The City of Milwaukee’s Plan Commission on Monday gave the first approval for the construction of River Trail Commons, a co-housing development planned at 2716-40 N. Humboldt Boulevard in the city’s Riverwest neighborhood.
The site, formerly home to Big Daddy’s BBQ & Soul Food and two single-family homes, was purchased in February of 2023 for $1.4 million. Units on the property will be for sale only. The $18 million redevelopment will have three buildings with 40 units total. A 16-unit townhome structure will face west on North Humboldt Boulevard while a 24-unit condo-style building will sit directly behind to the east.
As part of the co-housing proposal, residents will share amenities and participate in a weekly Sunday meal to help build community, according to Nola Hitchcock Cross, a Milwaukee and leader of Living in Community Milwaukee LLC, which is leading the project. The project team also includes Milwaukee-based Narvarte Development and Cedarburg-based The Kubala Washatko Architects.
The development will promote pedestrian and bicycle trails as a part of its communal living motive.
“We have the fame of being one of the most segregated cities in the United States,” said Cross. “We made certain that a lot of the homes are steeply discounted to first time buyers.”
The goal of the project is to decrease racial equity gaps in the city, according to Montavius Jones of Narvarte Development.
Living in Community Milwaukee has already raised just over $1 million for the project. The development is the first of its kind planned for the Milwaukee housing market.
