Bay View Neighborhood Plan in the Beginning Stages

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The City Plan Commission met on Monday, April 25, where a presentation was given on the Bay View Neighborhood Plan.

The project was introduced by Department of City Development manager Sam Leichtling, expressing gratitude for the chance to speak at the City Plan Commission: “It’s a big project for us and we’re really pleased to be in a position now to give an update”.

Leichtling then gave the floor over to a presentation on the project presented by Monica Wauck Smith, a planner in the Department of City Development. The plan aims to update the Bay View section of the South East Side Area Plan from 2008. 

Area plans guide development and establish priorities, this case being housing demands and continued flourishment of local business. So far, there have been two community wide meetings in which the department reviewed trends, defined goals and took note of community feedback. There will be an upcoming final two community meetings, anticipating to “wrap up this study definitely before the end of this year,” according to Wauck Smith. 

During the presentation, the study goals of the Bay View Neighborhood Plan were listed  as the following: providing housing options for a range of incomes and family types, improving public realm, supporting local business, identifying desired use for large sights and development options for known areas.

Community members agree that there are opportunities for the neighborhood to improve in the areas such as diversity, better park maintenance, affordable and accessible housing and filling vacant stores and lots with local business. By involving the community members in workshops, meetings, social media and stakeholder interviews, the Department of City Development can coordinate with the community to ensure successful development.

A graph of Bay View’s population and household trends were shown, revealing a steady decline, contrary to common belief. “I think there’s an impression that Bay View’s booming, but the numbers show that there’s a slight decline,” said Wauck Smith. 

While the population may be declining, the median household income keeps climbing. Bay View has a higher median income than the city, county, and south suburbs of Milwaukee, holding at a median of $66,837.

“Increasingly, working class and middle class are not sufficient to afford housing in Bay View,” said Wauck Smith.

Looking at the numbers, it’s apparent that these trends cemented the goals of creating housing that is more accessible to a variety of income levels and families, facilitating more diversity in the community.

Wauck Smith introduced the focus areas as development sites and the future Kinnickinnic experience. The development sites include the Army Reserve, Chase Avenue and the BMO Harris Site. City planners see great potential in these areas because they are large and mostly vacant. Members of the Bay View community contributed to brainstorming of ways to transform these areas through previous community meetings and social media.

The Department of City Development utilized Social Pinpoint, an online platform that allows users to tag areas on a map that community members have concerns about, and other users can vote up or down on the ideas.

The site with the most promise is the Army Reserve, which is city-owned and controlled. The reserve is a large grassy field with plenty of potential of becoming an area for sustainable housing development with focus on low-income.


The Bay View Neighborhood Plan is in the beginning stages of creating a concrete course of action by engaging the community and studying trends of areas that could use improvement. Wauck Smith anticipates that by June, the next public meeting, there will be a draft plan announced.


The Common Council will need to approve the final plan before action can take place.

For more information about the project and how to get involved, visit https://city.milwaukee.gov/DCD/Planning/PlansStudies/AreaPlans/Southeast/Bay-View