This story is part of "Southeastern Wisconsin's changing landscapes: Then, now and what's next," a feature in the 30th anniversary issue of BizTimes Milwaukee, published on March 17. Find coverage of more areas in the region here or paid subscribers can see the full feature in the digital edition of the magazine.
There likely are few hotter development corridors in the state than I-94 North-South between Milwaukee and the Illinois state line.
It wasn’t always this way. I-94 North-South was once a sleepy part of the region, while the I-94 East-West segment of the freeway in Milwaukee and Waukesha counties had most of the economic development attention.
Along the recently rebuilt freeway are massive distribution centers developed for Amazon, Uline and others. Haribo’s gummy candy factory recently joined their ranks, and Eli Lilly’s $3 billion pharmaceutical manufacturing facility expansion will be completed in the coming years, along with two Microsoft data centers. Farmland is turning to business parks and has given way to landmark commercial developments like Ikea and a proposed Buc-ee’s in Oak Creek.
While there are ongoing growing pains, such as housing affordability and finding the right cadence for speculative industrial development, industry experts see continued growth for the corridor.
“I think you’re going to see tremendous expansion in the coming years,” said Jim Barry, president of commercial real estate firm The Barry Company.
