A panel of Wauwatosa aldermen voted to deny a proposed 20-story apartment tower planned southwest of Bluemound and Mayfair roads.
The Common Council's Community Affairs Committee voted to deny the proposal after nearly an hour and a half of discussion. The full council will have final say on the project next week.
The luxury high-rise is being proposed by an investors group led by
Mo’s Restaurants owner John “Johnny V” Vassallo. It calls for 340 units, interior parking and ground-floor retail space, along with various amenities such as Amazon lockers, a weight room, pool, movie theater and more.
It represents a scaled-back version of Vassallo's
original plans for a 25-story, 354-unit building at the site, which he owns.
Both the original and revised plans have been met with heavy criticism from residents and elected officials.
Project opponents argued the building did not fit in with the nearby neighborhoods and that it was too tall and dense. Supporters pointed to the added tax base the project would provide.
In making his case, Vassallo said the revised project plans represented the best alternative that the project team devised from a handful of options.
"This seemed to be the best and financially viable project that we could do," Vassallo said. "This is genuinely our best foot forward."
Joe Sinnett, a principal with Milwaukee-based
Kahler Slater, the project architect, said the building height was needed to offer panoramic views that would command the rental rates the developers sought.
Several committee members said they were disappointed in the new proposal before them less than a month removed from when they considered the first one.
"I think this was a wasted opportunity for the applicant to heed some of the advice the committee gave him at the last meeting, and come back with a proposal to keep this conversation going," Alderman Joe Tilleson said.
Alderwoman Nancy Welch initiated the committee's move to deny the project outright. This differed from its previous action, which was to ask Vassallo to retool his proposal based on committee and community input.
Welch said that taking off five stories was still unacceptable, as it did not address their concerns.
"He (Vassallo) pretty much has given a big middle finger to this committee and our efforts to work with him," she said.
Alderman Mike Morgan was the sole committee member who voiced support for the project as-is.
"To me, this proposal seems reasonable and a good fit for what is either the busiest or one of the busiest intersections in the state," he said.
If the denial is backed by the Common Council, Vassallo would not be able to bring back a similar proposal for consideration for six months. He could, however, seek approval for a different project.
Or, he could also build something at the site without the approval of aldermen, so long as it conformed with existing zoning codes.
