The City of Oak Creek has been awarded a $1 million grant from the state’s Idle Industrial Sites Redevelopment Program, an initiative that helps spur the redevelopment of abandoned properties throughout Wisconsin.
The grant, awarded by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), will be used to help fund a 550-space parking structure that will adjoin a new medical facility in Drexel Town Square, a mixed-use development now under construction. The development will include a primary and specialty health care center planned by Froedtert Health, which will become part of Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin health network. The construction of the parking structure was critical to Froedtert’s decision to locate in the city.
Drexel Town Square, slated to open this fall, is an 85-acre downtown center located on site of the former Delphi Corp. plant. The development will include a new City Hall and library, a Sheraton Four Points hotel, luxury apartments, and retail and service businesses, including restaurant, specialty shops and a Meijer grocery store.
“Drexel Town Square will bring hundreds of jobs to Oak Creek and pump millions of dollars into the local economy,” said Reed Hall, secretary and chief executive officer of the WEDC, the state’s lead economic development organization. “City leaders and the private sector have teamed up on an innovative project that will be a true town square for Oak Creek, and WEDC is pleased to be able to support this key economic development initiative.”
“We’re extremely pleased that the State of Wisconsin and WEDC have recognized the significance of Oak Creek’s Drexel Town Square project and our commitment to bringing new business and jobs to southern Milwaukee County,” said Oak Creek Mayor Steve Scaffidi. “We see great economic development interest in our city, and we’ll continue to work with partners like Froedtert to add family-supporting jobs in our part of the state, positioning Wisconsin for even greater success.”
“We are in the process of developing our plans for the Froedtert & MCW health center and look forward to being part of the City of Oak Creek’s new downtown,” said Cathy Jacobson, president and chief executive officer of Froedtert Health.
