Raze & Revive is Mayor Johnson's new initiative to address the backlog of blighted buildings in Milwaukee neighborhoods that need to be demolished.
What is Raze & Revive?
Raze & Revive is Mayor Johnson's new initiative to address the backlog of blighted buildings in Milwaukee neighborhoods that need to be demolished and, in doing so, increase public safety and quality of life for residents who live near these properties and create new opportunities for housing development.
As part of Raze and Revive, the Department of Public Works will expand its workforce to focus on the demolition of blighted properties. When at full capacity, the Raze & Revive team will effectively double the City's demolition capacity. Currently, the number of properties requiring demolition regularly grows at a rate exceeding the City's demolition capacity, preventing the City from addressing a backlog dating back to the housing crisis in 2008. Under the Raze & Revive initiative, that backlog should be eliminated within five years. After the backlog is eliminated, the City anticipates being able to raze properties requiring demolition within 12 months.
Creating New Opportunities
Expansion of affordable housing options and creation of new homeownership opportunities is a priority of Mayor Johnson. This includes creating new opportunities for development of a wide variety of new housing units and types. Raze & Revive compliments two other the Johnson Administration housing efforts – Homes MKE and Growing MKE. Homes MKE is providing new safer homeownership opportunities at approximately 150 city-owned homes. Making the Homes MKE investment areas a particular focus of the new Raze & Revive team will allow the City to meet it promise of razing blighted buildings near the newly renovated Homes MKE properties, compounding the positive impact the City’s investment in neighborhoods. Growing MKE is an initiative to collaboratively review Milwaukee’s zoning code, ensuring that residents have opportunities to provide feedback on their preferences for future development in Milwaukee. Growing MKE and the associated code updates are intended to increase housing options and provide additional housing supply, meeting the varied needs of Milwaukee’s residents. The removal of distressed buildings provides the development sites for future innovative housing models and safe housing opportunities.