The City of Rhinelander is celebrating the start of construction on a new 48-unit senior housing community.
The Riverview Senior Housing Development is being built off Boyce Drive behind the CoVantage Credit Union.
Developers, contractors, city and county leaders gathered Wednesday to celebrate the groundbreaking of Riverview Senior Housing in Rhinelander.
Plans for the housing development have been in the works for nearly a decade.
Last year, the developer was awarded housing tax credits to help fund the build from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.
Then that developer pulled out due to a capital gap in their financial stack, according to Oneida County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Tony Pharo.
“This at one time was like a 95% no go, and this was sometime around Thanksgiving/Christmas of last year that it was not going to happen. Then we found folks and we found different people,” said Pharo. “That's the thing that I don't think people understand how many different pieces it takes for a development to happen.”
Crown Court Properties is now the developer of the project. This their northern most build in Wisconsin.
“We're excited for the opportunity to to provide you know quality, safe, affordable housing to the county and to the city of Rhinelander, and look forward to moving forward and getting it done,” said Keenan Fonner, asset manager with Crown Court Properties.
Several of the speakers at the groundbreaking ceremony mentioned the numerous partners that made this project happen.
Oneida County Economic Development Corporation, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, WHEDA, North Central Construction, Cityscape Architecture, the City of Rhinelander, and several financial institutions worked together on this project.
“This is something where we're competing with resources that everyone else wants. This is something where the partnerships here today start building the groundwork for more housing projects to come in the future,” said Rhinelander Mayor Kris Hanus.
Of the 48-units, six are set aside just for veterans.
Pharo say the affordable housing will factor in incomes.
“They're going to have people there that will help with resources to help the veterans and the seniors make sure they can afford to live here,” said Pharo.
A 2025 report from the Wisconsin Aging Advocacy Network found a l ack of affordable and accessible housing for older adults is a growing issue for Wisconsin’s rural and urban residents.
The nation’s age 80-plus population group is projected to double, from 14.7 million in 2025 to 29.4 million in 2045.
As WXPR previously reported, local homeless shelters are starting to see an increase in seniors needing housing assistance.
Construction on the Riverview Senior Housing Development is expected to take about a year.
According to Pharo, this is the first sizeable housing development Rhinelander has seen since 2011.
