A contested affordable housing project on Milwaukee’s far northwest side took a step forward Tuesday, narrowly winning approval from the city’s Zoning, Neighborhood, and Development Committee (ZND) over opposition from nearby residents and their alderwoman.
Milwaukee-based Royal Capital Group received approval to rezone a 50-acre site east of North Swan Road and south of West Fairy Chasm Road, where it plans to build what it calls a “healthy living campus” known as Cudahy Farms.
Originally approved by the City Plan Commission in 2023 with a proposed 1,125 housing units, the project has been significantly scaled back. The revised plan calls for just 212 apartments—a reduction of more than 80%.
Royal Capital CEO Kevin Newell said the change was in an effort to compromise with project opponents.
Still, some residents and Ninth District Alderwoman Larresa Taylor spoke against the project during a four-hour public hearing on Tuesday. Concerns focused on potential crime and environmental impacts.
Taylor expressed concerns that Cudahy Farms could end up like the nearby Woodlands housing community, which the Milwaukee Police Department considers a crime “hot spot.” She also highlighted two 2023 homicides at Royal Capital’s Harmony Apartments in Madison. At the time of the homicides, Harmony was managed by another firm, but the property is now self-managed and improving, Newell said.
Further, the Cudahy Farms site is mostly undeveloped, and neighbors say it is one of the few places in the city with a mature forest and wetlands, and should be protected
During Tuesday’s meeting, ZND Chair Ald. Bob Bauman proposed delaying the vote and suggested a conservation easement to prevent future expansion beyond the first phase. Royal Capital rejected the idea.
“With us having begun engagement for this back in 2021 and fighting to get to this day today, I think all the stakeholders want some decision and clarity,” Newell said. “It would be selfish on my part to try to hold that decision up.”
Department of City Development (DCD) Commissioner Lafayette Crump, who spoke in support of the project, also urged the committee to move forward, calling a delay at this point “utterly ridiculous.”
“We’ve been seeking for some time to move this project forward in a part of the city that is starved for additional investment,” Crump said.
The committee ultimately voted 3-2 to rezone the project site and support the project with tax incremental financing. Alds. Scott Spiker, Russell Stamper and DiAndre Jackson voted to approve the project and its TIF, while Alds. Bauman and Milele Coggs voted to reject the rezoning and TIF.
Both items are still subject to Common Council approval.
Details of the project, TIF
Cudahy Farms’ first phase carries a $56.9 million price tag and will include a mix of one- to three-bedroom apartments, with 100 units designated for seniors and the rest for families.
The project would be built on 22 acres of the site. Rents would range from approximately $600 to $2,300 per month, depending on household income, with eligibility capped at 30% to 80% of the area median income (AMI).
Deputy Development Commissioner Sam Leichtling noted that most senior units would be for households earning less than 60% AMI, while family units would be targeted at households earning more than 60% AMI, which could help prevent the displacement of vulnerable seniors while lifting the area’s overall socioeconomic status.
Royal Capital’s financing for the project includes a mix of affordable housing tax credits, commercial loans, a subordinated loan and a deferred developer fee. The TIF district approved Tuesday would use property tax revenue generated by the development to repay $3.7 million in payments to the developer, as well as $2.1 million in interest costs.
Royal Capital acquired the land in 2021 from the YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee for $1.5 million. The development will incorporate part of the former YMCA Northwest Early Childhood Education Center as a community facility offering child care.
Other planned amenities include walking trails, a baseball diamond, a fitness center, pickleball courts, a putting green, golf simulators, and an outdoor plaza designed to host farmers markets and other neighborhood events.
Construction is expected to begin in 2025, with completion projected by the end of 2026.
Royal Capital leadership said there are no current plans for future phases, and any future development for the site would need to go through a full approval process.
Meanwhile, DCD is preparing to request redevelopment proposals later this year for the nearby former Northridge Mall. Crump said that the success of Cudahy Farms is crucial to the success of redeveloping Northridge.
“Third-party analysis and anecdotal evidence show a double-edged sword,” Crump said. “The development community sees the advancement of Cudahy Farms as a reason to believe in developing our city’s northwest side. They’re excited that the administration and, hopefully, the council will support it. At the same time, the development community is extremely concerned about the message it would send if a significant investment by a local developer with a fantastic track record and strongly supported by the administration, cannot then receive support from the council.”
