MSOE plans $30 million parking garage, athletic fields in Park East area
Milwaukee School of Engineering plans to build a $30 million parking structure topped with an athletic field in downtown's Park East area, the university announced Tuesday.
The 780-space parking facility would use an undeveloped parcel north of the university's Kern Center, 1245 N. Broadway. The athletic field would be for collegiate soccer and lacrosse, and youth sports.
The development would be largely financed with a donation from Robert and Patricia Kern, and would not require city or county funding. The Kerns founded Generac Power Systems.
Along with creating 150 construction jobs, the parking structure and athletic fields would help attract additional development to the Park East, a university statement said. About 500 parking spaces would be leased to businesses and the public, generating taxable revenue.
MSOE, which has 2,600 students, plans to develop and maintain a small public park north of the parking structure. There also would be space for a small restaurant or coffeehouse adjacent to the park in the parking facility's lower levels.
If construction began in spring, it could become the first project built on the 16-acre Park East strip. That land was made available when a former freeway stub was demolished in 2003.
The only parcel so far sold by Milwaukee County is 2 acres bordered by N. Milwaukee, N. Jefferson and E. Lyon streets and E. Ogden Ave. It was sold for $2,725,000 in December 2007 to an investment group led by Chicago developer Rich Curto, who has tried to obtain financing for a hotel.
Since then, Curto has agreed to sell part of the site to St. Paul-based housing developer CommonBond Communities Inc. But its application for federal affordable housing tax credits, to help finance 87 apartments, was rejected this year. CommonBond is now considering the development of market-rate apartments.
There have been developments, including the 83-unit first phase of Mandel Group Inc.'s North End apartments, on privately owned parcels in the Park East area.
MSOE's development would be on 2.5 acres bordered by N. Water St., E. Knapp St. and N. Broadway. The parcel has separate tracts owned by Milwaukee County and Marshall and Ilsley Corp.
MSOE would apparently buy the entire parcel. A university statement didn't disclose the proposed purchase price, and university President Hermann Viets wasn't available for comment. The sale of the publicly owned portion would require County Board approval.
The athletic fields would be an extension of the Kern Center, which provides sports and exercise facilities, and would support "MSOE's commitment to student wellness and development as a whole person," the statement says.
"We are very pleased to support the future viability of MSOE to produce the technological graduates so desperately needed to ensure the economic stability of our country," Robert Kern said in the statement.
The site's elevation allows construction of the parking facility into the hill, topped by the athletic field at ground level at Broadway and Knapp St. Uihlein-Wilson Architects is the project developer.
The project would require Common Council zoning approval. City Development Commissioner Rocky Marcoux supports the proposal, said Jeff Fleming, his spokesman.
Ald. Nik Kovac, whose district includes the site, also supports the proposal.
The development would be largely financed with a donation from Robert and Patricia Kern, and would not require city or county funding. The Kerns founded Generac Power Systems.
Along with creating 150 construction jobs, the parking structure and athletic fields would help attract additional development to the Park East, a university statement said. About 500 parking spaces would be leased to businesses and the public, generating taxable revenue.
MSOE, which has 2,600 students, plans to develop and maintain a small public park north of the parking structure. There also would be space for a small restaurant or coffeehouse adjacent to the park in the parking facility's lower levels.
If construction began in spring, it could become the first project built on the 16-acre Park East strip. That land was made available when a former freeway stub was demolished in 2003.
The only parcel so far sold by Milwaukee County is 2 acres bordered by N. Milwaukee, N. Jefferson and E. Lyon streets and E. Ogden Ave. It was sold for $2,725,000 in December 2007 to an investment group led by Chicago developer Rich Curto, who has tried to obtain financing for a hotel.
Since then, Curto has agreed to sell part of the site to St. Paul-based housing developer CommonBond Communities Inc. But its application for federal affordable housing tax credits, to help finance 87 apartments, was rejected this year. CommonBond is now considering the development of market-rate apartments.
There have been developments, including the 83-unit first phase of Mandel Group Inc.'s North End apartments, on privately owned parcels in the Park East area.
MSOE's development would be on 2.5 acres bordered by N. Water St., E. Knapp St. and N. Broadway. The parcel has separate tracts owned by Milwaukee County and Marshall and Ilsley Corp.
MSOE would apparently buy the entire parcel. A university statement didn't disclose the proposed purchase price, and university President Hermann Viets wasn't available for comment. The sale of the publicly owned portion would require County Board approval.
The athletic fields would be an extension of the Kern Center, which provides sports and exercise facilities, and would support "MSOE's commitment to student wellness and development as a whole person," the statement says.
"We are very pleased to support the future viability of MSOE to produce the technological graduates so desperately needed to ensure the economic stability of our country," Robert Kern said in the statement.
The site's elevation allows construction of the parking facility into the hill, topped by the athletic field at ground level at Broadway and Knapp St. Uihlein-Wilson Architects is the project developer.
The project would require Common Council zoning approval. City Development Commissioner Rocky Marcoux supports the proposal, said Jeff Fleming, his spokesman.
Ald. Nik Kovac, whose district includes the site, also supports the proposal.
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