A Common Council committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend rezoning a neighborhood around North Downer Avenue to allow for the area's redevelopment.,”

A proposal to revamp one city block would not typically cause months of controversy, but a new plan for Downer Avenue is doing just that.

A Common Council committee voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend rezoning a neighborhood around North Downer Avenue to allow for the area's redevelopment.

The rezoning would make it possible for development group New Land Enterprises to construct an 11-story condominium and hotel combination on the corner of North Stowell and East Webster avenues, behind the Downer Theatre.

Fourth District Alderman Bob Bauman said he did not think the condo would change the dynamic of the neighborhood in a way that would be detrimental to public interest.

In addition to building the condo, the development group plans to erect a parking structure, renovate empty office spaces above Harry W. Schwartz Bookstore and give the Downer Theatre a facelift.

"We support progress on that street," said Mary McCarthy, vice president and chief operating officer of the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops. "We just don't want to watch the street die."

The proposed condo is the most controversial part of the plan and has drawn fire from neighbors and local merchants. Many say the condo will overshadow shorter buildings and homes in the neighborhood.

"It will change the street forever," said one tearful resident, testifying before the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee. "We've already lost other parts of the city and we don't learn from it, I guess."

Not all neighbors are opposed to the redevelopment, however.

"The deterioration of this street makes me cry, literally cry," said another resident who testified. "You can't miss this opportunity to keep the city's revitalization going."

Bauman said he thought most older residents who have lived in the neighborhood longer were opposed to the project. Support for the plan usually came from younger residents.

"Clearly there was a generational divide between the supporters and the opposition," Bauman said.

Scott Kindness, an owner of Milwaukee Architects, a firm involved with the development, called the Downer plan bold. He said the city would be making a $55 million investment in a tired neighborhood as well as increasing the tax base.

"This street has seen better days," Kindness said.

New Land Enterprises outlined seven areas of improvement. Because of the height restrictions on buildings in the neighborhood, the condo construction needed city approval, even though New Land Enterprise officials are not asking the city to help fund the project.

The City Planning Commission passed the project Feb. 12 with a unanimous vote after hearing four hours of testimony. Now that it has committee approval, the plan will be presented to the Common Council on Tuesday.

Bauman said he expects the full council to accept the committee's recommendation and pass the project.

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