Bay View stable to house police, therapy horses

Work is proceeding on developing stables in the Bay View neighborhood that would house Milwaukee Police Department horses, as well as therapy horses.

Milwaukee Urban Stables is planned for a vacant city-owned lot at 143 E. Lincoln Ave.

The city Redevelopment Authority will review the proposed transfer of the property at its June 21 meeting, according to a hearing notice posted Thursday.

The 4-acre site would be sold for $1 to an affiliate of the nonprofit Wisconsin Preservation Fund. The city acquired the former factory site in 1981 through property tax foreclosure.

Milwaukee Urban Stables would combine community outreach, equine therapy and a new home for the police mounted patrol, according to the Department of City Development.

The 30,000-square-foot facility would include indoor and outdoor riding areas, and offices for both the therapeutic riding operation and mounted patrol.

The development’s community partners include the Milwaukee Downtown Business Improvement District and the Milwaukee Rotary Club.

The mounted patrol is a frequent downtown presence, and the Rotary Club has helped raise funds for the $5.6 million project, said Richard Lincoln, who’s representing the developers.

Also, people caring for the 24 horses would include veterans, chosen through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and Hamilton High School students.

It would amount to a unique community space, according to the project proposal.

“At the Stables, community members and police will come together to care for the horses, to care for the stable facility, to care for fellow community members and to share that experience,” it said.