Panel endorses expansion, redevelopment of Melvina Park
The Melvina Park redevelopment is a step closer to completion as the Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhood and Development Committee has endorsed the acquisition of land needed to expand the north side park.
The committee unanimously recommended the two lots owned by the city’s independent Redevelopment Authority be transferred to the city. The two lots are at 2900 and 3010 W. Hopkins St.
The council is to review that recommendation at its Tuesday meeting.
The expanded park will have new playgrounds, new trees, a dog park, a soccer field, community gardens, rebuilt basketball courts and a performance stage. It will also have three bioswales to capture rainwater.
The improvements are part of the city’s Connecting the Corridor Action Plan.
Construction could start in late summer or fall, said Tory Kress, Redevelopment Authority environmental project manager.
“My neighbors in the Century City Triangle neighborhood have been working diligently along with staff to put together a design they believe that spoke to quality of life and I think they’ve accomplished that with this design,” said Ald. Khalif J. Rainey, who supports the park improvements.
“We have everything from basketball courts to soccer fields to extra trees — quadrupling the space. So I think this is a big plus for the city,” Rainey said.
The two lots were formerly part of the A. O. Smith Corp. industrial complex.
A.O. Smith, which manufactured car frames, purchased the properties in the late 1970s and early ’80s.
Kress said the two parcels previously included houses, as well as industrial uses, including a filling station, a machine shop and a plastics research laboratory.
A.O. Smith razed the remaining structures and used the property for parking and kept a small area grassy, Kress said.
Tower Automotive acquired both parcels as part of its acquisition of A.O. Smith in 1997. When Tower went bankrupt in 2006, the parcels were acquired by Milwaukee Industrial Trade Center.
The Redevelopment Authority acquired the property in 2009 as part of its overall purchase of the A.O. Smith complex, which has since been converted into Century City Business Park.
Since then, the authority has worked to redevelop the lots, Kress said.
In 2018, the authority partnered with MKE Park, which operates city-owned parks and play areas, and Century City Triangle Neighborhood Association to create a plan for a renovated Melvina Park that could expand and utilize the two properties.