What is the Housing Element?

The Housing Element (formerly known as Growing MKE) is the result of a citywide planning initiative to support Milwaukee’s evolving housing needs. The Housing Element is part of the City of Milwaukee's Comprehensive Plan and replaces the Citywide Policy Plan’s Housing & Neighborhoods Chapter.

We didn’t start from scratch... The vision and policies in our Comprehensive Plan are still relevant today and several recent planning efforts were incorporated. The Housing Element incorporates goals and recommendations from a number of recent housing-related planning efforts across the city to support implementation of policies and recommendations found in the Anti-Displacement Plan, the Collective Affordable Housing Strategic Plan (developed with the cross sector Community Development Alliance, and endorsed by the Common Council), and the City’s 14 Area Plans.

The Housing Element update to the Citywide Policy Plan includes new commitments and updates previous statements that reflect the housing choice Milwaukeeans desire. You can view the proposed Housing Element here.

Earlier drafts of the Housing Element were titled “Growing MKE.” The title was updated to align with changes in the plan, which better reflect the goals of meeting the housing needs of existing residents and neighborhoods, as well as those who will call Milwaukee home in the future.

Pop-up Office Hours!

What do we mean by “office hours” at a library? These are pop-up stands at your local library. Staff sets up an information table and is available to chat about the project with anyone who drops in.

• Monday, May 19, 2025
  • Mitchell Street Library, 906 W Historic Mitchell St, Milwaukee, WI 53204
  • 4-6 pm
  • Spanish interpretation available
• Tuesday, May 20, 2025
  • Villard Square Library, 5190 N 35th St, Milwaukee, WI 53209
  • 4-6 pm

Webinars (Recordings available)

Department of City Development staff hosted Informational Webinars about the Draft Housing Element for Milwaukee's Comprehensive Plan. Staff shared information on the plan, updates from the last draft, and supporting materials. After the presentation, staff answered questions. Presentation content was the same for both meetings.

• Wednesday, May 7th, 6:00 - 7:00pm - Recordings of the presentation portion of the meeting are available below or on our YouTube Channel. Full recordings of the meeting (presentation and Q&A) are available on the YouTube Channel and on the Past Events page.
• Tuesday, May 13th, 6:00 - 7:00pm - A full recording of the meeting (presentation and Q&A) is available in English on the YouTube Channel and on the Past Events page. The presentation was the same for both meetings.

Accommodation Requests

Reasonable accommodations, of an auxiliary aid or service required due to a disability, for a City of Milwaukee event will be provided upon request. Contact the City of Milwaukee ADA Coordinator, 414-286-3475 or adacoordinator@milwaukee.gov as soon as possible but no later than 72 hours before the scheduled event.

May 1, 2025 - Proposed Draft Plan

Thank you to everyone that has participated in the Housing Element planning process.

As requested at the July 29, 2024 City Plan Commission meeting, the Department of City Development staff have conducted additional engagement on the Plan. We appreciate the time and thoughtful comments that the Milwaukee community has shared to refine the Proposed Draft Plan.

The following documents & resources are available in the link below:

• Proposed Draft Plan
• Executive Summary
• Summary of Changes to the Plan
• Benefit & Harm Analysis
• Engagement Summary
• Interactive Zoning Map
• Frequently Asked Questions