After being evacuated more than two years ago due to hazardous chemical contamination, the East Block of
Community Within the Corridor has reopened and is now nearly fully leased.
The building, located at 2748 N. 32nd St. on Milwaukee’s north side, is now 92% leased and about 50% occupied. Applications have been submitted for nearly all remaining units, and developers expect to reach full occupancy by October, according to Minnesota-based
Roers Cos., a co-developer on the project with Milwaukee-based
Scott Crawford Inc.
“The amount of interest has been significant,” said
Shane LaFave, chief operating officer of Roers. “We're doing virtually zero marketing, and the amount of reach outs we get on a weekly basis is in the hundreds. There’s definitely a need for affordable housing in the area.”
The return of residents comes more than two years after a March 2023 order that
residents leave their homes due to elevated levels of the carcinogen trichloroethylene, or TCE, that was found at the building, which was once part of a Briggs & Stratton complex.
In the wake of the high-profile evacuation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials said the agency had not known residents had already moved into the building and learned that it was occupied only after requesting information in the week leading up to residents' departure.
Following the evacuation, developers upgraded the vapor mitigation system and excavated additional soil. The building went through multiple rounds of testing and regulatory approvals before receiving the green light to reopen in May. Testing had to show no elevated chemical levels across multiple seasons, with at least 90 days between each round, according to LaFave.
To rebuild trust with former residents and the community, the development team kept the process transparent and engaged with neighbors, according to LaFave. In August, they hosted a block party that included free haircuts for children and a school supply drive.
"We're not just an apartment community,” LaFave said. “We're members of the neighborhood."
Some former residents who were evacuated in 2023 have since reapplied and returned, which LaFave sees as a sign of renewed confidence in the safety of the building.
The evacuation
led to a now-settled lawsuit in which 21 displaced households will each receive $25,000 in damages, totaling $525,000. The settlement also allows for future legal action if any health issues arise due to TCE exposure.
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