Marquette seeks mixed-use zoning for site
Marquette University is apparently moving forward with mixed-use development plans for around 7 acres it owns on downtown Milwaukee’s west side.
The university has filed an application for a zoning change on that site, bordered mainly by North Lovell, North 10th, West Michigan and West Clybourn streets.
That new application, filed with the Department of City Development, seeks Common Council approval to change the site’s zoning to downtown mixed activity.
That would allow for a mixed-use project at the site, which could include residential, retail and other new uses.
The application provides no other information about those plans, and Marquette isn’t yet providing details.
“Marquette University is continually examining the best use options for the land the university owns on Michigan Street, east of campus,” said Lynn C. Griffith, senior director of university communication.
“We often have conversations with outside entities that are interested in seeking synergistic, mission-aligned opportunities to develop the property,” Griffith said, in a statement. “Marquette is asking for this zoning change to allow for the broadest possible options for development.”
The properties that would be rezoned are at 521 and 531 N. Eighth St.; 533 and 547 N. Ninth St.; 545 and 555 N. Lovell
St., and 803 W. Michigan St., the application said.
Those are mostly vacant parcels and parking lots.
The site also includes a 132,300square-foot office building that is largely vacant. Its tenants include Safe & Sound Inc., a nonprofit group that works on public safety initiatives.
The rezoning application doesn’t include two adjacent properties that Marquette owns just to the east: an office building, at 525 N. Sixth St., which houses the Department of Psychology’s behavior analysis program, and a former Ramada Hotel, 633 W. Michigan St., which the university has had plans to demolish.
Marquette bought the downtown west side properties in 2014 and 2015.