Several major projects are under construction or are being planned in Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley, which remains one of the most active development areas in southeastern Wisconsin.
A new park, an industrial building and a hotel are under construction, and a new restaurant opened earlier this year in the valley.
“The valley continues to be attractive for business,” said Department of City Development spokesman Jeff Fleming.
Yet despite the progress made from years of renewal efforts, the redevelopment of the valley is far from complete, said Laura Bray, executive director of Menomonee Valley Partners Inc.
“I feel like there’s this general perception by people that (redevelopment of) the valley is done,” she said. “That is not the case.”
There are still about 80 to 100 acres of development sites available in the valley, Bray said.
“Some are ready to go,” she said. “Some have big grain silos that need to be torn down, or other cleanup work to be done.”
In the latest development news for the valley, Waukesha-based Cybros The Sprouted Bakehouse recently announced plans to move to a 20,000-square-foot facility that will be built on a 1.9-acre site southeast of Selig Drive and Wheelhouse Road in the Menomonee Valley Industrial Center. The Cybros site will have room for future expansion of the bakery to 40,000 square feet.
The Cybros deal is significant because the Menomonee Valley Industrial Center is running out of available land. The MVIC, located at the west end of the valley near Miller Park, was previously a severely blighted former rail repair and maintenance shops area. The MVIC site was acquired by the city, which has spent several years cleaning up the site and selling parcels to businesses.
There are now only about 5-10 acres left in the MVIC, said Fleming. Some of that land would be sold to Suzy’s Cream Cheesecakes, which last year announced plans to move from St. Francis to a new plant in the MVIC. However, that deal has not come together yet and some sources say the company may end up locating elsewhere.
“They continue to be involved in discussions with the (city of Milwaukee) Redevelopment Authority about options available to them,” said Fleming, who declined to elaborate. Suzy’s Cream Cheesecakes founder and chairwoman Suzy Strothmann could not be reached for comment. The possible Suzy’s site is located northeast of Selig Drive and Wheelhouse Road.
Also in the MVIC, a 52,000-square-foot office and fabrication facility for J.F. Ahern Co. is under construction just north of the Palermo Pizza plant at 3301 W. Canal St. About 215 employees will work in the facility.
Palermo is currently experiencing a well-publicized labor dispute, but last year the company completed a 100,000-square-foot expansion of its Menomonee Valley headquarters, bringing its total size to 235,000 square feet.
Other businesses in the MVIC include: Derse, Caleffi, Badger Railing, Charter Wire and Ingeteam, which completed construction of its 140,000-square-foot plant last year.
Meanwhile, construction is underway for a 381-room hotel next to Potawatomi Bingo Casino, located at 1721 W. Canal St. in the valley. Construction of the 20-story building is expected to be complete in the summer of 2014. The hotel will create 230 permanent jobs, according to the Potawatomi tribe. The hotel amenities will include a spa and exercise area, a casual-dining restaurant, a lobby bar/lounge and meeting space. The project also includes a new parking structure.
The Potawatomi hotel project is a $150 million investment in the valley. Another major valley investment is planned by Wisconsin Energy Corp., which said it plans to spend $60-65 million to convert its Menomonee Valley Power Plant from coal-powered to natural gas-powered. The conversion is expected to be completed in 2015 or 2016. About 50 jobs are expected to be eliminated at the power plant when it is converted to natural gas.
“Our analysis shows that converting the fuel source for the plant will reduce our operating costs and enhance the environmental performance of the valley units,” said Wisconsin Energy Corp. spokesman Brian Manthey.
The conversion of the power plant to natural gas could open up some land on the site for development, Bray said. Currently, a large area along the Menomonee River is used for a huge coal pile.
“The footprint is going to be smaller for the (natural gas) operation,” Bray said. “There might be opportunity for development on that site.”
The valley is getting “green” in other ways. Construction began in early summer of a new 24-acre park in the Menomonee Valley along the Menomonee River between 27th and 37th streets. The site is a former rail yard that has been vacant for decades. The park will be operated through a partnership of the city of Milwaukee and the state Department of Natural Resources. The Hank Aaron State Trail will be part of the park. The park will have two bike/pedestrian bridges connecting the park to the rest of the Menomonee Valley (at 33rd Court) and to Mitchell Park (home of the Mitchell Park Domes). The new Menomonee Valley Park will also have community garden plots and will provide access to the river for fishing and canoeing.
“A lot of people fish in that part of the river already,” Bray said.
The park is part of a $26 million project that also includes a 6-mile extension the Hank Aaron State Trail and establishment of a third branch of the Urban Ecology Center. The project will be paid for with a combination of public funds and private contributions. Construction of the park, including the pedestrian bridges, will be complete next year. The park is being built on a site that is too narrow for commercial development, Bray said. But it will provide an outdoor amenity, in addition to the other park space and pathways already in the valley. Many employees of companies in the valley have taken advantage of those amenities, Bray said.
“Those amenities have become a great tool for recruitment and retention of employees,” she said.
Menomonee Valley Partners is working on an initiative (http://notmissingout.org) to get the word out to the greater community that the valley is a good destination for recreational activity, including running, walking, biking and fishing.
“The valley is certainly open for business, but it’s also open for outdoor recreation in a big way,” Bray said.
The park will also serve as an outdoor science classroom for the Menomonee Valley branch of the Urban Ecology Center, which opened recently in a redeveloped former tavern building at 3700 W. Pierce St. The center will provide education programs at the park, including some for area school groups.
Finally, bringing a small yet notable new addition to the valley this summer, Milwaukee restaurateur Russ Davis opened the Twisted Fisherman, a crab shack style restaurant in a 3,900-square-foot building at 1200 W. Canal St. in the Menomonee Valley.
The Twisted Fisherman is one of only a handful of restaurants currently located in the valley.
“It’s a great little place,” Bray said. “It’s quite cool.”
