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Housing Authority approves sale of two vacant lots to Guest House of Milwaukee for $1,000
Summary
The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee on March 5 unanimously approved selling two vacant lots adjacent to Guest House of Milwaukee to the homeless shelter for $1,000. The parcels sit over an historic cemetery; the shelter plans community gardens and a memorial.
The Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee voted unanimously March 5 to approve an offer from Guest House of Milwaukee Incorporated to buy two vacant lots at 1237 and 1243 North Thirteenth Street for $1,000.
Jeannie Dawson, who presented the item to the board, said the parcels are “across the street from the shelter” and that an appraisal concluded the land has little development value because an historic cemetery is under parts of the property. Dawson said Guest House plans to use the lots for gardens and fruit trees to grow food for its guests and has agreed voluntarily to erect a stone memorial “sometime this spring.”
The sale clears a long-running question about dozens of small, vacant parcels the housing authority owns. Dawson told commissioners the agency’s inventory currently includes 74 properties; with the Guest House offer and two other pending offers that count will decline further if those sales proceed. She said the agency has included the vacant-lot disposition in its annual agency plan but has not yet sought HUD disposition approval for these specific parcels.
Several commissioners noted past resident concerns about the presence of remains in the lots. Dawson read from archival material showing the overlay of a 19th-century German cemetery and said some such cemeteries historically used limited plot tenure, a fact the briefing packet discussed to explain why local practice on reusing plots varied.
The board took a roll-call vote after brief discussion. Chair Hazlett, Vice Chair Gotzler, Commissioner Burrell, Commissioner Pezclassen and Commissioner Moore all voted yes; no dissent or abstentions were recorded.
Votes at a glance - Resolution to approve an offer from Guest House of Milwaukee Incorporated to purchase vacant land at 1237 and 1243 N. Thirteenth St. for $1,000 — Approved, roll-call vote 5–0. Motion and second not specified in the transcript. Notes: sale price $1,000; appraisal reduced value because of cemetery overlay; Guest House committed to a stone memorial. The agency has listed the lots in its annual agency plan but has not yet requested HUD disposition approval for these parcels.
What it means: The parcels will transfer to Guest House for community-oriented use, with a shelter-led memorial planned. Commissioners asked staff to circulate the housing authority’s full vacant-lot inventory to commissioners for follow-up on other parcels.
Next steps: Staff said they will provide the commission a fuller spreadsheet (acreage, tax IDs, buildability) and will circulate it to Patty for distribution to all commissioners.
