The Milwaukee Rescue Mission’s plans to build a residential treatment center in New Berlin can move forward after a local review board didn’t pass an appeal brought on by opposing citizens.
In a special meeting June 22, members of the city’s Board of Appeals failed to grant an appeal that would have overturned approval the Milwaukee Rescue Mission previously gained to create the four-story, 57,000-square-foot facility. The development would be located in the southwest quadrant of Moorland Road and Interstate 43.
The Plan Commission, based in part on city planning staff’s support, unanimously approved the campus as proposed as a permitted use in the manufacturing zone on Dec. 8, 2025.
Since then, the plans have stalled as a citizens group, known as New Berlin Citizens United, awaited a ruling on its appeal of the commission’s decision. Residents and Milwaukee Rescue Mission alike awaited the development’s fate after the city’s Board of Appeals discussed the issue in closed session June 2 but did not reach a decision.
Then in the special meeting June 22, after around an hour of closed session discussions, board members voted 2-2 to grant the appeal. That motion needed four votes to pass, so it failed.
Members John Goetter and James Klappa voted no, or not to grant the appeal. James Oldham and Paul Langer voted yes.
The board then voted unanimously to adopt a written determination that would state the reasons for the Board of Appeals’ decision. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has requested that record.
According to planning documents, the MRM New Journey facility would offer a six-month program for men trying to recover from substance abuse. The residential campus would include treatment that mixes education and vocational instruction with mental health services, as well as a “faith-based” and “evidence-based” curriculum.
Opponents have raised concerns about zoning rules, public safety and potential effects on city services, as well as property values.
Part of the debate has focused on MRM’s desire to build the new venue in a zone that allows a church. Members of New Berlin Citizens United felt the church designation was inconsistent with the rest of the facility’s operations but MRM officials and city planning officials have said it is valid.
Throughout the back-and-forth to determine the development’s future, some people involved in the project, including the nonprofit’s president Patrick Vanderburgh, told the Journal Sentinel they received anonymous letters that included mass-produced flyers featuring their names, photographs and home addresses.
Publicly identifying or publishing private information about someone, typically as a form of punishment or revenge, is commonly known as doxing.
New Berlin Citizens United condemned those letters.
Claudia Levens contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Berlin board clears way for residential treatment center
Reporting by Bridget Fogarty, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Bridget Fogarty, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
