2024 NAR Smart Growth Grant Recipient
Posted: 05.6.24
*****News Release*****
REALTORS® Association of Northwestern Wisconsin
Receives National Grant to Help Build a Better Fairchild
Eau Claire, WI (April 23, 2024) – The REALTORS® Association of Northwestern Wisconsin (RANWW) in conjunction with Fairchild area partners will use a $4,500 Smart Growth Grant from the National Association of Realtors® to conduct a community placemaking event in the Fairchild, WI area to create master site plans and development strategies for two key sites located in the community and to strengthen the linkages between these sites.
“REALTORS® work hard to help build better communities and help improve our quality of life in northwestern Wisconsin,” shares Todd Schwartz, RANWW President. “This grant will help raise awareness about the importance of improving our small communities to connect their downtown and surrounding areas while promoting downtown revitalization, diverse housing and transportation options, development within existing neighborhoods, enriched quality of life, and community engagement. Through the Smart Growth Grant program, REALTORS® are collaborating with the Fairchild community to help secure, stabilize and strengthen the future of the community.”
The Smart Growth Grant will be used to conduct a multi-day placemaking project to engage community members to develop site plans and strategies for the improvement of a vacant property in downtown Fairchild and the Fairchild Area Historical Tribute located on U.S. Highway 12. The project will also be exploring ways to enhance the connectivity between these locations as well as other downtown destinations, such as the Fairchild Area Historical Society’s new History Center.
RANWW is partnering with Chris Straight of the Fairchild Area Historical Society to coordinate the project and working with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension’s Community Vitality and Placemaking unit to conduct a community survey and two-day placemaking charrette. The purpose of the charrette is to gather information from the community and develop design alternatives and possibilities with local stakeholder groups. The charrette is tentatively planned for October 2024.
NAR offers Smart Growth Grants to state and local REALTOR® Associations around the country to support a wide range of activities and initiatives, including growth and development symposia; community visioning sessions; growth studies; transportation and walkability action plans; community planning and zoning policy; and the Planning and Zoning: Advocating for a Community’s Future course.
To learn more about National Association of REALTORS® Smart Growth program visit, https://realtorparty.realtor/community-outreach/smart-growth.
The REALTORS® Association of Northwestern Wisconsin (RANWW) was chartered in 1921 and serves over 1,300 REALTOR® and affiliate members. RANWW serves 18 counties in northwestern Wisconsin with the mission “we unite local stakeholders to better serve our communities”.
The National Association of REALTORS® is America’s largest trade association, representing more than 1.4 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.
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If you’d like local commentary on this project, please reach out:
Media Contact:
Brenda Barnhardt
(715) 835-0923
brenda@ranww.org
Whitney Girolamo
(715) 835-0923
whitney@ranww.org
The REALTORS® Association of Northwestern Wisconsin is the professional trade association that all the professional REALTORS® residing within the association jurisdiction belong to. The association provides educational opportunities for its members, is active in local, state, and national advocacy efforts, engages in community outreach through charitable giving, operates its own foundation to help homeowners in need, and remains a positive force for the members they serve.
For more information on the REALTORS® Association of Northwestern Wisconsin, visit www.ranww.org.
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