West Allis council holds public hearing on Sona Lofts Phase 2 Lot 3; planning commission recommended approval

Steve Scherer, director of city planning and zoning, outlined a proposal by the Mandel Group for Lot 3 of the Sona Lofts Phase 2 block at 1600 South 6660 Sixth Street during a public hearing Oct. 7. The proposed four-story building would be about 55 feet tall and contain 66 residences, including 15 ground-floor units and approximately 3,000 square feet of ground-floor retail on the east end of the building.

Scherer said the building would include a clubhouse with wellness features and private patio space, 37 underground parking stalls and 38 surface stalls for a total of 75 parking spaces, and 37 indoor bicycle parking stalls plus four exterior bike racks near the lobby. The lot is zoned C-3 and is about one acre in size; Scherer said construction is expected to start in 2026 with occupancy targeted for 2027 after about 15 months of construction. Scherer also said Mandel Property Services would manage the property.

The planning commission reviewed and recommended approval of the Lot 3 design; Scherer said the project had been published per the class 2 notice and that the planning commissions revisions included adding balconies on some residential units. "Planning commission has recommended approval. There have been no objections to date," Scherer said.

Alderman Keene asked whether the developer still intended to include retail space given past difficulty filling similar spaces at Sona and Maker's Row. Scherer said Mandel has letters of intent for Maker's Row and expects additional market demand with roughly 117 new units across the two lots, but that the specific retail use for Lot 3 is not yet decided. "It may not likely be food related," Scherer said.

Keene also asked whether the public parking referenced in the presentation was city-owned. Scherer replied that Lots 3 and 4 are currently owned by the Community Development Authority (CDA) and that a purchase-and-sale agreement would be developed; he said prior development agreements included provisions to maintain shared parking for market patrons and nearby businesses and that snow removal responsibilities would be maintained.

Alderman Weigel raised the possibility of converting a decommissioned railroad spur into a bicycle-pedestrian connection and asked how that would connect to the Sona Lofts entrances. Scherer noted an existing bioretention area on the site and said the city could discuss potential connections with Mandel representatives; he also cited existing access via National Avenue and Mitchell Street.

The council closed the public hearing after no members of the public asked questions about the Lot 3 presentation; there was no final council vote on the conditional use permit recorded at this meeting.