In a story written for the Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service and republished by outlets such as UrbanMilwaukee and the Minneapolis Star Tribune, author Mark Doremus spotlights the progress of the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee’s Westlawn Gardens, a Choice Neighborhoods Initiative community. The first phase, which finished in 2012 with 250 affordable rental units, was built on the site of what was formerly Wisconsin’s largest public housing development. By the time it is completed in 2022, the 75-acre community will contain nearly 1,000 mixed-income housing units. The community was built with the principles of “new urbanism” writer and activist Jane Jacobs in mind, with stakeholders focused on building a healthy, sustainable, and walkable neighborhood for the residents who would call Westlawn Gardens their home.
According the article, Westlawn Gardens will top out at 958 housing units, including 50 that will be owner-occupied. Phase Two, now underway, includes 30 townhomes that were recently opened as well as 60 one-bedroom apartments in Victory Manor, where veterans are given a housing preference. Two additional buildings with 94 units are set to open later this year and early in 2020.
In 2018, the American Planning Association and HUD presented Westlawn Gardens with the Secretary’s Opportunity and Empowerment National Planning Award, an award that celebrates projects that improve quality of life for people of low- to moderate-incomes.
The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee’s Westlawn Gardens community
