Mayor Johnson wants more housing. Some Milwaukeeans say he's not listening to them

A plan from Mayor Cavalier Johnson's administration to encourage more housing development by changing Milwaukee's zoning rules is being opposed by some central city residents who say City Hall isn't listening to them.

And that claim has a racial overtone, with people from largely Black neighborhoods criticizing what they call a "white-led" community group's support for the plan.

The Plan Commission didn't vote on the proposal at its Monday public hearing. Commission Chair Stephanie Bloomingdale told the packed room that commissioners were there to listen, discuss and analyze.

That decision to not vote was recommended by the Mayor Johnson's Department of City Development. Development Commissioner Lafayette Crump said the hearing would be followed by "additional dialogue" with the community, and possible changes to the proposal, known as Growing MKE.

The commission is next scheduled to meet on Aug. 19.

Common Council review could come this fall

Growing MKE needs Common Council approval − and that review could occur this fall.

Its suggested zoning changes − requiring separate council approval − would encourage greater density in a city where 40% of the land is restricted to single-family homes. That increased density would include such "neighborhood scale" housing as duplexes, triplexes, townhouses, cottage courts and four-unit apartment buildings.

Another change would encourage more apartments by eliminating floor area ratios − which typically limit a building's floor area in relation to the size of its lot. Instead, zoning would set height limits, setbacks and design standards for apartment buildings.

Crump and other supporters say those changes would encourage more housing construction, bringing increased property tax revenue for the city, Milwaukee Public Schools and other local governments, and additional customers for stores, restaurants and other businesses.

Also, higher density would increase Milwaukee's affordable housing supply − helping slow rent increases city residents have seen, Crump told the Plan Commission.

Wisconsin's housing supply hasn't grown fast enough to keep up with demand − which contributes to inflated prices for both houses and apartments, according to a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report.

"The proposed changes will enable us to create more affordable and varied housing, benefiting the entire community and helping to control rising housing costs," according to a statement from Alex Rodriguez, representing the Emerging Developer Roundtable.

Supporters include Urban League, Habitat for Humanity

Other supporters include Community Advocates, Greater Milwaukee Urban League, Independence First, Metropolitan Milwaukee Fair Housing Council, Milwaukee Downtown Business Improvement District, Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity, Near West Side Partners, Sierra Club and United Community Center.

"Supporting housing growth and choice are critical to the future of our city," said Brian Sonderman, Milwaukee Habitat chief executive officer, in a letter to the Plan Commission.

Opponents include Metcalfe Park Community Bridges , Midtown Neighborhood Alliance and Walnut Way Conservation Corp.

Their concerns include a belief that Growing MKE would encourage large absentee landlords to increase their ownership of central city housing − driving up prices, according to a letter from Antonio Butts, Walnut Way executive director.

The proposal would "strip the power from the people" and allow developers "to reconfigure our neighborhoods as they see fit," said Ald. Russell Stamper, whose district includes the Metcalfe Park and Midtown neighborhoods.

However, VineBrook Homes Trust and other absentee landlords don't build new housing − they buy cheap houses in distressed neighborhoods, said John Johnson, a Marquette University research fellow who's studied the issue.

Opponents want more community input

But the biggest issue has been a failure by the Department of City Development and its supporters to talk to central city residents and create a proposal that respects their views, according to Danell Cross, Metcalfe Park Community Bridges executive director.

Cross said the department's engagement of more than 1,700 Milwaukee residents "does not reflect comprehensive community input." Her letter to the Plan Commission was signed by nearly 70 neighborhood residents.

Cross and Midtown Neighborhood Alliance President Betty D. Glosson both called for Department of City Development to do additional community engagement.

"Many Midtown residents were unaware of public meetings or unable to attend due to inconvenient scheduling and lack of accessible formats," Glosson said.

Cross criticized the community engagement's financial support from the Community Development Alliance . She called it "a white-led entity comprised of city officials, funders, and developers with minimal community involvement."

Stamper, vice chair of the Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee, also called out the alliance.

"The CDA states that these changes in zoning are needed to save the City of Milwaukee and increase the population, all while increasing racial equity," Stamper wrote in a statement.

"We ask, with due respect, who are they to determine the fates of the African-American community? Who are they to determine once again that the Black community must be sacrificed for the betterment of the whole?" Stamper said.

Alliance Executive Officer Teig Whaley-Smith said in an interview he supports the Plan Commission's vote delay.

"There's never enough community engagement," he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram , X and Facebook .

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Mayor Johnson wants more housing. Some Milwaukeeans say he's not listening to them