[caption id="attachment_579920" align="alignright" width="300"]
Rendering from J. Jeffers & Co.[/caption]
Milwaukee Area Technical College is exploring plans to create an athletic facility in a development planned by Milwaukee-based
J. Jeffers & Co. in the
Deer District in downtown Milwaukee, near the MATC campus.
The Wisconsin Technical College System Board approved MATC's tentative plans to lease about 26,000 square feet of space in the
development planned by Jeffers for a site northeast of Vel. R. Phillips and Juneau avenues, which sits between the Trade and the Aloft hotels. The Milwaukee Bucks are the master developer of the Deer District, which is anchored by Fiserv Forum.
MATC says the facility would be used for its fitness and health programs and for athletics programs, including men's basketball, women's basketball and women's volleyball, according to a news release. The facility could also be used for campus and other programs and events.
MATC's athletic teams compete at the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II level. MATC doesn't have its own facility for its basketball and volleyball teams, which instead play their home games at
Alverno College on the city's south side, about seven miles from the MATC campus downtown. MATC leases the court and training space from Alverno for $50,000 annually and spends another $50,000 on transportation for practices and games, according to information submitted to the Wisconsin Technical College System Board.
MATC has an athletic training facility in the basement of the main building at its downtown campus, but that space is not large enough for multiple teams to train at the dame time.
A larger athletic facility would enable MATC to expand the number of sports it offers to its students. It currently has nine men's and women's teams and could expand by eight to a total of 17, according to information submitted to the Wisconsin Technical College System Board.
"Our student-athletes and the MATC community deserve a new facility to serve our athletics programs and aid in our ability to attract and retain students," said MATC president
Anthony Cruz. "Community colleges across the country are growing their offerings to enhance the student experience. We are fortunate to collaborate with two quality, well-know local partners (Jeffers and the Bucks) to potentially bring a best-in-class facility to our students and community."
J. Jeffers & Co. plans to build a five-story building with more than 200 apartments at the Deer District site. MATC would lease its space in the building for $888,145 in its first year. The cost for MATC to build out the space is estimated at $1.5 million.
The MATC athletic facility would include a 15,000-square-foot double-court gymnasium with seating for up to 1,000 spectators, a fitness center, locker rooms, a concessions area, meeting rooms and other amenities.
With the approval of the Wisconsin Technical College System Board, MATC can move forward with lease negotiations with Jeffers and the Bucks.
"MATC is a vibrant, transformative and diverse technical college, and we are delighted that the college's leaders are exploring a first-class sports venue in Deer District for their students' recreation and highly acclaimed sports teams," said
Michael Belot, Bucks senior vice president of business operations and chief real estate development officer. "We're excited that Deer District is rapidly growing as a hub for the city's future, serving as Milwaukee's premier year-round destination to live, work and play."
