Outdoor space plans moving forward
Area will help connect downtown, Third Ward
Plans are moving forward for creating an outdoor gathering space across the street and just north of the Milwaukee Public Market in the city’s Third Ward neighborhood.
An application for a liquor license as well as a business license application have been filed with the city by Riverwalk Commons, LLC, for 423 N. Water St.
The space is an open area on the west side of North Water Street between East St. Paul Avenue and East Clybourn Street. The space is underneath the
I-794 overpass.
The site is owned by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, which in 2019 agreed to provide control of the space for 20 years to the Historic Third Ward Business Improvement District.
The plans for the gathering space were in place before COVID-19 restrictions resulted in an uptick in demand for outdoor spaces where people can still socialize while staying far enough apart to comply with health guidelines designed to slow the spread of the virus.
“Although now that COVID is a reality, it certainly is a space that is probably going to be ... highly sought after in the coming months, if not years, just due to people’s interest in being outside and gathering outside in a safe and responsible way,” said Paul Schwartz, executive director of the Milwaukee Public Market, which the business district operates.
The overall goal of the plan is to use the open space to further connect the city’s downtown with the Third Ward, Schwartz said.
The site’s railings, flower beds and retaining walls were created as part of DOT’s I-794 reconstruction project, which was completed in 2016.
Among the uses for the site could be live music, a pickleball court, rotating food and beverage trucks and yoga classes.
“There’s just so much potential for spaces under the freeway,” Schwartz said. “I think it’s going to be used in ways we can’t even identify right now.”