Public input on harbor sought
The efforts to redevelop the area centered around Milwaukee’s inner harbor continue to move forward, with organizers seeking public input for a proposed water and land use plan.
Harbor District Inc., a nonprofit group leading that work, and the city will host meetings from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Independence First, 540 S. 1st St., and Thursday at the University of WisconsinM-ilwaukee School of Freshwater Sciences, 600 E. Greenfield Ave.
Both meetings will be open to the public.
Harbor District Inc. and the city have been working with consulting firms Gensler and Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc. to
develop draft concepts for future development within the inner harbor area. That area is bordered roughly by S. 1st St., the harbor, the Milwaukee River and the Kinnickinnic River.
People attending the open houses can view and comment on recommendations for new parks, waterfront public access, land use changes and other parts of the proposed water and land use plan.
Feedback from public meetings in October and an online survey showed that the highest priorities for future development in the Harbor District are to restore the area’s natural environment, to provide new spaces for recreation and to provide jobs, according to a district statement.
Those comments were used to help create the draft water and land use plan that will be displayed at the open houses. For those who cannot attend, a survey will be available at harbordistrict.org immediately following the open houses.
The plan will help guide decisions by developers within the harbor area.
Perhaps the largest potential project site within the Harbor District is the 47-acre former Milwaukee Solvay Coke Co. site, 311 E. Greenfield Ave.
The draft water and land use plan envisions converting that site to mainly light industrial use. It is primarily south of E. Greenfield Ave., along the Kinnickinnic River and roughly two blocks east of 1st St.
The conceptual plans call for some office and retail use along the waterfront. However, the former Solvay site would have little or no housing because of its environmental condition.
WE Energies purchase
The vacant site is being sold out of bankruptcy for $4 million to Wisconsin Gas LLC, a We Energies affiliate.
We Energies wants to buy the property because it is among several businesses that are responsible for the site’s extensive environmental cleanup.
The utility operated a natural gas plant on the site decades ago, and the company will be in a better position to control cleanup costs by owning the land.
Access to the site is limited to E. Greenfield Ave., with a low railroad overpass making it impossible for large trucks to reach any future light industrial buildings, said Lilith Fowler, Harbor District executive director.
One possible solution would be to extend E. Mitchell St. on to the site’s southern end with a new railroad underpass, Fowler said.
That would require relocating a Milwaukee County Transit System facility at 1710-1716 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., where E. Mitchell St. would be extended, she said.
Draft recommendations
Other draft recommendations include:
A wetland restoration of a cityowned parcel in the area near the Nidera grain elevator, 960 E. Bay St. That surrounding area, which would maintain its industrial character, faces challenging soil conditions, Fowler said. “You’ve got muck to build on,” she said at a recent Harbor District Business Improvement District board meeting.
Maintaining a mix of light industrial businesses and other commercial uses near the lower Kinnickinnic River. That area includes the Lincoln Warehouse, 2018 S. 1st St., which includes such businesses as a distillery and craft brewery; the Restaurant Depot wholesaler being built near the southwest corner of S. 1st and W. Becher streets, and the former Horny Goat Hideaway, 2011-2029 and 2067 S. 1st St., that was recently sold as a redevelopment site.
The portion of the district north of E. Greenfield Ave., which would have a mix of uses that include residential developments along the Milwaukee River.
Other new uses could include a dog park for neighborhood residents, a new boat launch and a public plaza at the end of E. Greenfield Ave., overlooking the harbor, near the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences.
That area also features the Harbor District’s first major commercial development, Freshwater Plaza, which opened in November east of S. 1st St. and north of E. Greenfield Ave. It includes a four-story building with 76 apartments and around 16,500 square feet of street-level commercial space, and a 50,000-square-foot Cermak Fresh Market opening this spring.
The water and land use plan will likely undergo Common Council review this summer, Fowler said.
Tom Daykin can be reached at tdaykin@jrn.com