The Milwaukee Police Department’s horse patrol will have a new home at a former factory site in the city’s Bay View neighborhood.
The planned facility, to be called Milwaukee Urban Stables, will include community outreach programs, equine-assisted therapy programming, and a new home for the Milwaukee Police Department’s mounted patrol.
It will be located at 143 E. Lincoln Ave., near the southeast corner of South First Street.
The project and the $1 purchase price for the land will be reviewed by the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee on June 21. Consideration by the Board of Zoning Appeals and the Common Council will follow in late June and early July.
The land was acquired by the city in the 1980s through property tax foreclosure.
“The Milwaukee Urban Stables will be a very positive addition to our city,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. “It’s a collaborative effort that benefits public safety, builds community partnerships, and engages a wide range of city residents in positive activity.”
The planned facility includes stables, indoor and outdoor riding areas, and offices for both the therapeutic riding operation and the police mounted patrol.
The Milwaukee Police Department has approximately two dozen police and therapy horses. Construction of the new facility is expected to take approximately one year once it begins.
The project cost is $5.5 million. Several organizations are participating in the project including Milwaukee Downtown (Bid #21), Hamilton High School, the Milwaukee Rotary Club, and the Veterans Administration.