City Will Purchase and Demolish Three Homes in Flood Plain

Three homes that have been damaged almost beyond repair by repeated flooding and sewer backups in the Foutainwood subdivision will be purchased by the city. The city council agreed to pass a Resolution of Necessity at the Feb. 8 meeting to move the process forward. 

Once purchased, the city will pursue condemnation status against the properties so they can be demolished and possibly turned into a parklike setting as a dry pond - a depression - surrounded by maintenance-free grass. 

Estimated costs for purchasing the three homes and restoring the land is anywhere from $700,000 to $1 million. Some of the funding could from a grant from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District (MMSD) as part of the MMSD Private Property Inflow & Infiltration program (PPII), which aims to reduce sanitary system overflow issues.

Alderman Noah Fiedler addressed the possibility of abuse when the city makes offers on the homes.

"I want to be fair to the homeowners and the taxpayers," he said. "Home values are down and these homes are damaged. I want to be sure the city is paying fair market value."

Alderman Neil Borgman agreed, but said the city should take some of the share of the cost.

According to City Engineer David Simpson, in order for MMSD to move forward with their PPII program in the area, the subdivision would have to purchase the land back from the city for $1.00. MMSD rules prohibit the purchase of land from municipalities, but not from private organizations.