Barrett plan: In 10 years, 10,000 new or improved housing units

Mayor looks to partnerships, tax districts for more developments

Mayor Tom Barrett says the City of Milwaukee will build or improve 10,000 housing units over the next 10 years.

Barrett is set to unveil his plan for pushing Milwaukee’s downtown development boom into its neighborhoods Monday during his “state of the city” address at Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons.

“What I’ve always said about all of the economic development is, ‘You’ve got to have a strong heart,’ “Barrett said in an interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “We’ve strengthened the heart of Milwaukee, and now that permits us to do more in the rest of the city.”

Barrett’s upbeat message comes as his administration has been rocked by turmoil at the Milwaukee Health Department following news that city staffers failed to provide services to families of thousands of children who tested positive for lead — or at least failed to document those efforts. Tensions have also been high over the Milwaukee Police Department, especially after newly retired Police Chief Edward Flynn and the executive director of the city’s Fire and Police Commission accused each other of

misconduct.

Despite the recent upheaval, Barrett focused his comments on excitement about the city’s present and his vision for future progress.

The mayor’s plan includes building new affordable housing developments throughout the city. Those developments would be funded with tax incremental financing (TIF) districts, an economic development tool that Milwaukee hasn’t historically used for residential projects. Barrett noted that the city has tried a few such developments in recent years and is now ready to use it “more proactively” throughout the city.

He said his affordable housing push will also involve units in the heart of the city and in neighborhoods surrounding downtown.

“I believe growing affordable units in these areas will make it easier for workers to get the jobs in downtown’s growing service sector and it will also create construction jobs for city residents,” Barrett said.

Citing “Evicted,” a book by Matthew Desmond that followed families in Milwaukee struggling to keep a roof over their heads, the mayor called for changes to the federal government’s Section 8 program to give people flexibility when it comes to renting privately owned properties.

Barrett also spoke of the need for partnerships, saying he would urge the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority to “maximize its investment in affordable housing in Milwaukee.”

“We’re excited about this initiative to create hope in 10,000 households,” Barrett said.

The affordable housing projects would not have a tax levy impact because they would be built using developer-financed TIF districts, he said.

In such districts, a development firm is reimbursed for some of its upfront costs by the new building’s property tax revenue.

Barrett added that his administration would also focus on avoiding foreclosures and improving the city’s housing stock.

The mayor said he would be expanding the city’s STRONG Homes Loan Program, which offers loans of up to $20,000 to owner-occupants of properties for one to four families throughout the city.

Associated Bank has agreed to purchase some 150 loans totaling about $1.5 million, which will allow the city to offer loans to more homeowners, Barrett said.

Such loans are often used to help longtime homeowners struggling to keep up with their bills.

“I have no desire to move these people out of their homes,” Barrett said.

He said the city has been able to return almost $78 million to the tax rolls as of July 1, 2017.

“We love those types of public-private partnerships that are going to allow us to really significantly improve the quality of housing stock in the City of Milwaukee,” Barrett said.

The mayor will also highlight Milwaukee’s RiverWalk system — and the international honor it received in November when it won a 2017-’18 Global Award of Excellence from the Urban Land Institute — and focus on plans to expand the project.

“Since I’ve been mayor, we’ve greatly enhanced the investment into the RiverWalk,” Barrett said. “We’ve succeeded in bringing people to the Milwaukee River, now we want to replicate aspects of that success along the Menomonee and Kinnickinnic rivers, and so we’re going to be moving the investment there, as well.”

Barrett also plans to address problems at the Health Department during his speech but said he wants to make sure people don’t lose sight of the good work department staffers have done. The number of children with lead poisoning has decreased, Barrett said.