County studies MKE Hubs at McGovern Park; proposal for stacked affordable housing draws strong public opposition

Milwaukee County staff presented feasibility work on an “MKE Hubs” concept for McGovern Park on April 8, describing three scenarios — leave the existing senior center as-is, build near the park, or build within McGovern Park. The feasibility study is exploratory and county staff asked for committee feedback and community input.

Shaquita LeGrand, executive director of the Department of Health and Human Services, said the study responds to aging infrastructure in county senior centers and to a $2,000,000 federal earmark that must be paired with a shovel-ready project. “We need creative partnerships,” LeGrand said. She told the committee the county issued a request for qualifications and selected JFS (a developer with experience in assisted living and supportive housing) to study a model that could combine a 15,000–25,000-square-foot MKE Hubs facility with 30–50 affordable housing units stacked above it and financed in part by Low Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC).

Celia Benton (Director of Economic Development, Department of Administrative Services) walked the committee through the feasibility criteria: rightsizing facilities, intergenerational programming, reduced capital and operating costs, transit access, preserving parkland quantity, and adding affordable senior housing. Benton said the McGovern-in-park scenario could leverage LIHTC to cover a substantial portion of housing costs and help fund the hub, but it carries a tight timeline tied to the LIHTC application cycle; she said a county lease for the project likely would be needed around the June committee cycle to preserve application timing.

The public record included two organized speakers opposing housing in parks and urging preservation. Pat Jersic, president of Preserve Our Parks, warned that allowing housing on parkland would set a precedent and urged strict protections to preserve public access, to obtain title reports, and to avoid violating grant restrictions. Laurie Munch, a former Milwaukee County parks planner and current board member of Preserve Our Parks, said McGovern sits in a neighborhood with lower park acreage per capita and that housing in the park would likely reduce public use.

Committee discussion was sharply divided. Supervisor Martin said she supports MKE Hubs but drew a firm line against housing on parkland: “I will not support housing or any retention ponds on Milwaukee County parkland.” Supervisor Taylor argued the project solves an urgent facilities problem and noted McGovern’s existing deferred maintenance; he expressed support for exploring the in-park scenario to secure the earmark. Supervisor O’Connor and others requested that further community engagement be scheduled and praised JFS’s track record; Director LeGrand said in-person and virtual listening sessions were scheduled.

Why it matters: The proposal raises a central policy tradeoff: updating aging county senior-center infrastructure and adding affordable senior housing versus preserving parkland and public access. The feasibility phase will assess timelines tied to LIHTC, potential lease terms, zoning and community feedback. Staff told the committee the project is at feasibility stage and no final decision has been made.

Committee action: Informational only. Staff said they will return with additional public engagement and with the timeline required to secure LIHTC and preserve the federal earmark.