the Chippewa Valley Homebuilders Association (CVHBA), explained zoning code defines different areas within the city – residential, commercial, industrial, downtown – and lays out how a city functions and what it looks like; by way of specifications regarding building materials, signage, landscaping and much more.

During the hefty zoning code revamp process, Thrun said the CVHBA – made up of members; local contractors and related professionals – provided insight and input throughout the process. That included advocacy efforts toward “pro-housing and pro-affordability ordinances.”

“In the beginning of the zoning code process, we made sure we had builders and engineers and developers to act as industry advisors and provide feedback on the code,” Thrun said.

According to recent data from the National Association of Home Builders, the median price of a brand-new home in the Eau Claire area is about $493,500. There are roughly 83,700 households in the area, yet nearly 64,000 of those – or 76% – can't afford that price.

The CVHBA's goal was to help the code support housing affordability as much as possible. The basic logic behind the goal, Thrun said, is that “the fewer restrictions in the zoning code, the more affordable the housing. The more restrictions, the more expensive.”

For example, a code with less restrictions might be one that doesn’t specify use of certain building materials. “One of the things that Eau Claire initially proposed in the zoning code,” Thun said, “would have been a requirement of a certain percentage of masonry on multifamily buildings.”

It is likely, she said, that implementing this requirement would have exponentially added onto the cost of buildings versus allowing for more affordable siding or other material choice.

But how does code actually impact Eau Claire housing prices?

Housing, of course, was a significant facet of the Century Code Update project.

According to recent data from the National Association of Home Builders, the median price of a brand-new home in the Eau Claire area is about $493,500.

There are roughly 83,700 households in the wider area, yet nearly 64,000 of those – or 76% – can't afford that price. The same data found that each $1,000 home price increase, prices out another 87 households.

Thus, it is worth the effort to keep costs low – even a few hundred dollars makes a difference.

“We know there are still aspects of the code that are going to still add on costs,” Thrun said, “but we definitely moved the needle. That’s why having experts, our association and our members – (people) who know the impact – get involved is so critical to the process.”

As the City of Eau Claire continues to see the Century Code Update project implemented, Thrun said CVHBA will continue to monitor the ordinances and its impact on area housing affordability. When the time comes to reevaluate, CVHBA plans to continue its advocacy efforts.

Learn more about the Chippewa Valley Homebuilders Association at www.cvhomebuilders.com. View the City of Eau Claire's Century Code Update project – chapter two talks zoning districts; chapter five talks building design standards – online.