One block of a south side street might close. A soccer field, playground would replace it

One block of a Milwaukee south side street would be converted into a soccer field and other public spaces under a new proposal pending before city officials.

South 24th Street, between West Legion and West Rogers streets, would be closed to cars if the plan is approved by the Common Council.

The block would still be publicly owned but would be "for people and gathering. Not for cars," said Sam Leichtling, city planning manager.

Leichtling spoke at Monday's meeting of the Plan Commission, which endorsed the proposal.

The soccer field and playground would be just east of a building which houses Rogers Street Academy, a Milwaukee Public School at 2430 W. Rogers St., and Don and Sallie Davis Boys & Girls Club, 1975 S. 24th St.

It would provide badly needed recreation space for a densely populated neighborhood which includes a lot of younger children, said Leichtling and Nicholas Straube, MPS facilities planning analyst.

The new space would include an outdoor classroom, green space to help soak up rainwater, and a pickup and drop-off area for the Boys & Girls Club, Straube told commission members. Security bollards would help block traffic, he said.

It would be designed to "feel like the neighborhood so it belongs to everybody," Straube said.

The proposal to create a pedestrian mall isn't often used by the city, Leichtling said.

A prominent example is the Common Council's 2016 decision to vacate one block of North Phillips Avenue to create the Deer District plaza, he said.

The South 24th Street plaza ties with the city's goal of creating more public gathering spaces, Leichtling said.

The improvements would be funded with a federal grant provided to MPS through the American Rescue Plan Act, Straube said. A cost estimate wasn't provided.

In other action, the commission recommended approval for zoning changes that would allow two north side affordable apartment developments − both tied to churches.

Cupid Development LLC and Cinnaire Solutions Corp. is proposing a five-story, 40-unit building for seniors, as well as five two-story townhomes for younger families, on vacant lots at 2953 to 2979 N. Eighth St.

Those lots are owned by nearby St. Matthews Christian Methodist Church, 2944 N. Ninth St.

Also, Trinity Development Partners LLC is proposing a three-story, 31-unit building, and seven two-story townhomes, on a vacant lot south of Mason Temple Church, 6090-6098 N. 35th St.

Both developments will seek federal affordable housing tax credits to help finance the buildings. Those credits are provided through an annual competition.

Developers that receive tax credits must generally provide at least 85% of a building's apartments at below-market rents to people earning no higher than 60% of the local median income for 30 years.

The tax credits are sold to raise cash, with the developers then obtaining bank loans and other cash sources to complete their financing packages.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, X and Facebook.