A long-vacant corner near Wauwatosa Village could soon become a compact residential project with four townhomes, 10 apartments and a decidedly urban twist: a shared alleyway designed to feel more like a courtyard.
New renderings released Tuesday show the proposed Sonne Apartments and Townhomes, a $6.5 million development from Milwaukee-based JJH3group. The project is scheduled to go before Wauwatosa’s Design Review Board on Thursday, according to BizTimes.
Sonne Would Pack 14 Homes Onto A Small Village Parcel
The two-building plan includes a separate three-story apartment building and a rowhouse structure with four larger townhome units. The plans call for private outdoor space for every residence, along with in-unit laundry and on-site garage parking, according to the city project presentation.
The townhomes are designed as four three-bedroom rowhomes, while the apartment building would contain one-bedroom units. Rather than treating the narrow site as leftover space, the proposal uses an internal alleyway as a courtyard-style gathering area, giving the development a little breathing room in a neighborhood where available land is getting scarce.
Wauwatosa’s Common Council approved a term sheet for the project’s tax-increment financing in April. The city resolution describes Sonne as a 14-unit, market-rate rental development on a quarter-acre site controlled by the Wauwatosa Community Development Authority.
A Smaller Counterpoint To Wauwatosa’s Apartment Boom
Sonne would be much smaller than the two major apartment projects already reshaping the Village area. Vista Village, a 153-unit development from Three Leaf Partners, is expected to reach completion this summer, according to Three Leaf Partners.
Meanwhile, Mandel Group’s 157-unit Harlow & Hem is under construction and is expected to open in summer 2027, the developer says on its project website. Sonne would add fewer homes, but its mix of townhomes and apartments is aimed at the “missing-middle” slice of the market that often gets squeezed between detached houses and large apartment blocks.
Design Review Is The Next Hurdle
The Design Review Board is set to consider the project’s exterior design Thursday, with the meeting schedule published by the City of Wauwatosa. That review is focused on the development’s appearance and relationship to the surrounding Village, so the renderings could still change before final approvals.
If the plans move through the remaining approvals, construction could begin in November, with the development targeted for a late-2027 opening. For a city parcel that has spent years waiting for a viable idea, Sonne’s pitch is straightforward: fewer units than the nearby apartment complexes, but more variety and a little more front-door energy, as BizTimes reported.
