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Committee Approves Final PUD for Multifamily Project at Wauwatosa Avenue and Blanchard Street, 4‑1 amid Accessibility and Parking Concerns
Summary
The committee approved final PUD plans for a 1.63‑acre multifamily development at the north corner of Wauwatosa Avenue and Blanchard Street, voting 4‑1 after public comments raised issues about a stair connection in lieu of a ramp, parking replacement and outstanding utility relocation designs from We Energies.
The Government Affairs Committee approved final planned unit development (PUD) plans, by a 4‑1 vote, for a multifamily housing development on a 1.63‑acre site at the northern corner of Wauwatosa Avenue and Blanchard Street.
Staff reminded the committee that the project received preliminary PUD approval in July 2024 and that final plans are reviewed for compliance with the preliminary conditions; staff recommended approval subject to five conditions contained in the staff report.
Philip Aiello, president and COO of Mandel Group, spoke for the applicant and highlighted three outstanding items staff had identified: (1) a We Energies design for overhead‑to‑underground relocation work that Mandel had requested but We Energies had not completed; (2) sculpted soil cells (referred to as “silva cells” in materials) that the applicant had incorporated on the east islands but could not place on the west islands due to subsurface conflicts; and (3) a pedestrian connection between the surface parking and Wauwatosa Avenue that the preliminary PUD required be a ramp but which the applicant proposed to construct as stairs after analysis showed a ramp would be roughly 240 feet long because of a ~15‑foot grade change.
Public commenters raised accessibility and neighborhood impacts. A resident, BJ Ermance, said stairs could limit access for people with mobility issues and asked whether alternatives could be considered. Joe McLeuth (District 3) characterized the change from ramp to stairs as significant and criticized the project for seeking multiple deviations from district standards, including increased height, reduced setbacks and drive‑aisle changes; he also said the project reduces net parking supply compared with the Blanchard Street lot and urged the city to pause the project until other nearby developments are better understood.
Committee discussion noted the tradeoffs between connectivity, slope and safety. The applicant said the ramp would be a long, potentially unsafe feature and that accessible routes would remain via Wauwatosa Avenue and Harwood Avenue sidewalks; reserved accessible parking spaces will be provided in the garage and surface lot, the applicant said. Staff confirmed the proposed plan provides 94 total spaces including structured parking compared with 98 existing spaces on the prior Blanchard Street lot under one configuration in staff materials.
Alder Foley cast the lone committee no vote; committee members otherwise said they appreciate the applicant's persistence in moving the project forward and that the site had been blighted for years. The committee advanced final PUD approval to the Common Council with a 4‑1 recommendation.
