Wauwatosa is celebrating the completion of the new apartments near the Mayfair Collection, a project that has delivered 80 new rental units, including 56 that are affordable for residents with lower incomes. Located just east of Highway 45 and north of Burleigh Street, the development consists of two apartment buildings—one open to all renters and another specifically for residents 55 and older. Construction started in mid-2023 and finished in about 15 months.

In addition to creating much-needed affordable housing, this project was required to meet goals to support local minority owned businesses and create job opportunities for residents from economically challenged areas. MSP, the company leading the project, partnered with the City of Wauwatosa and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) to meet these goals.

What Are Inclusion Goals, and Why Do They Matter?

To make sure the economic benefits of this project extended beyond just the new apartments, Wauwatosa and WHEDA set specific workforce equity goals. These goals were about ensuring that the project supported local and minority owned businesses and offered jobs to residents in need. Here’s how it worked:

• Part of the project’s budget was set aside to work with local small businesses, especially those classified as Emerging and Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (EBE and DBEs) —typically smaller or minority-owned businesses. Wauwatosa and WHEDA set a goal for 25% of the project’s budget to go to these businesses. The project exceeded this target, with 46.5% of the budget directed to EBEs. They also included 30.7% of businesses from the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) category, which includes businesses owned by women and minorities.
• The project also aimed to create job opportunities for people from economically challenged areas in Milwaukee County. These are workers from lower-income households or ZIP codes with higher unemployment rates. The goal was for 25% of all hours worked on the project to be done by targeted workers, and the project exceeded that by achieving 41.9% of total worker hours.

Additionally, WHEDA’s guidelines required the project to employ at least one individual from a low-income background in each of the twelve trades involved in construction, offering more people a path into well-paying, skilled jobs.

A Model for Future Developments

This is the second project MSP has completed under Wauwatosa’s guidelines, which is helping set a standard for future developments. City leaders are proud to see the project not only provide affordable housing but also meet and exceed these broader goals, creating positive impacts for residents and businesses alike. For example, one DBE firm was able to grow his business through his work on the MSP project so that he can bid on future projects without having to partner with other firms. The housing development reflects Wauwatosa’s commitment to community-centered growth and to creating an inclusive, thriving local economy.

Related: By the Numbers

• Wauwatosa is the first and only suburban Community in Milwaukee County to adopt a workforce equity program in the State of Wisconsin in 2022. (Source: Prism Technical First Year Review of Wauwatosa’s program, May 2023, https://wauwatosacitywi.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=12187706&GUID=62914110-ACC6-4899-9044-D1024E148634)
• In 2023 and 2024, Wauwatosa added 271 apartments to our housing stock. 37 of them are affordable.