MSOE plans parking structure, athletic field in Park East corridor

The Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) plans to build a $30 million development in the Park East corridor in downtown Milwaukee. The project, to be located at the northwest corner of Broadway and Knapp Street, will consist of a 780-space parking structure with an athletic field on top. About 500 of the parking spaces will be leased to businesses and the public.
The project is expected to create 150 construction jobs.
The site is immediately north of MSOE’s Kern Center, an indoor athletic facility. The athletic field will be used for collegiate soccer and lacrosse and youth sports. It will serve as an extension of the Kern Center.
The project will also include a small public park on the north end of the site and a small retail space for a restaurant or café adjacent to the park in the lower levels of the parking structure.
The elevation of the site drops by nearly two levels across a diagonal of the site, which will allow the parking structure to be built into the hill and the athletic field to be located at the ground level of the corner of Broadway and Knapp Street.
Uihlein-Wilson Architects are the project developers.
Robert and Patricia Kern, the founders of Waukesha-based Generac Power Systems who donated funds for the Kern Center, are also providing a donation for the parking structure/athletic field project. No funding from the city of Milwaukee or Milwaukee County will be required for the project, according to MSOE.
The site for the project is currently owned by Marshall & Ilsley Corp. and Milwaukee County. A property trade and purchase is planned between M&I and Milwaukee County and MSOE plans to purchase 2.5 acres.
The project is subject to the approval of the Milwaukee County Board and the City of Milwaukee Common Council.
The project could provide a much-needed boost to the Park East corridor. The Park East freeway spur was torn down about six years ago. Most of the land where the freeway stood is owned by Milwaukee County. The county has been unable to attract any development to its Park East sites. Some development has occurred on privately owned land along the corridor and a lot formerly owned by the city. The parking spaces in the MSOE project could help attract other development to the Park East corridor.
“We look forward to working with M&I, the city of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County to create an important addition to downtown Milwaukee,” said Dr. Hermann Viets, president of MSOE. “As a major stakeholder in the downtown and Park East area, we view the availability of parking as an excellent opportunity to spur development without the need for city or county dollars.”