Plans for massive warehouse moving forward in Oak Creek

2.6 million-square-foot site possibly for Amazon

OAK CREEK – Plans for a massive unnamed warehouse, which many believe will be Amazon, are being recommended for approval by the city’s plan commission.

Ryan Business Park, 9700 S. 13th St., had two potential plans recently considered by Oak Creek — one plan for a single large user and a second for multiple users.

But the plan commission’s action Tuesday appears to signify which of those is moving forward — a four-story, 2.6 million-square-foot distribution and warehouse facility, which will now go to the common council for approval.

The facility would be far larger that Amazon’s 1-million-square-foot Kenosha facility. By comparison, huge warehouses in the Oconomowoc area built by Roundy’s (1.1 million square feet) and Target (1.5 million) are roughly half the size of what is being proposed in Oak Creek.

But all of them are dwarfed by Foxconn Technology Group’s Mount Pleasant campus projected to be as large as 20 million square feet.

The proposed Oak Creek plan includes a 1,844-space parking lot for cars, along with 294 truck and trailer stalls and 85 future truck and trailer spaces.

There are three entrances to the facility planned off 13th Street. Additionally, a street off Ryan Road, which ends in a cul-de-sac, also would allow entrance to the site.

The structure would be built of painted pre-cast concrete.

The first floor would include office space and processing/packaging, while the second, third and fourth floor would be for product storage.

City Planner Kari Papelbon said 1,000 employees would be on-site for two shifts. The proposal is for a 24hour operation operating seven days a week.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported in July that industry sources said Amazon is focusing on Ryan Business Park after looking at other sites — including Century City in Milwaukee.

In July, Mike Faber of Capstone Quadrangle, who has been working on the Oak Creek business park for more than a decade, said it was a first-comefirst-served situation as to what will go into the business park. At that time, Faber said there were two large users interested in the site.

Regardless of the user, a large warehouse can generate an increase in traffic, and that was the main concern for residents who spoke during public comments Tuesday.

City Administrator Andrew Vickers said the city will commit to a public process to keep neighbors informed when it comes to upgrades to the roads for traffic.

He said the developer will be informed what will need to be done to deal with potential traffic problems by experts.

“We, as a city, will do everything we can to ensure truck traffic does not go south,” Vickers said.

Oak Creek is also working on a tax incremental financing district for the area, which would help finance the project.

In a TIF, funds from any incremental property tax increases within the district are reallocated to pay off debt for public improvements within the district. The goal is to encourage development in an area that can be a challenge to development.

TIF districts for Oak Creek have historically closed early but typically are set for 20 years in the city.