SB Friedman prepared a housing assessment, policy and action plan to help the City of Wauwatosa address the housing needs of current and future residents.
The City of Wauwatosa, a desirable inner-ring suburb of Milwaukee and major regional employment center, sought a comprehensive housing policy to ensure the City is meeting the housing needs of current and future residents. As a first step, we conducted a Comprehensive Housing Study and Needs Analysis, which identified the following housing issues:
- Lack of available and/or affordable housing options for the local workforce, lower-income families, seniors, and people with special needs;
- Accessibility and deferred maintenance issues related to aging housing stock;
- Challenges to the ability of current residents to age in place; and
- Limited availability of a mix of housing types
SB Friedman then crafted a Housing Policy and Action Plan for the City to address each housing issue, including:
- Detailed case studies;
- A menu of strategies that have proven effective in similar communities;
- Evaluation of the impacts of an inclusionary housing policy on development;
- An implementation toolkit identifying available financial and regulatory tools; and
- Potential alterations to City policies and practices that could aid in implementation.
Results: Since adoption of the Housing Policy and Action Plan, several residential projects have been developed or are in the development pipeline, including mixed-income, senior and affordable housing projects. The City also adopted an accessory dwelling unit ordinance and is updating its zoning to allow for a range of housing options and ensure discrimination is not a barrier to living in Wauwatosa. SB Friedman was re-engaged in 2022 to update our Housing Needs Assessment, which was approved by City Council in February of 2023. We are currently updating key market, demographic and economic data to track the City’s progress on its housing goals.