City Plan to be presented to public

The Southeast Side Area Plan, a component of the city’s comprehensive plan that visualizes optimal land uses for Bay View and other south side neighborhoods, will be presented to the public for review and comment at an open house Thursday, Sept. 18 at the Loft at the Hide House, 2625 S. Greeley St., from 4 to 7pm.

A draft of the plan was presented to a plan advisory group Aug. 7.

After public comment, planners anticipate the plan will be considered by the city’s Plan Commission Oct. 13 and the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee Oct. 21, with earliest possible approval by the Common Council Oct. 28.

Stimulated by “smart growth” initiatives and developed over two years with public input at various stages of the process, the plan was run by the city’s Department of City Development and implemented by the consultant, James Piwoni Architects, Inc. It is only advisory but may impact policy decisions regarding future zoning and approval of future development projects.

The DCD website describes the comprehensive plan as a document that “will become the cornerstone of all local land use decisions.”

The Southeast Side Area Plan includes mostly Aldermanic Districts 14 and 13, with part of 12.

One of its objectives is to create a bold blueprint for what the area could be 20 years in the future, planners said.

Not Always Bold

Planners did not always speak with property and business owners of parcels that would be impacted by recommended use changes, though they took cues from city agencies with regard to some recommendations.

For example, from a planning perspective, DCD strategic planner Mike Maierle said the Lincoln Avenue Viaduct should be converted to an at-grade crossing. At an April 24 meeting to discuss the KK River corridor as one of the plan’s four catalytic project areas, rerouting major port truck traffic from Lincoln onto Becher/Bay was discussed.

However, Maierle said the Port of Milwaukee, the Department of Public Works, and the railroad companies all wanted the bridge to remain. So despite the planners’ opinion that an at-grade crossing would better serve the area, the bridge, set to be renovated in 2011, is included in their plan.

Regarding redevelopment of the former Army Reserve site, the plan currently recommends the three-story height restriction supported by District 14 Alderman Tony Zielinski and a majority of attendees at a June 3 meeting. However, plan advisory attendees Aug. 7 expressed interest in seeing more, taller options to take full advantage of the site’s potential for lake views.

Recommended Use Changes

Maierle said the United Migrant Opportunity Services (UMOS) building and parking lot, formerly the Chase Avenue K-Mart, was his pet peeve.

“That ought to be a $70 million office park,” Maierle said. “That’s such an underutilized site.”

Perhaps the most ambitious recommendation for the Bay View area entails the area west of First Street and southeast of the Kinnickinnic River.

“I think Milwaukee can’t even see this area because it’s been so sorry for so long,” Maierle said. “It has the potential to be a real gem.”

This area is currently occupied by Edward E. Gillen, a marine construction company, and various freight warehouses south of Becher Street. The plan recommends converting this area to mixed-used development featuring townhouses and senior housing. Maierle suggested Gillen might move operations to another waterfront site downstream.

One computer-generated image for the plan showed two continuous curves of clone townhouses lining the southeast side of the Kinnickinnic River.

Aug. 7, Ben Gramling of the Sixteenth Street Community Health Center expressed concern that the plan connect its stated principles about supporting housing diversity to its visualizations about possible riverfront redevelopment.

Maierle said the plan intentionally does not go into detail but aims to raise such questions. “We’re not trying to turn it into a downtown riverwalk,” Maierle said.

If you are interested in viewing the draft documents online, see http://www.mkedcd.org/planning/plans/Southeast/draftdocs/.

Selected Plan Recommendations as Discussed Aug. 7

Bay View

• encourage hotels and bed & breakfasts in older buildings
• maintain housing mix
• support conservation overlay district (in motion)
• develop gateway along Becher/Lincoln
• encourage higher quality commercial design on Chase
• encourage Targeted Investment Neighborhood investment
• develop visual, sound barriers on 794 north of Pryor
• move bike lane onto Lincoln, create more bike lane linkages
• develop multi-story mixed-use structure on M&I lot site
• enhance public space near Russell, Logan, and KK
• consider public plaza including IC playground/parking lot
• develop a business association with collective KK voice
• make KK more pedestrian friendly
• develop apartments across from Bay View Library
• convert confined disposal facility (CDF) into natural space and bird sanctuary
• remove southbound off-ramp from Lincoln Avenue Viaduct
• redevelop Army Reserve site, consider solar village

Kinnickinnic River

• make Becher Street a gateway to Bay View
• makeover First Street, perhaps as tree-lined boulevard, reduce concrete footprint
• incorporate public access to the river with “appropriate edge treatment”
• relocate UWM Great Lakes Water Institute or attract UWM Institute of Freshwater Studies to Solvay Coke site for waterfront campus on KK River
• encourage commercial uses with residential above along Becher Street
• develop elderly housing nearby
• convert area west of First Street and southeast of KK River into townhouses and senior housing

“SoMo” (South of Morgan Avenue) Neighborhood

• maintain housing mix
• maintain Howell commercial uses
• consider taller building at Sixth and Norwich
• infill housing along Sixth Street
• greenway/bike path along Sixth Street/utility right-of-way
• develop dog park in airport safety zone north of Layton
• improve boulevards

Airport, Airport Neighborhoods, & 27th Street Corridor

• redevelop 440th airbase with trucking emphasis
• improve aesthetics of Airport Spur as freeway is reconstructed
• improve aesthetics along Layton Avenue as Lake Parkway is new “front door”
• support the mayor’s “express bus route” along Howell Avenue connecting to airport
• restore Wilson Park amenities
• develop bike lane along S. 20th Street
• follow Brookfield and Glendale models regarding 27th Street commercial properties
• concentrate retail, connect parking lots, make room for residential on 27th Street
• encourage sustainable, green retail development and pedestrian access to 27th Street
• develop a “Layton Town Center” of retail, hotel, and senior residence uses south of Layton Avenue, east of Sixth Street on current trucking terminal
• develop TIF to for Airport Gateway Business Association
• encourage “Aerotropolis” by bringing buildings near airport closer to street
• prepare for anticipated expansion of airport’s second runway
• develop a multiuse trail along the stormwater channel from airport, remove channel
• connect the street grid around Edgerton Avenue east of 27th Street
• relocate trailer park at Sixth and Layton

Click image to enlarge.

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