MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Dozens of neighbors living on Milwaukee's northwest side say they're against possible apartments proposed to be built in their backyards.
The possible apartment complex is being proposed by Christian Faith Fellowship Church's founder, Pastor Darrell Hines and Youth Pastor DJ Hines, and would be located behind his church near 85th and Good Hope Road.
"It's just not right for somebody who does not live in the neighborhood to make decisions for us. If you want this apartment building so bad... build it in your backyard," neighbor Marsha Kroeger said.
Neighbors contacted TMJ4's Chief Investigative Reporter Jenna Rae with concerns about the proposal and what they call a lack of transparency from their alderwoman.
"What attracted me to the neighborhood was the suburban-like feel," Schinika Fitch said.
"The family feel," neighbor Kendra Tucker-Stewart echoed.
It's a community in the Menomonee River Hills neighborhood away from the concrete chaos of downtown with deep homeownership roots, in some cases, spanning more than half a century.
Watch: Hundreds of residents organize against proposed 'Fellowship Village' apartments
"I've lived in the neighborhood since 1957," Sharon Scott added.
It's one of the many reasons residents said they're passionately against what's being deemed a "luxury apartment" proposed for their backyard.
"We don't want this in our neighborhood cause it's gonna just ruin it," neighbor Richard Kozeniecki said.
The 'Fellowship Village' Apartments are still an idea in the planning stages by the Hines Family, their team, and developers. According to a flier given to neighbors, it would be nearly 200 units with one-to-three bedroom apartments starting at $1,800. The flier said the complex would generate an estimated $1 million in annual tax revenue for the city.
Despite the church being behind the project, the Ninth District alderwoman said it would not be tax-exempt.
"It's going to create chaos for those who live around," Fitch added, citing concerns about increased traffic.
The plot of land where Fellowship Village would go is zoned for single-family use; that means apartments cannot be built there right now unless it's re-zoned, which would require common council approval.
"What we need is more homeownership," neighbor Helen Harris said.
"The city is going to grow only if we have single-family homes that are affordable to get into. We aren't going to have it with these multi-story apartments," resident Jerry Roesch added.
Ninth District Alderwoman Larresa Taylor, in tandem with Pastor DJ Hines, other church leadership and developers, over the last year, held community town halls about the idea to rezone.
"Are you in favor of rezoning that land?" Rae asked Taylor.
"Like I just said before, I am the middle person," Taylor responded.
"But at the end of the day, you vote for this," Rae said.
"At the end of the day, I listen to the residents," Taylor said.
Residents told TMJ4 News they don't feel heard. They said they feel they've received little-to-no notice about town halls, so we took those concerns to Taylor.
"I do my very best to send out letters. I do my very best to send out with enough radius to cover a large portion of the residents that would be impacted by the development," Taylor explained.
Residents said they disagree with the alderwoman's efforts.
"It wasn't until we organized that she put out that press release saying that she stands 100 percent with us. We don't believe it though," Fitch said.
Organized by neighbor Kendra Tucker-Stewart, more than 400 residents who live in that area, many of whom are within a mile of the site, signed a petition against the rezoning.
Some of those same residents said they've been waiting months for Taylor to respond to emails or received no response at all.
"I have gone through a little bit of a transition in my office, so that may have accounted for some of it. When they call the office, I try to get the response out," Taylor explained.
Taylor said she's asking residents who haven't heard back to contact her again.
"We don't trust her. We just don't trust her anymore," neighbors said.
"Trust has been broken, and it's time for someone else to step up," resident Tresha Lovell echoed.
"Are you going to side with your constituents on this issue and say no to the rezoning?" Rae asked Taylor.
"Always. Always. I will always side with my constituents," Taylor said again.
As of now, no rezoning application has been submitted to the city's Department of City Development.
TMJ4 made multiple attempts to reach out to Pastor DJ Hines to talk with him and his team about this possible development. He was unwilling to do an interview and answer resident questions.
This is a story TMJ4 will continue following up on.
If there's something you want Chief Investigative Reporter Jenna Rae to look into, email her at Jenna.Rae@tmj4.com.
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