Mayor’s budget ignores his own Climate and Equity Plan

The ink is barely dry on the city’s Climate and Equity Plan and the Johnson Administration’s budget ignores it by proposing to demolish 180 properties, sending thousands of tons of useable old growth lumber and other salvageable building materials to landfills rather than following the city’s deconstruction ordinance or rehabbing the properties thereby creating affordable housing opportunities.

Deconstruction diverts useable building materials from landfills, saving tipping fees and recycling structural lumber. It also creates jobs for entry-level workers and trains them in the use of basic tools and exposes them to building methods and practices.

We apparently have the resources to stand up a robust deconstruction program but the Raze and Revive program shows no creativity or commitment to deconstruction — which promotes the values embedded in the Climate and Equity Plan.

Over the last 40 years, the city has become proficient at creating vacant lots. We need to think outside the box and convert blighted properties into affordable housing or reuse the building materials for new construction thereby advancing our climate and equity goals.

We should be deconstructing and creating jobs while also saving on landfill tipping fees. Let’s follow the plan!

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.