The city of Milwaukee announced today that it is
seeking redevelopment proposals for the Marcus Performing Arts Center parking structure site at 1001 N. Water St. in downtown Milwaukee.
The 106,432-square-foot parking structure is located on the block north of the Marcus Performing Arts Center at 929 N. Water St., and is attached to it via a skywalk over East State Street.
The city’s new downtown plan calls for the Marcus Performing Arts Center parking structure to be replaced with a new high-density, mixed-use development.
In a news release today, the Department of City Development said: “Downtown has many very active blocks, however this site has been a non-contributor to the activation of the North Water Street corridor due to its singular use as a parking facility and its setback from North Water Street. A key outcome of the successful RFP responder will be to raise the vibrancy of this block and its new use to offer activation of the site’s urban edges. The future use of the site is intended to serve as a major east/west portal that is engaged by downtown visitors moving to-and-from Pere Marquette Park and the Deer District on the west side of the Milwaukee River. It also serves to link together areas both north and south along Water Street.”
“An aggressive mixed-use development” with ground floor public activation, which includes a mix of uses, is ideal at this site, the DCD news release states. Ground floor uses for the site could include restaurants, art galleries or cultural/civic uses. Upper floors could be used for residential, hotel, office or cultural/civic uses, the release states.
“These uses should be used to wrap any above ground structured parking on the site. The parking ramp component should be considered a design opportunity in and of itself, making the experience of parking there a favorable experience for users,” the DCD release states.
More information about the Marcus Performing Arts Center parking structure redevelopment RFP is
available by clicking here.
[caption id="attachment_575666" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]
The Marcus Performing Arts Center parking structure at 1001 N. Water St. in downtown Milwaukee. Image from Google.[/caption]
