For the past few years, the Department of City Development has been leading Housing Element, formerly called Growing MKE, a citywide planning effort.

In a June meeting, the city’s Plan Commission approved updates to the plan, including the name change, which is part of the City of Milwaukee’s Comprehensive Plan and replaces the Citywide Policy Plan’s Housing & Neighborhoods Chapter.

Here is what you need to know.

What is the plan

The city’s comprehensive plan is like a guide book that helps determine how Milwaukee wants to grow and improve over the coming years. 

If adopted, the plan will become the city’s guide to housing and housing development. 

The plan sets out to address issue’s local groups are already working on, including Milwaukee’s ongoing housing affordability crisis, by promoting diverse housing options and combating displacement. 

The plan proposes strategies like changing the city’s current zoning codes to allow for more three-, four- and five-family units, and the city practicing a commitment to legislative advocacy. 

The plan seeks to align housing strategies with broader citywide goals like job creation, neighborhood safety and equitable development.

Sam Leichtling, deputy commissioner for the Department of City Development, said the updates address community concerns that leaders hadn’t addressed initially, like how changes in zoning code could allow for gentrification in certain areas and an uptick in predatory landlords. 

What’s happened

The plan has been on hold since July 2024 after community members requested more time to allow for further public engagement and a benefit-harm analysis.

Leichtling and the Department of City Development planner Amy Oeth said in the meeting that the engagement was central to improving the plan. 

Feedback received during engagement sessions spurred the name change. 

Leightling said some people felt the name catered to newer arrivals rather than longer established Milwaukee residents. 

Community weighs in

Although the plan was conditionally approved, dozens of residents, community leaders and organizational representatives testified during the public hearing. 

The majority expressed support, but several raised concerns about how the plan might affect historic neighborhoods, homeowners and community stability.

“We can’t wait for a perfect plan while families struggle with affordability,” Alderwoman Sharlen Moore said.

Eve Hall, the president and CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Urban League, praised the plan’s focus on anti-displacement, homeownership and intergovernmental collaboration. 

Melody McCurtis and Danell Cross of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges supported the plan but urged continued investment in deep community engagement.

Mark Foley, a Historic Watertown District homeowner, expressed concerns about how the plan could erode single-family neighborhoods by allowing accessory dwelling units, or ADUs.

Despite differences, a recurring theme among participants was the need to expand housing choices and to create affordable housing options that include duplexes, triplexes and small-scale multifamily developments.

 What’s next? 

The plan was approved on five conditions. Conditions include showing clearer links between housing and job creation; expanding an explanation of units lost because of predatory lending and foreclosures; and recognizing community groups for their contributions to the work. 

With the Plan Commission’s conditional approval, the ordinance moves to the Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee for further review.

The entire Common Council will have the final say on the plan.

“This plan isn’t perfect,” Commissioner Willie Smith said, “but it’s a solid, community-informed foundation for addressing Milwaukee’s most urgent housing challenges.”

For more information

On Tuesday, July 8, there will be a public hearing on the Housing Element plan at the Zoning, Neighborhood, and Development Committee’s meeting, which takes place at 9 a.m. in Room 301-B of City Hall, 200 E. Wells St.

People will have the opportunity to provide testimony in person. 

You can also submit written testimony by mail to the Office of the Common Council – City Clerk at 200 E. Wells St., Room 205, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, or by emailing the staff assistant of this committee at clee@milwaukee.gov. 

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What will Milwaukee look like in the future? Plan provides a roadmap.

by PrincessSafiya Byers, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
July 2, 2025

<h1>What will Milwaukee look like in the future? Plan provides a roadmap.</h1> <p class="byline">by PrincessSafiya Byers, Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service <br />July 2, 2025</p> <p>For the past few years, the Department of City Development has been leading <a href="https://city.milwaukee.gov/DCD/Planning/PlansStudies/Comprehensiveplanning/CitywidePolicyPlan/HousingElement">Housing Element,</a> formerly called Growing MKE, a citywide planning effort.</p> <p>In a June meeting, the city’s Plan Commission approved updates to the plan, including the name change, which is part of the City of Milwaukee's Comprehensive Plan and replaces the Citywide Policy Plan's Housing &amp; Neighborhoods Chapter.</p> <p>Here is what you need to know.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>What is the plan</strong></h2> <p>The <a href="https://city.milwaukee.gov/DCD/Planning/PlansStudies/Comprehensive-Planning">city’s comprehensive plan</a> is like a guide book that helps determine how Milwaukee wants to grow and improve over the coming years.&nbsp;</p> <p>If adopted, the plan will become the city’s guide to housing and housing development.&nbsp;</p> <p>The plan sets out to address issue’s local groups are already working on, including Milwaukee’s ongoing housing affordability crisis, by promoting diverse housing options and combating displacement.&nbsp;</p> <p>The plan proposes strategies like changing the city’s current zoning codes to allow for more three-, four- and five-family units, and the city practicing a commitment to legislative advocacy.&nbsp;</p> <p>The plan seeks to align housing strategies with broader citywide goals like job creation, neighborhood safety and equitable development.</p> <p>Sam Leichtling, deputy commissioner for the Department of City Development, said the updates address community concerns that leaders hadn’t addressed initially, like how changes in zoning code could allow for gentrification in certain areas and an uptick in predatory landlords.&nbsp;</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>What’s happened</strong></h2> <p>The plan has been on hold since July 2024 after community members requested more time to allow for further public engagement and a benefit-harm analysis.</p> <p>Leichtling and the Department of City Development planner Amy Oeth said in the meeting that the engagement was central to improving the plan.&nbsp;</p> <p>Feedback received during engagement sessions spurred the name change.&nbsp;</p> <p>Leightling said some people felt the name catered to newer arrivals rather than longer established Milwaukee residents.&nbsp;</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Community </strong>weighs in</h2> <p>Although the plan was conditionally approved, dozens of residents, community leaders and organizational representatives testified during the public hearing.&nbsp;</p> <p>The majority expressed support, but several raised concerns about how the plan might affect historic neighborhoods, homeowners and community stability.</p> <p>“We can’t wait for a perfect plan while families struggle with affordability,” Alderwoman Sharlen Moore said.</p> <p>Eve Hall, the president and CEO of the Greater Milwaukee Urban League, praised the plan’s focus on anti-displacement, homeownership and intergovernmental collaboration.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="https://metcalfeparkbridges.org/meet-the-team/">Melody McCurtis and Danell Cross</a> of Metcalfe Park Community Bridges supported the plan but urged continued investment in deep community engagement.</p> <p>Mark Foley, a Historic Watertown District homeowner, expressed concerns about how the plan could erode single-family neighborhoods by allowing accessory dwelling units, or ADUs.</p> <p>Despite differences, a recurring theme among participants was the need to expand housing choices and to create affordable housing options that include duplexes, triplexes and small-scale multifamily developments.</p> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>&nbsp;What’s next?&nbsp;</strong></h2> <p>The plan was approved on five conditions. Conditions include showing clearer links between housing and job creation; expanding an explanation of units lost because of predatory lending and foreclosures; and recognizing community groups for their contributions to the work.&nbsp;</p> <p>With the Plan Commission’s conditional approval, the ordinance moves to the Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee for further review.</p> <p>The entire Common Council will have the final say on the plan.</p> <p>“This plan isn’t perfect,” Commissioner Willie Smith said, “but it’s a solid, community-informed foundation for addressing Milwaukee’s most urgent housing challenges.”</p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">For more information</h2> <p>On Tuesday, July 8, there will be a public hearing on the Housing Element plan at the Zoning, Neighborhood, and Development Committee’s meeting, which takes place at 9 a.m. in Room 301-B of City Hall, 200 E. Wells St.</p> <p>People will have the opportunity to provide testimony in person.&nbsp;</p> <p>You can also submit written testimony by mail to the Office of the Common Council – City Clerk at 200 E. Wells St., Room 205, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, or by emailing the staff assistant of this committee at clee@milwaukee.gov.&nbsp;</p> <p>This &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2025/07/02/what-will-milwaukee-look-like-in-the-future-plan-provides-a-roadmap/&quot;&gt;article&lt;/a&gt; first appeared on &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org&quot;&gt;Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service&lt;/a&gt; and is republished here under a &lt;a target=&quot;_blank&quot; href=&quot;https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/&quot;&gt;Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;img src=&quot;https://i0.wp.com/milwaukeenns.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/cropped-NNS-Favicon.png?resize=150%2C150&amp;amp;ssl=1&quot; style=&quot;width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;&quot;&gt;</p> &lt;img id=&quot;republication-tracker-tool-source&quot; src=&quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/?republication-pixel=true&amp;post=117318&amp;amp;ga4=G-HGM4XK3QCM&quot; style=&quot;width:1px;height:1px;&quot;&gt;&lt;script&gt; PARSELY = { autotrack: false, onload: function() { PARSELY.beacon.trackPageView({ url: &quot;https://milwaukeenns.org/2025/07/02/what-will-milwaukee-look-like-in-the-future-plan-provides-a-roadmap/&quot;, urlref: window.location.href }); } } &lt;/script&gt; &lt;script id=&quot;parsely-cfg&quot; src=&quot;//cdn.parsely.com/keys/milwaukeenns.org/p.js&quot;&gt;&lt;/script&gt;

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