Wauwatosa board declines to approve initial apartment proposal for St. Bernard site

Development firm Three Leaf Partners will revise its proposal for an apartment complex at the site of St. Bernard Congregation church after the Wauwatosa Design Review Board declined to pass its design, imploring Three Leaf listen to residents' concerns and implement changes before coming back to the board for approval.

Here's what to know:

April 18 Design Review Board meeting drew more than 100 residents

About 150 residents showed up to the review board's meeting April 18 as Three Leaf Partners presented plans to bring a 163-unit apartment building to the prominent hilltop property on Harwood Avenue in the Wauwatosa Village.

The developer's plans were scheduled on the DRB's agenda weeks after parishioners learned St. Bernard's parish is leaving the spot in the Wauwatosa Village to merge with its sister parish Christ King.

In more than 80 public comments submitted online, the vast majority opposed the development or requested Three Leaf improve the building design, consider pedestrian safety with the traffic more than a hundred new residents may bring and create more community space.

Many residents, including Monica Bence, pointed out that the St. Bernard closure at a coveted Wauwatosa property is a rare moment.

“Opportunities to enhance and improve our one-of-a-kind downtown space don’t come along very often and when they do they need to be treated with care and respect for the community and future generations as well," Bence said in a public comment online. “A massive concrete behemoth that looks like the Pentagon is not the way to go.”

Residents who expressed support for the development said it would bring more tax dollars and housing to Wauwatosa.

Sam McGovern-Rowen was one of them.

“As the parent of a child in the Tosa school district, I understand the ongoing need for Wauwatosa to grow its tax base," McGovern-Rowen said in an email as public comment.

Traffic congestion, design aesthetic and lack of communal space in Three Leaf Partners design concerning for residents

Three Leaf Partners' initial plan that now will be revised would include 163 apartment units, plans by Milwaukee-based Korb + Associates Architects show.

One-bedroom units from 650 to 850 square feet would make up most of the building, while more spacious one-bedroom units from 850 to 950 square feet and two-bedroom units that are 1,150 to 1,250 square feet were also planned.

Below the three levels of apartment units, a basement garage would provide 187 parking spots for residents. Twenty-three parking spots north of the building are planned for visitors.

Opponents are concerned the high density of the proposed development will add traffic to an already congested area of the city and make it less accessible for pedestrians.

“This site is arguably the best spot in Wauwatosa and there is an opportunity for something truly visionary that I believe is missing in this proposal,” resident Abby Neuberger said in an emailed public comment. “While the city needs housing, I think there could be more thought put into this design – mixed-use, green space or other.”

Village of Wauwatosa BID, housing coalition weigh in on St. Bernard site apartment plan

The current plans include a courtyard with outdoor space for residents enclosed within the apartment complex's walls, complete with grills and a fire pit. The building would include a storage area for bikes, a fitness room and club room, among other amenities.

Members of the Wauwatosa Joint Housing Coalition, a group working to increase affordable, sustainable and equitable housing in the city, said in their own letter to the Design Review Board that the enclosed courtyard would isolate residents from the village.

The coalition members wrote that while they welcome housing at the St. Bernard's site, Three Leaf's plan as proposed "does not realize the full potential of this site as an important part of the village."

They asked Three Leaf, staff and city officials to reference recent housing studies on Wauwatosa and work together to improve the plan.

However, executive board members of the Village of Wauwatosa Business Improvement District, or BID, supported the development proposal in a letter submitted online.

“We arrived at our position due to the cooperation of Three Leaf and their willingness to assist us in the activation of the pocket park adjacent to the property," the letter said.

Pocket parks are smaller plots of land that are repurposed into gardens or other green space open to the public.

The green space on the southern tip of the proposed development is the Wauwatosa Pocket Park, city-owned land that is not being sold, according to Wauwatosa Communications Manager Eva Ennamorato.

Three Leaf Partners will not seek financial assistance for proposal

Jordan Michalkiewicz, vice president of development and acquisition at Three Leaf Partners, said in an email statement to the Journal Sentinel that the firm appreciates feedback from Wauwatosa residents as they work to develop the site.

"We look forward to continuing the collaborative process to find a development solution that works for Wauwatosa and is also economically feasible."

Three Leaf Partners will not seek financial assistance with the city for this development proposal, which currently meets zoning code. Co-founded by Milwaukee Bucks guard Pat Connaughton, the firm has developed hotels, multi-family apartment buildings and other projects around the Milwaukee area, Minnesota and Indiana.

Rev. Phillip Bogacki, the pastor at Christ King and Saint Bernard, wrote in his letter to parishioners that debt and failing infrastructure factored into the St. Bernard closure, and that the money from the property sale will serve as a cash infusion to the newly merged parish.

"Parishioners are proactively deciding to focus on our spiritual mission rather than remain complacent with simply maintaining what we have," Bogacki said in an email to the Journal Sentinel.

When did Wauwatosa city staff learn about the development?

Communications manager Ennamorato said city staff first learned of Three Leaf's interest in purchasing the church site in late March 2023, but didn't see preliminary renderings until January 2024.

"It is common for property owners and developers to reach out to city staff to discuss potential development concepts prior to submitting formal plans as part of a permit application," Ennamorato wrote.

In the initial meeting in March 2023, staff provided Three Leaf general information on city zoning and financial approval processes, Ennamorato said in an email.

"In October 2023, the developer submitted a letter of intent with St. Bernard’s and met with city staff for feedback on plans that appeared would need to go through the planned unit development (PUD) process and therefore would need a neighborhood meeting and public meetings," Ennamorato said.

Once staff saw renderings in January 2024 they "voiced concerns including the need to respond to the unique and eclectic character of the Village in both design and character as well as the importance of taking care to respect the adjacent park," Ennamorato said.

Ennamorato said Three Leaf informed city staff via email March 4, 2024, that they would not be seeking financial assistance and would meet the zoning requirements, which meant they wouldn't need to go through the PUD process. Then, Three Leaf submitted plans for the Design Review Board on April 9, 2024, Ennamorato said.

Contact the reporter at bfogarty@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tosa board asks developer to submit new design for apartment proposal