Two underused office buildings on West Bluemound Road in Wauwatosa could soon make way for a four-story, 59-unit affordable apartment community aimed at moderate-income families. The proposal, known as Bluemound Commons, would rise at 11400 W. Blue Mound Road and include one- to three-bedroom units along with 56 parking stalls.
The project is one of several competing for Wisconsin's 2027 round of affordable housing tax credits, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Bluemound Commons is being co-developed by Northernstar Companies LLC and the Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development Inc., a Madison-based nonprofit, according to the paper. Developer Brandon Methu said the project would meet strong demand for affordable family apartments in Wauwatosa, per the Journal Sentinel's reporting.
Wauwatosa Development Director Nate Piotrowski told the paper the project is expected to largely conform with zoning that already permits multifamily residential development at this density, and that the proposal may not require Common Council review. Piotrowski also said the city supports affordable housing and welcomes a project aimed at families, the Journal Sentinel reported.
Another Bluemound Road Proposal
The Milwaukee Business Journal reported that a separate Altius-linked apartment proposal on Bluemound Road — a four-story, $13.5 million building — gained a key committee approval on April 25, 2023, with Altius, Revel and Smart Asset identified as developers.
Bluemound Commons sits roughly a 10-minute drive from Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, a major employment hub for the city, the Journal Sentinel reported. Wauwatosa also has another affordable apartment proposal seeking 2027 tax credits: Mayfair Apartments, a 40-unit development put forward by Wisconsin Housing Preservation Corp., another Madison-based nonprofit. The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority's applicant list did not provide Mayfair Apartments' proposed address or other details, and the nonprofit did not respond to the Journal Sentinel's requests for information about the project, according to the paper.
How the Tax-Credit Pipeline Works
Both Wauwatosa proposals are competing within a statewide field that has grown crowded. The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority says it completed intake of 74 project-concept applications for the 2027 competitive state and federal housing tax-credit cycle. WHEDA has said it will notify applicants before the end of November about findings that affect their eligibility or developer-team scores, with final applications due February 5, 2027.
The tax credits help finance housing developments.
Why Wauwatosa Needs More Affordable Units
The push for more income-restricted housing follows years of mostly market-rate growth in Wauwatosa. A 2023 city housing study found that since completion of the 2016 study, 1,857 multifamily units had been delivered, with 652 proposed units in the pipeline, according to the City of Wauwatosa's housing study. Of the 2,509 total new units counted, only 303 were affordable rental units, with the remaining 2,206 at market rate.
The same study found Wauwatosa's citywide multifamily vacancy rate was just 2% in 2021, suggesting new units have been absorbed quickly and that latent demand remains for more multifamily housing. City researchers estimated Wauwatosa would need 1,500 to 2,200 additional housing units by 2040 to keep pace.
