Board gives owner a multi‑year trial for industrial wastewater work at 6500 W. Forest Ave; alder and neighborhood to monitor odor risks

The Board of Zoning Appeals on Oct. 9 approved a conditional, limited‑term permit for an industrial wastewater treatment facility at 6500 West Forest Avenue following a contested hearing and supplemental technical material from the applicant and municipal sewer authority.

The site was adjourned previously so the applicant could meet with the alderwoman and neighborhood advisory council and provide documentation from Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) about the cause of odors at a prior site (5357 S. 9th St.) and about sewer capacity and connections at the proposed West Forest location. The applicant then submitted engineering and odor‑mitigation plans and a description of mechanical upgrades (oxidizers, enclosed offloading, indoor mixing and additional containment) intended to reduce fugitive emissions.

Alderman Taylor and Granville/Havenwoods advisory members participated in site tours and in conversations with applicant counsel. Alderwoman Taylor said the advisory council remains concerned but that, after review of the additional technical materials and a site visit, she and the local GAC are willing to consider a finite trial period if the applicant installs the proposed controls and the operation is closely monitored. City departments agreed that the West Forest site has a different sewer configuration and that MMSD documentation indicates the downstream sewer conveyance at West Forest has greater capacity and different flow direction than the South 9th Street site.

Given the stakes — neighbors’ odor complaints and public health concerns at the prior location — the board conditioned approval on multiple safeguards: (1) installation and operational testing of the odor control equipment and enclosed offloading before full operations, (2) a requirement to submit MMSD correspondence and engineering verification confirming sewer capacity and routing to city staff, (3) a two‑year initial approval period with mandatory reporting and neighborhood notification, and (4) an enforcement pathway that could terminate the permit if the community experiences persistent odor problems tied to the facility.

Board members said the proposal showed substantial investment in modern odor‑control equipment and that the sewer maps and MMSD response materially reduced the theoretical likelihood that a repeating odor impact would occur at the West Forest site. But members emphasized this is a closely monitored trial: community reporting and city enforcement will determine whether the facility continues beyond the initial authorization period.

Votes at a glance: special use for industrial wastewater facility approved on conditional, limited‑term basis (initial period: two years) with mandatory equipment installation and reporting.