Shorewood Loses a Resident due to Parking Lot Sale

I received a passionate letter from a 10-year resident-who-rents, and also parks in the lot that's been sold. She gave permission to post it and I'm sharing it with you. Without further comment, here is Laura's message to the community she is leaving.

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I moved to Shorewood in 2015 and was not informed of the significant parking challenges associated with renting here. It took considerable time to get on the waitlist for the Oakland Ave parking lot, which was the only way to avoid moving my car every two hours, managing snow emergencies, or accumulating tickets. During the period I was forced to park on the street, I spent hundreds (possibly over a thousand) dollars on parking tickets due to long work hours, exhaustion, and inconsistent enforcement times. Once I regained access to the Oakland lot, the financial and emotional stress of parking disappeared.

Shorewood’s parking policies also make maintaining personal relationships difficult. Overnight parking is limited to 20 nights per year. Early on, my partner had to go to the police station and pay simply to stay overnight.

In 2019, a family with two small children moved into the apartment next to mine. Because the building has wood floors, the noise was constant. I regularly heard domestic violence and child abuse occurring. When I attempted to address the situation with the male tenant, I was threatened. The atmosphere in the building was scary and I would often avoid using my kitchen, dining room and living room to avoid hearing the violence. Multiple neighbors called the police repeatedly, and thefts from basement storage became common. Due to COVID restrictions, eviction was not possible, and many tenants moved out as a result. The situation only ended after repeated police involvement and fines. The family eventually moved out, but the damage to tenants had already been done.

It appears the Village Board is more focused on the optics of “affordable housing” than on the reality of rental life. I have never experienced outreach from any candidate or trustee. Apartment buildings are consistently ignored, despite being home to a large portion of Shorewood residents.

I recently purchased a condo in Thiensville and will be leaving Shorewood soon. When comparing properties, I was shocked by Shorewood’s property taxes. A two-bedroom, two-bath condo priced at $218,800 carries 2025 taxes of $3,667, while comparable properties in Thiensville are $1,660 less. This raises serious questions about affordability and value.

Not a single Village Board member rents an apartment that has no parking. I do not believe the Board understands what it means to live paycheck to paycheck, or the cumulative impact of parking costs, housing instability, and rising taxes. For many of us who did what we were told - - went to college and worked hard - - the promise of stability has been eroded by economic crises and policies that benefit the wealthy.

The inability to plan for my future due to unpredictable expenses is frightening. Continuing to live with the financial uncertainty created by Shorewood’s parking policies would significantly reduce my quality of life. That is why I am leaving.

Laura Hanson

Image: View of the parking lot from my apartment window.