Proposed East Side Apartments Will Go Before The Neighbors
For the second time in 20 years, developer trying to turn parking lot into housing.
2560 N. Stowell Ave. Photo by Sophie Bolich.
A developer seeking to build a smaller-than-approved apartment building on a parking lot just off N. Downer Avenue will need a zoning change to proceed.
But before the seven-story, 65-unit building can begin its formal public review process, nearby neighbors will be given the chance to learn more about the plans and provide feedback.
A neighborhood meeting is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 6, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Pizza Man, 2597 N. Downer Ave. The development team, led by Thomas Schafer, will host the meeting. According to an announcement, Department of City Development representatives will also attend.
Schafer’s Bayside Mgmt LLC is advancing the proposal for the lot at the intersection of N. Stowell Avenue and E. Webster Place. A building design has yet to be revealed, but the proposal would include underground and first-floor parking with housing above.
In 2008, New Land Enterprises secured approval to build an 11-story, 75-unit condominium development at the 0.45-acre site as part of a larger redevelopment of the commercial corridor. But those plans, which also included a new hotel, were ultimately canceled. The Downer Avenue parking structure is the most visible legacy of the effort.
The City Plan Commission and Common Council will ultimately need to hold formal public hearings about the change.
The latest public review process will happen without the presence of a local council member. Then-area Alderman Jonathan Brostoff was aware of the proposal and discussed it with Urban Milwaukee on Oct. 21, but Brostoff died on Nov. 4. Several candidates are now running to replace Brostoff as the third district alderperson. A primary to narrow the field to two is scheduled for Feb. 18. The general election is scheduled for April 1.
The lack of an alderperson for a zoning change isn’t unheard of for the neighborhood. Before Brostoff assumed office in late 2022 the Common Council approved the designs for The Fitz, a four-story apartment building that was completed in May. But Brostoff was alderman-in-waiting, with no other candidates in the race, and endorsed the project, despite a lawsuit and opposition. Then-alderman Michael D’Amato also endorsed the 2008 Downer redevelopment plan, but had already announced his intention not to run for reelection.
The race to replace Brostoff has drawn a crowded field, which will be finalized next week, and could result in competing candidates presenting differing visions. The site was already a campaign issue in 2008 when Nik Kovac won an eight-way race to replace D’Amato; Kovac’s parents, who live nearby, were the plaintiffs in a lawsuit over the Downer Avenue parking structure.
Schafer is already established in the neighborhood. Property records indicate he is a resident of the area and he’s also a partner in the new ownership group that brought back Pizza Man. Shortly after the seven-story building plan was revealed, Schafer also purchased Purin Hall, at 2600-2610 E. Kenwood Blvd., from UW-Milwaukee. The building has been repurposed as private apartments.
Bayside Mgmt or an affiliate would purchase the parking lot, 2560 N. Stowell Ave., from an affiliate of Van Buren Management, which owns a large portion of the adjoining medical office building at 2524 E. Webster Pl. A series of houses, demolished approximately two decades ago, once filled the Stowell Avenue site. Van Buren was a partner in New Land’s Downer Avenue redevelopment plan.
A representative of the development team did not respond to a request for comment.
Photos
2008 Plan
2008 plan by New Land Enterprises and Van Buren Management for 2560 N. Stowell Ave. Rendering by Workshop Architects.
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It is critical to have subsidized housing units for low income seniors or adults in this complex.
this building doesn’t have to be this big. where will these residents park?? it is already congested and difficult to find street parking . and yes subsidized housing units.