Attention grabbing
New Bucks parking ramp to open with glitzy LED sign, downtown tailgating
In the event that the new four-story LED message board on the new Milwaukee Bucks parking garage didn’t grab your attention, perhaps this will: You’ll be able to tailgate on the top level.
The 1,250-space ramp opens Wednesday and is the first piece of the Bucks downtown development project that will be open to the public.
The ramp is on N. 6th St., just north of Juneau Ave. The message board greets drivers as they exit I-43 at McKinley Ave.
Yes, it’s just a parking ramp, but it’s packed with details and amenities that underscore what the Bucks say is their commitment to a top-shelf experience for basketball fans and those simply looking for a place to park their cars. It also reflects the quality experience that will be included in the new arena, the Bucks say.
Start with the top level. It’s a sprawling space, large enough for at least 150 cars.
“This could be really good for tailgating,” said Mike Abrams of Icon Venue Group, the team’s representative for the various arena construction projects, during a recent visit on a blustery afternoon. “We’ve got extra power up here.” It’s easy to imagine a few hundred people gathering up there for a rooftop party enjoying panorama views in advance of, say, a home opener, concert or NBA playoff game.
Bucks President Peter Feigin says they’ll give tailgating a shot, but you probably can leave your grills at home.
“We might have some grills up there,” he said.
For now, the goal is to get drivers to use the ramp, and finding tenants for four ground-level commercial spaces.
That will be a little tricky with the
massive arena construction site that faces the south side of the ramp along Juneau Ave. Although Juneau is closed to traffic because of the arena construction, there will be a protected walkway that will make it easy for people parking in the new ramp to navigate around the work site to events at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, Abrams said.
The ramp cost about $47 million and is a large chunk of the City of Milwaukee’s contribution to the $250 million in public support for the $524 million arena project. The city and the Bucks will split parking revenue. The Bucks will operate and provide security for the structure.
The city is also paying for work on the public plaza outside the main entrance to the new arena on a closed portion of N. 4th St. That plaza will connect to the entertainment block that the Bucks are constructing, a complex that will include a brewery, outdoor beer garden and three commercial buildings.
The arena is scheduled to open in the fall of 2018, and some parts of the entertainment block will be ready about that time.
For now, the new parking ramp gives a taste of the up-to-date customer experiences that the Bucks are promising. Some details:
❚ Traffic will flow into the new ramp off N. 5th St. Three lanes of traffic flow into the ramp and they can be reversed. The pay stations are on the second level, to minimized backups onto city streets, Abrams said.
There’s “tons of security” throughout the ramp, he said. That includes cameras, motion-activated lighting and glass walls on stairwells and elevators that make it easy to see inside and around corners.
❚ The ramp can be emptied in about 30 minutes.
❚ There’s no car parking on the entrance and exit lanes, preventing delays from drivers backing out into traffic.
❚ For arena events, the Bucks anticipate that most parking will be paid in advance. Other parkers will pay at walkup stations. That reduces delays at the entrance/exit gates.
❚ A skywalk connects the third level with the new arena. Suite holders can park and walk across to their seats.
❚ There’s a ground level space with racks for about 55 bicycles.
Parking for Bucks games and other evening events will cost $15 to $25.
Monthly rates for parking between 5 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. is $125 to $150. Monthly rates for 24-hour parking, including events, is $250.
There’s a grand opening special for 60 days: $5 a day for parking before 9 and out by 5:30 p.m.