Downtown Milwaukee's future; I-794, Hop changes part of proposal
MILWAUKEE - What could downtown Milwaukee look like by 2040? The city's new draft plan – "Connec+ing MKE: Downtown Plan 2040" – shows one vision.
In a news release, officials said the plan "represents an inclusive vision of downtown as a place for every resident, in every neighborhood, to feel welcome and connected to Milwaukee’s city center." That vision includes making it the most walkable downtown in the Midwest, reimagining I-794 and expanding The Hop streetcar.
The draft proposal would remove the stretch of I-794 that currently divides downtown from the Historic Third Ward, putting a traditional grid of streets in its place.
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"It’s a plan that talks about big ideas for the city," said Lafayette Crump, Milwaukee commissioner of city development.
PHOTO GALLERY (renderings from draft plan)
The downtown plan for 2040 includes renderings of Water Street with widened sidewalks, separated bike lanes and a lot more trees. There would be a narrowed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive that makes room for wider sidewalks and outdoor dining. Overall, the draft calls for doubling the number of people living downtown – getting to 40,000 people – and boosting jobs to 100,000. It would cut emissions 45% by 2030 and net-zero by 2050.
"If and when this plan gets finalized, it means that we’re well on our way to having the kind of downtown that the city of Milwaukee deserves, and the kind of downtown that will be a beacon to folks not just in the city, but the surrounding areas and even nationwide," Crump said.
Milwaukee's Department of City Development and Milwaukee Downtown Business Improvement District put together the draft recommendations. The Common Council in 2021 approved $50,000 for the planning, and the Business Improvement District spent $100,000.
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"Will all those plans come to fruition? Maybe not, but they’re the aspirations that guide the city’s policymakers, guides the private sector going forward," said Ald. Robert Bauman. "The 2010 plan, all the catalytic projects that were recommended, have been done, have largely been accomplished.
"These have been blueprints that we have followed in the past, and I would expect future councils and future administrations would follow those blueprints."
The plan also calls for expanding The Hop – a debate that has raged for years.
Plan details
Public input received throughout the planning process in the last two years helped shape six "big ideas" for how public and private investment can drive physical changes to downtown Milwaukee. A news release said the "big ideas" include:
- Growing downtown’s population
- Investing in parks and gathering spaces
- Expanding and enhancing transit
- Reconnecting places divided by human-made barriers
- Improving streets to support all users
- Redesigning streets as public places.
According to the release, the plan recommends a series of public and private development projects. Among those, are seven high-priority projects including the following:
- Public Museum & State Office Building Redevelopment at MacArthur Square
- Public Space Management Organization for Parks & Public Spaces
- Extending the Streetcar (Westown, Bronzeville, Walker’s Point, and the East Side)
- 6th Street Complete Street
- Water Street Entertainment District
- Performing Arts Center Parking Garage Redevelopment Site
- Reimagining the I-794 & Clybourn Street Corridor
Officials said the proposed projects would complement the progress made by the 2010 Downtown Area Plan which included:
- Addition of a fixed-rail streetcar system
- Revitalization of Wisconsin Avenue
- New circulation patterns, development and public spaces at the Lakefront Gateway
- Building a strong Broadway Connection to better link the central business district to the Historic Third Ward
- Developing the area around Pere Marquette Square with residential, commercial and entertainment uses
- Enhancing the Station Plaza/Milwaukee Intermodal Station area
- Improving accessibility to the underutilized MacArthur Square
- Developing the Haymarket area into a mixed-use neighborhood with a public square
Public input sought
The public can still share thoughts on the draft. It would go to the city planner and Common Council for approval, but even then the final plan is only a vision – not a guarantee. It sets priorities, but does not guarantee the proposed changes.
The final Community Open House for the plan will be held at 3rd Street Market Hall on Thursday, May 11, from 3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Milwaukee-area residents will have an opportunity to see firsthand how their input shaped the draft recommendations, provide feedback before the new Downtown Area Plan is adopted and celebrate the conclusion of a nearly two-year planning process.
The draft plan is available on the project website. Dialogue is encouraged at connectingmke.com, where users can participate in the virtual open house and provide feedback until May 22. The plan will be presented to the City Plan Commission and Milwaukee Common Council for adoption as part of the City’s Comprehensive Plan this summer.