The City of Milwaukee released a revised version of the Growing MKE plan that pares back its initial recommendations to diversify and boost the city’s housing stock.
Launched in 2023 by the city’s Department of City Development (DCD), the Growing MKE initiative aimed to overhaul the city’s zoning code to make it easier to build “missing middle” housing throughout the city. Last summer, the plan faced significant opposition from residents and waning political support from Common Council members, resulting in more community engagement and a new draft plan released Thursday.
Perhaps the most noticeable change in Thursday’s draft is a new name. The Growing MKE name is being dropped and the plan is now called “Milwaukee’s Comprehensive Plan: Housing Element.”
“The title was updated to align with changes in the plan, which better reflect with the goals of meeting the housing needs of existing residents and neighborhoods, as well as those who will call Milwaukee home in the future,” DCD’s website says.
The plan still calls for allowing townhomes on any residential parcel and approving accessory dwelling units (ADU) to be built in some form throughout the city. Cottage courts, a collection of small homes around a courtyard, are still supported in this plan, as well. This plan also maintains a number of technical changes to zoning provisions like minimum lot sizes intended to allow for more housing.
However, some of the prior recommendations to increase density in many parts of the city have been removed. A proposal to allow two and three-unit buildings to be constructed in all single-family zoning districts was removed. A proposal to allow four-unit buildings on certain lots was also removed.
Months ago, DCD also dropped a proposal to allow small apartment buildings on corridors served by transit. Last month, the Common Council approved a file separate to the Housing Element plan to create a new zoning designation (RT5) for apartment building’s between five and eight units.
Adopting the plan will still require Common Council approval and require future changes to the city’s zoning code with public hearings on specific components. Two informational webinars will be held in May.
Public comments in opposition to the Growing MKE plan last summer generally centered around the city’s public engagement efforts, gentrification, displacement, change of neighborhood character and creating more opportunities for “slum-lords” to buy up housing in the city.
In response to that criticism, which some aldermen have said is outside the purview of zoning, the revised plan speaks more to specific efforts the city should make to address housing issues, including lobbying for changes at the state level.
A “Benefit and Harm Analysis” was also prepared to document the potential impacts of the plan’s strategies, ways to track impacts and methods to mitigate unintended consequences.
