Harley-Davidson is planning to occupy a 160,000-square-foot warehouse space in Wauwatosa.
The company has submitted plans for the 1.3 million-square-foot building at 11800 W. Burleigh St., along the west side of I-41, which was used as a JCPenney distribution center before being converted into a multitenant industrial building anchored by Amazon.
Harley's space will be used for motorcycle storage, parts storage, archival museum storage, a photo studio and mechanics space, plans show. There will also be a second-floor office space with 10 workstations.
It's estimated the warehouse will have an average of 12-15 employees daily and peak times potentially up to 20-30 employees.
The materials stored in the Burleigh Street warehouse will be consolidated from two warehouses to improve efficiencies, particularly due to the warehouse's high ceilings that allow for multiple racks of motorcycles, according to
Krys Roslanowski, who handles construction and facilities project management for Harley.
Items that will be stored in the Burleigh Street facility will be moved from what had been mainly a storage area that will be repurposed for office use, a company spokesperson told BizTimes.
"It's a great spot because it's only one exit away from our product development center," she said.
The company has submitted permits to the city and the Common Council held a public hearing this week. Harley's plans will go to the Plan Commission next month for approval.
