Milwaukee Can't Require Affordable Housing in Privately Financed Developments

State law required an affordable housing plan making its way through the Milwaukee City Council to be drastically reduced in scope.

1 minute read

December 14, 2017, 7:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Milwaukee

Henryk Sadura / Shutterstock

The city of Milwaukee is moving forward with an amended inclusionary zoning plan that would require city-financed project.

"The proposal would require developers building city-financed apartment buildings with 20 or more units to set aside 20 percent of all new units for residents making less than 60 percent of the county’s median income for a period of 30 years," reports Jeramey Jannene. "An earlier version of the plan impacted both public and privately financed projects."

The decision to only require affordable housing in city-financed projects responds to concerns about state law and a precedent setting decision by the Wisconsin State Supreme Court.

The proposed inclusionary zoning law, as currently written, would "cover part or all of the neighborhoods of East Town, Westown, the Lower East Side, The Brewery, Historic Third Ward and Walker’s Point."

Wednesday, December 13, 2017 in Urban Milwaukee

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

People board a bus in Seattle.

Seattle passes record-breaking transit services expansion

Proposition 1 will double the city’s transit tax to add 95,000 more bus trips and preserve 180,000 bus trips annually.

November 6 - KOMO News

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.