Apartments For Adults With Disabilities On Wauwatosa Agenda

WAUWATOSA, WI — The Wauwatosa Community Affairs Committee will consider a proposal for five-story apartment with designated units for people with developmental disabilities at its Tuesday meeting.

The development team of Bethesda Cornerstone Village and Luther Group proposed to convert the site at 7501 W. North Ave., a two-acre property that was purchased for $2.85 million, according to a news release.

The $31 million project would construct 92 apartments and four townhomes, along with a BMO Harris bank, up to two retail spaces and a Discovery Lab, online city documents said.

The main building would contain 46 one-bedroom units, seven one-bedroom plus den units, 26 two-bedroom units and 13 three-bedroom units, city documents said.

To serve people with disabilities, up to 23 units would be set aside at affordable rates not to exceed 80 percent of median county income.

The remaining units and four townhomes will be offered for people with all abilities.

Each apartment unit will feature central air conditioning, a dishwasher, vinyl plank flooring, walk-in closets, balconies, water-saving plumbing fixtures and washers and dryers, city documents said.

Each unit will have home technology such as smart thermostats and locks, city documents said.
The Discovery Lab and additional retail spaces would be designed to provide educational and vocational opportunities for people with disabilities.

In 2021, Bethesda Cornerstone Village proposed apartment development at the Blanchard Street parking lot. The selected project, known as Harlow & Hem by Mandel Group Inc., was selected for the parking lot site at 1330 N. Wauwatosa Ave.

Resident Concerns

Residents submitted comments regarding the proposal. While many supported the project several people had concerns over traffic and the building being too large.

"I am a resident in a home on Watson Avenue directly impacted by this proposed development. I support a responsible development plan for this space, however the current proposal is much too large in scale and will have an adverse impact on our neighborhood and our street, in
particular."

"This project seems oversized for the location. It’s already a busy intersection for traffic and the proposed project would replace one bank with more than 200 new residents, up to 125 vehicles and add the bank back and additional retail space. And it’s adjacent to the middle school where large numbers of kids walk to and from often during the same time people are leaving to go to work. Even with the best traffic plans, it’s difficult to see this working out well for anyone other than the developer. The idea of affordable and integrated housing is a good one, but it only works if it is positioned in the correct place."

"This is another proposal for Wauwatosa that is oversized for the location. Please consider the adverse impact that a development of this size will have on the adjacent residential neighbors, as well as the intersection that is already overcrowded and dangerous…especially when kids walk through twice per day during the school year. This size of development is not appropriate at this location."