A Plan to Increase Housing Choices in Response to Milwaukee’s Housing Shortage


What is Growing MKE?

  • Phase 1 - Proposed amendment the Citywide Policy Plan
    • Policies & actions related to encouraging housing choice and growth
    • Recommendations to update the City’s Zoning Code
  • Phase 2 – Implementation – Zoning Code Updates

Comprehensive Planning in Milwaukee

+ Citywide Plan

+ 14 Area Plans

+ Amendments

  • Guide future development by setting a collective vision and roadmap for the future.
  • Updated based on changing needs in a community.
  • For Growing MKE, we looked at how to support evolving housing needs.

We didn’t start from scratch….

Milwaukee’s Zoning Code & Comprehensive Plan are tailored to support:

  • walkable neighborhoods,
  • mixed-use housing development, &
  • housing choice.

Advancing Plan Recommendations and City Goals from several recent planning processes along with the Mayor’s vision for economic prosperity.

Zoning Codes & Maps

  • Zoning is a written document of rules and a map that shows what zone each piece of land is part of.
  • Each zone has a unique set of rules that guide development – uses & sizes/shape of buildings.
  • These zoning rules are laws adopted by the City’s Common Council.

Milwaukee’s Zoning over time

  • 1920 – Milwaukee’s first zoning code
  • 1951 – A New Zoning Code was adopted with
    more regulations
  • 1960s – Newly annexed areas zoned for low densities
  • 1985 – Zoning Code updated
  • 2002 – A New Zoning Code was adopted
  • 2002-2022 – Ongoing technical updates and periodically, more in-depth updates have been made based on plan recommendations
  • 2023 – Growing MKE process began

What does zoning for housing look like in Milwaukee?

40% of residentially zoned parcels allow only one housing unit

More than ½ of residentially zoned parcels allow 2+ housing units, including areas of the City with the largest numbers of vacant lots

Multi-family housing is allowed in ALL commercial districts, corridors, and downtown.

What does zoning for housing look like in Milwaukee?

40% of residentially zoned parcels allow only one housing unit

More than ½ of residentially zoned parcels allow 2+ housing units, including areas of the City with the largest numbers of vacant lots

Multi-family housing is allowed in ALL commercial districts, corridors, and downtown.

Why did we take on this project now?

Why Policies + Zoning?

Market Trends

Housing in the Next 20 Years

Advancing Equity in Zoning

Density and Growth are Economic Decisions

Impacts on Emerging and Local Developers

This is just one piece of the puzzle…

Overview of the Planning Process

What does zoning look like in this area?


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City of Milwaukee Zoning Districts that Allow Housing

Zoning Districts

Current Code

Recommendation in Growing MKE

Single-Family & Two-Family Districts

Multi-Family Districts

the recommended change is for how limits on number of units are calculated

Draft, City of Milwaukee, Dec. ‘24