Milwaukee City Plan Commission Meeting - September 28, 2026

The Milwaukee City Plan Commission met in hybrid format on Monday, September 28, 2026, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Commissioners present were Allyson Nemec, Jesus Gonzalez, Ranell Washington, Tarik Moody, and Willie Smith; Chair Stephanie Bloomingdale and Commissioner Catrina Crane were excused. No agenda was available, so this summary is based on the meeting minutes and transcript. The commission approved prior meeting minutes, recommended four zoning items, conditionally approved and referred two ordinance items, and approved the 2027 meeting calendar.

Meeting Minutes Approval

• The minutes of the previous meeting were approved without objection. A discrepancy exists: the minutes identify the prior meeting as August 17, 2026, while the transcript references July 20, 2026; the minutes also contain an apparent typo saying 'Meeting minutes from September 28, 2026 were approved.'

Discussion Items

• File 260642 - Family day care homes: Staff planner Ed Richardson presented Substitute A, which raises the allowable number of children in a family day care home from 8 to 12 to align Milwaukee's definition with revised Wisconsin state statutes. The commission recommended passage to the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee (ZND) by a 5-0 vote. Public testimony came from David Celata/Dave Salada of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, who expressed support for expanding access to quality, affordable child care infrastructure.
• File 260534 - 2841 South Howell Avenue rezoning: Staff planner Kristen Connelly presented the requested change from RT4 Two-Family Residential to NS2 Neighborhood Shopping to allow neighborhood-serving commercial uses in a vacant two-story building while retaining a rear duplex. Owners Jobi and Abby Wall described plans for a small cafe, retail shop, or art studio and noted nearby residents' support. The commission discussed the site plan, demolition of the garage, and possible expansion of the building footprint. Recommended for passage to ZND by a 5-0 vote.
• File 260532 - Southgate Marketplace Phase 1 bank: Staff presented the 5th amendment to the Southgate Marketplace DPD to allow construction of an approximately 3,500-square-foot, one-story bank with drive-through ATM after razing the existing restaurant. The applicant team included Brian Emrich, Ned Brickman, and Zak Klobucar. Ald. Peter Burgelis testified with no objections and discussed Bank of America's services and CRA neighborhood representation. Design questions addressed landscaping, true stucco, glazing, and jobs; the maximum staffing was stated as 11 employees per shift. Recommended for passage to ZND by a 5-0 vote.
• File 260533 - Zenith condominium tower, Bookends GPD to DPD: Staff planner Tanya Fonseca presented the request by New Land Enterprises to replace the Bookends General Planned Development with a Detailed Planned Development for a 25-story, for-sale condominium tower at 711 East Kilbourn Avenue and 822 North Van Buren Street. The 'Zenith' proposal includes 226 dwelling units, 412 indoor vehicle parking spaces, 68 bicycle parking spaces, resident amenities, and a ground-floor lobby. Ald. Robert Bauman testified in support. The commission discussed loading and move-in access, parking ratios, guest parking, mechanical louvers, the absence of a lighting/shadow study, downtown height flexibility, and city-assisted financing; the applicant stated no city funds are allocated and construction would take about 24 months starting in summer 2027. The commission approved conditionally and referred the ordinance to ZND by a 5-0 vote, with the condition that the applicant provide DCD Planning a status update on the south setback design and coordination with the adjacent property before the ZND meeting.
• File 251924 - Temporary pause on data centers: The substitute ordinance, sponsored by Ald. Marina Dimitrijevic and co-sponsors, would pause the establishment, construction, enlargement, or new occupancy of data centers for one year, or until the Zoning Code is amended to define and regulate them. The proposed pause would not apply to planned development districts under Section 295907. Staff recommended approval while longer-term regulations are developed. Assistant City Attorney Joseph Dobbs described a future substitute with technical language clarifying the denial process and appeal procedures required by state statute. The commission approved the item conditionally by a 5-0 vote, adding the condition that a future substitute include those technical changes, and referred it to ZND.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Family day care homes: The transcript identifies Dave Salada of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation (listed as David Celata in the minutes), who supported the change, describing child care as essential infrastructure.
• South Howell Avenue rezoning: Owners Jobi and Abby Wall spoke in support of their application and described meeting with neighbors who were supportive.
• Southgate Marketplace: Ald. Peter Burgelis spoke with no objections; he noted the restaurant closure was a loss but said the bank would provide services and the removal of a curb cut would improve traffic.
• Zenith tower: Susan Roberts, David Guzman, Curtis Oquist, and Christian Trunley opposed the project. Their concerns included density, loss of sunlight and views, construction noise and dust, luxury housing aimed at out-of-town buyers, parking and traffic problems, potentially unoccupied condos, and the lack of a lighting/shadow study. Commissioner Washington noted that the nearby Ascent building has a 90% occupancy rate.
• Data center pause: A large majority of public speakers supported the pause, including Julia Alberth (Healthy Climate Wisconsin), Ald. Alex Brower, Stacey Smitter, Ryan Brooks and Jeff Johnson (Data Holdings/Potawatomi Ventures), Molly Collins (American Lung Association of Wisconsin), Jamila Mitchell (Redress Movement), Dr. Melita Tyler, Garold Dalton, Michael Harper, Jason Davenport, Gretchen Mahkorn, Carrie Elmore, Erica Steib, Rachael Marken, Christian Trunley, Melody McCurtis (Metcalfe Park Community Bridges), Landon Zimmerman, Mabel Lamb (Sherman Park Community Association), Rachel Stiles, Shannon Simonet, and Amy Donahue. Supporters cited risks to air quality, water use, energy costs, noise, environmental justice, and the need for time to write protective regulations; some requested no exemptions or loopholes, while Data Holdings/Potawatomi representatives supported the planned development exemption and described their local, tribally owned data center as a responsible model. Joel Roberts, a UWM student and entrepreneur, opposed the pause, saying data centers are ordinary buildings with computers and that overly broad restrictions could harm small technology businesses and startups.

Key Outcomes

• File 260642: Recommended for passage to ZND (5-0).
• File 260534: Recommended for passage to ZND (5-0).
• File 260532: Recommended for passage to ZND (5-0).
• File 260533: Approved conditionally and referred to ZND (5-0), with the south setback status-update condition.
• File 251924: Approved conditionally and referred to ZND (5-0), with the future substitute condition.
• File 260723: Approved the 2027 City Plan Commission meeting dates (14 scheduled meetings) by a 5-0 vote. The minutes list one date as 'May 17, 2026,' an apparent typo for May 17, 2027.
• The meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.