Menomonee Falls planner says 2025 brought record housing permits, major industrial and downtown activity

Tyler Zweigerman, Menomonee Falls village planner, told the Village Board on March 16 that the village's 2025 development and community status report shows continued population growth, rising home values and an unusually large number of residential permits.

Zweigerman said estimates from the Wisconsin Department of Administration place Menomonee Falls' population near 41,000 and that the village's median household income in the latest available data exceeds $100,000. He said single-family and duplex housing make up about 71% of the housing mix, while market-rate multifamily accounts for roughly 17% and age-restricted senior housing about 12%.

"We had 150 new single-family houses constructed in 2025," Zweigerman said, and he described a construction year that produced more than $160 million in total construction value, with the residential portion roughly $122 million. He attributed the increase to both new subdivisions and infill redevelopment.

The planner highlighted several major projects that contributed to 2025 totals, including Ridgewood Industrial Center (the former Kohl's Innovation Center), a 300,000-plus-square-foot shell that is being repositioned for multiple industrial users; the Highlands at Aero Park, a phased senior apartment project with a 224-unit footprint; and downtown occupancies and restaurant openings supported by Village Park improvements and a busy event season.

Zweigerman also told trustees the village completed an update to its comprehensive plan and its comprehensive outdoor recreation plan in 2025; staff recently used the updated recreation plan to secure a DNR stewardship grant to build a trail connection linking the Mill Pond Park west-side trail to the Bug Line Trail, a move he called "a big win." He said the village also prepared a parks-and-trails guide that is available online and at Village Hall.

The planner closed by noting there is capacity in the development pipeline: final-plat approvals in 2025 created about 127 lots and preliminary plats added roughly 167 lots, which he said could support several years of single-family construction.

Trustees thanked Zweigerman for the report and noted trail and biking concerns raised during public comment would be a staff-level priority to consider moving forward.