A consultant told the West Allis Community Development Authority that a draft housing market study shows the city could absorb about 1,300 additional market-rate rental units over the next decade, provided the right mix and competitive rents are offered.

Eric Dorschning, the consultant who presented the draft study, said West Allis’ proximity to employment centers, newer in-town developments and internal infrastructure give it a “very good rent value position” compared with some nearby suburbs. “West Allis can continue to absorb new construction apartments,” Dorschning said, adding the community can capture a disproportionate share of regional demand if new product is positioned correctly.

The report, distributed in draft form to authority members after the meeting, separates the multifamily and for-sale markets. Dorschning said multifamily demand is strong: if supply were available and rents remained competitive, the community could absorb about 1,300 mainstream market-rate rental units over 10 years. On the for-sale side, he described a constrained land supply but estimated conservative absorption capacity of roughly 720 modest-priced for-sale units over the same period if appropriate product (townhomes, small-lot single-family) were developed.

Dorschning defined the “mainstream” rental segment as households earning roughly 80–120% of the area median and said the market’s appeal extends above and somewhat below that range (roughly 60–130% of median income for some product types). He recommended a unit mix weighted toward studios and one-bedroom units, with two-bedroom units represented across projects to reflect local household composition.

Authority members asked for clarification about where the projected renters would come from; Dorschning said the estimate is derived from regional household growth and a tenure shift toward renting that reflects limited new-construction ownership options in the region. He noted current vacancy rates are tight: even allowing for a distorted vacancy figure at one property affected by recent flooding, the consultant said a 2.9% vacancy rate is well below a balanced-market benchmark of about 5%.

Alderwoman Keane asked whether the study showed West Allis rents average about $200 less per month than surrounding suburbs; Dorschning said comparable class-A product in West Allis is roughly 12–15% less than in some nearby communities, which approximates that $200-per-month difference for like-for-like units.

The consultant highlighted redevelopment parcels — including the city’s Foundry District — as likely locations for higher-density multifamily projects and said bringing appropriately priced for-sale housing into the community would address a void at moderate price points. He offered to follow up with staff for further comments once authority members had time to review the draft report.

The draft study was prepared for the authority and will be circulated to members for a fuller review; staff said they will continue to solicit development proposals aligned with the report’s guidelines.