There’s often talk regarding whether UWM is a commuter campus or not, and although it still has numerous commuter students UWM has been evolving into a full blown campus environment for years. This change has stirred up East Side residents and put a greater demand on the neighborhood, but Milwaukee’s future is closely tied to UWM’s future so this evolution needs to be embraced, not challenged.

Mercy Housing Lakefront, Inc., intends to construct a 9-story apartment building with 75 apartments and eight townhouses on the existing 13,400 square foot city owned surface parking lot at the corner of N. Farwell Ave. and Thomas St. Additionally, it will have 85 garage spaces for residents and 30 garage spaces for use by US Bank and the public, which would replace most of the surface parking removed for this development.

Ever wondered what it would be like to be up in a tower crane? Just what kind of view you would get from up there?

You’ve heard the sad story of Pizza Man, Cush, Black and White Cafe, and Grecian Delight, as well as the unfortunate residents that lost everything (fundraiser Thursday night). You’ve probably heard by now that there are some indications that the fire was started as an act of arson. What you probably haven’t given much thought to yet is what will occupy that iconic corner.

At Monday’s City Plan Commission meeting, Wangard Parnters Inc. will be requesting an amendment to the Detailed Planned Development known as HighBridge Condominiums, with the intent of moving the project forward, now redesigned as apartments and renamed as Metro Place.

Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them.

– Bill Vaughan

Although, we have been critical of UWM’s efforts to expand in Wauwatosa, we have always believed that UWM’s growth is critical to Milwaukee. Specifically, the School of Freshwater Sciences, the School of Public Health, and an expanded research program in the Engineering School are all desirable goals that collectively can help UWM and Milwaukee grow.

Although months ago UWM entered into an agreement to purchase a portion of the Milwaukee County Grounds for the purpose of expansion, the deadline for public input into UWM’s Master Plan past just this week. Regardless if this input will be considered going forward or not, it’s worth looking to see what the UWM community thinks about the expansion plans.

On October 15th, Saint John’s on the Lake broke ground on “The Expansion” October 15th, a new 21-story, $83 million tower along Prospect Avenue. The tower, a senior apartment complex, will add 88 units to the St. John’s on the Lake complex at a cost of $946,306 each. The units start at 1,140 square feet, and come with amenities that include an art gallery, bistro, fitness, swimming, and spa pools, and on top of that private terraces are included with every unit. The building will also include “signature residents” on the top floor. And the best part, it was planned to all be property tax free!

Regardless of what neighborhood it is, the development of new apartments is a growing trend in Milwaukee. Currently there are two prominent projects vying for City of Milwaukee financial support in one form or another, the Bookends and The Moderne. Outside of the two proposed towers there are numerous other projects at various stages around urban Milwaukee.