The Walker’s Point neighborhood has changed dramatically in the past five years with the addition of many new restaurants, businesses and residents.

The change, like all change, raises a lot of questions, and so OnMilwaukee.com checked in with numerous people living and / or working in Walker’s Point to get their perspectives on neighborhood developments.

Guy Rehorst, owner of Great Lakes Distillery, moved his business from Riverwest to 616 W. Virginia St. in 2008.

"It just keeps getting better," says Rehorst. "So many great bars and restaurants have opened and a lot of food producers have moved here with more yet to come."

Rehorst says when Great Lakes first came to the neighborhood, some areas seemed like a "ghost town," but today, even they are bustling with new business.

Lee Guk, co-owner of Lucky Joe’s Tiki Room, 196 S. 2nd St., agrees.

"The days of tumbleweed blowing through a ghost town are done. There are a lot more people down here on a daily and nightly basis. There's a liveliness that was not here even as recently as two years ago," he says.

Carrie Wisniewski lives in Walker’s Point and owns Redbar in St. Francis. Originally, she wanted to open her bar in Walker’s Point but did not find the right location.

Wisniewski believes that businesses are choosing Walker's Point for two main reasons.

"First, it is a thoroughfare connecting Downtown and the East Side to the South Side neighborhoods. This is great visibility for any small business owner," she says. "Second, the gritty, warehouse-type architecture is extremely appealing. It really celebrates the history of the neighborhood."

Clive Promhows, a London-born artist, has been living and working in the neighborhood for eight years. He currently has a studio and gallery, Live Artists Studio, at 228 S. 1 St.

Promhows observed the neighborhood grow into a cultural hub for the city and expects it to continue to expand.

"When I first moved into the area I felt I was at the beginning of something, I felt an energy, a sense of change. It was as if the area was completely open to interpretation of what you wanted to create and now that vision is coming about," he says. "It's almost a perfect storm scenario for the creation of a SoHo or East Village."

But the neighborhood, of course, has its problems and blind spots.

Promhows says Walker’s Point needs a local grocery store and a late-night diner open in the neighborhood. He also believes there is not enough police presence during the late night / early morning hours which has led to an increase in car break-ins.

"The area does have its growing pains, but at the end of the day I personally think Walker’s Point will be the envy of all Milwaukee," he says.

Whether or not there is enough housing – and affordable housing – is another ongoing question in the neighborhood.

Tyler Hawley is one of the developers behind the new Junior House Lofts – upscale apartments located at 710 S. 3rd St. Hawley believes what the area needs the most are quality single-family homes.

"A large portion of the single family and multi-family homes in the area are waiting for owner-investors to come in and do a complete gut rehab or demolish and build new construction city homes," he says. "If we can get more quality single-family homes in the area, it will attract the right demographic that will help the area prosper."

Twelfth District Supervisor Peggy Romo West, who spent years unsuccessfully searching for a home in the neighborhood, agrees with the need for single-family housing.

"I think there is a lack of houses in Walker's Point without there being a lack of housing, per se. I know many people – including myself – who have looked for a house to purchase in Walker's Point and have not been successful," says West.

The housing bottom line, according to developer and sustainability advocate Juli Kaufmann, is that thriving urban neighborhoods like Walker's Point can never have too much housing.

"The more housing we have, the more we strengthen built-in markets to support local businesses while at the same time making the community more walkable, safe and active," she says. "More residents reinforce support for existing businesses and create needs to be supported by new business that can offer additional products and services for daily living. More residents create more voices demanding quality of life improvements which can benefit not just our neighborhood but our entire city."

The housing question leads to another often-discussed question: is Walker’s Point a family-friendly neighborhood?

Hawley says yes – he and his wife live with their two sons in Walker’s Point – but he believes changes are needed for more families to consider moving to the area.

"We still need to improve educational facilities. MPS won’t cut it for most," he says. "Secondly, we need the continuation of cutting down on crime. We also need a grocery and to get rid of the recycling plants. They typically don't bring the demographic to the area that is looking to improve the neighborhood."

Guk, however, already believes the neighborhood is ideal for families.

"Walker’s Point is a great place to raise a family. You have a neighborhood that is very committed to the safety and well-being of its members," says Guk. "Plus, with such a diverse group of people inhabiting the area, you have children being raised in a true, unsheltered community."

For parents who desire to raise their children in a truly diverse community, West agrees that Walker’s Point is a stable choice.

"I think Walker's Point is a wonderful neighborhood to raise a family," she says. "I love the diversity of the neighborhood. There are neighbors who have lived in that area for 30 or more years which I think speaks volumes to how great the neighborhood is."

Finally, another often-raised neighborhood question is whether or not there is a "Fifth Ward." Some refer to the far north end of the neighborhood as the "Fifth Ward," but many are not on board with the term.

"For me, we have been and always will be the Historic Walker's Point neighborhood. We were established by a founding City father. Our heritage and our future are tied to our namesake," says Kaufmann. "For me, Walker's Point is the true, authentic, and inclusive definition of this place."

Some, like Rehorst, believe it was created for marketing purposes.

"I truly hate 'Fifth Ward,'" says Rehorst. "I think it was created by developers trying to capitalize on the success of the Third Ward. Walker's Point has so much history that assigning a number to it disrespects that history and takes away a lot of its identity."

And yet others see the two names as interchangeable.

"I consider 'Fifth Ward' and 'Walker's Point' as the same neighborhood. My guess is that people like to say ‘Fifth Ward’ because it sounds a little fancier. But essentially they are synonymous in my opinion," says Wisniewski.