Some welcome high-end apartments in Bay View, others wince

For most of its existence, Bay View was mainly a home to people who worked in Milwaukee's factories and foundries.

Today, trendy restaurants and taverns like Odd Duck, Goodkind and Tonic coexist with Landmark Family Restaurant and Bay View Bowl.  The street life is quirky and vibrant; the old houses and compact yards are a magnet for young families and younger professionals.

Now, the vibe of Bay View may be poised to change again, with new upscale apartment developments.

Together, the Stitchweld apartments, with nearly 300 units, and the 69-unit Vue project will bring several hundred affluent residents to Bay View.

The new apartments mean more property tax revenue for the city, a removal of blighted buildings and additional customers for neighborhood businesses.

But they also create a big change for Bay View's homey atmosphere.

"I have mixed feelings," said John Gurda, a longtime Bay View resident.

"Obviously, if you have more people, you have more vitality and more energy," Gurda said. "On the other hand, the last thing you want is for the neighborhood's main street (S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) to become a gantlet of three- and four- and five-story buildings.

"It would make Bay View something it is not," he said.

Both the $40 million Stitchweld, at a former industrial site, 2141 S. Robinson Ave., and the $10.5 million Vue, 2200 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., a nearby location that includes the razed former Faust Music building, expect to attract millennials.

That generation, sometimes defined as people born from 1980 through 2000, shows a strong preference for living and working in downtown and other urban neighborhoods. Bay View's affordability and strong community connections have attracted younger homeowners, Gurda said.

Other draws include the neighborhood's short commute to downtown, its lakefront parks and a growing number of restaurants, nightclubs and other businesses, including the redeveloped Avalon Theater.

Those factors helped the five-story, 70-unit Dwell quickly rent out its high-end apartments after opening in 2012 at 2240 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

Dwell helped prove Bay View is a destination for millennials, said Nora Pecor, chief financial officer for Vue developer Dermond Property Investments LLC.

"People are wanting to be there," she said.

Vue, with five stories, is to open by November. The specific rents haven't been announced yet, but they will be similar to rents at Stitchweld and new apartment buildings in nearby Walker's Point, Pecor said.

Stitchweld's monthly rents range from $1,239 for studio units to $2,654 for three-bedroom apartments. The development totals 291 units in four buildings ranging from four to five stories.

The first residents will begin moving there in March, with the other buildings to be completed by July, September and November, said Ryan Lints, area manager for Stitchweld developer Milhaus Development LLC. The Indianapolis-based firm focuses on urban apartment projects.

Stitchweld's name is a reference to the site's industrial past. It was used by mining equipment manufacturer Harnischfeger Industries for several years and more recently housed the now-defunct Sweet Water Organics Inc.

Another homage is a preserved steel structure from one of the razed buildings that is being reused as a marker for outdoor amenities, including a dog park and fire pit.

The apartments will draw people who want modern features, such as underground parking and stainless steel appliances, while also appreciating Bay View's "neighborhood feel," Lints said.

While some residents remain opposed, Lints said, most people he meets welcome the development.

The former industrial buildings demolished to make way for Stitchweld were part of a "dead zone" in Bay View, said nearby resident Jodee Benavides.

Now, the area is more active and better lighted, he said, with nearby homeowners seeing increasing values.

"It's good for the neighborhood," said Benavides, whose family has lived just two blocks south of Stitchweld, on S. Austin St., since 2009.

Tom Held, who has lived in Bay View since 1995, also welcomes the new apartments.

Among other benefits, the increased use of S. Kinnickinnic Ave. by new residents will help slow down traffic, making it safer for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians, Held said.

Ald. Tony Zielinski, whose district covers Bay View, said both Stitchweld and Vue are part of an effort to develop high-end apartments on or near S. Kinnickinnic Ave., while keeping such larger projects out of more residential areas with single-family homes.

The result, he said, is retaining Bay View's charm, including its parks and historic buildings, while replacing shabby properties with new buildings that bring more people to neighborhood businesses.

"I don't think there's any downside," Zielinski said.

Gurda agreed that Dwell, Vue and Stitchweld bring benefits to Bay View.

However, Gurda, who has written several books about Milwaukee's history, also noted Bay View's roots as a working-class neighborhood dominated by smaller houses built in the early years of the 20th century.

He doesn't want Kinnickinnic Ave. to eventually resemble what Gurda calls the "condo canyon" of newer apartment and condominium buildings overlooking the Milwaukee River on S. Water and E. Erie streets, in the Historic Third Ward and Walker's Point neighborhood.

Both Lints and Pecor said they don't expect additional apartment developments in the foreseeable future.

That would be just fine with Gurda, who's lived in Bay View since 1978.

"I guess my long-term belief is you can't encase a neighborhood in amber," Gurda said. "There's always going to be change."

But, he added, "I think there at least needs to be a timeout."

Tom Daykin can be reached attdaykin@jrn.com