Park East Freeway Removal Project, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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The Parkway East Freeway in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was a remnant of a 1960s plan to encircle the city’s downtown region. The spur was built in 1971 from 12th Street to Jefferson Street. It was meant to be the first part of a route from I-43 to just past North Avenue to the east. A western portion was to connect I-43 with Highway 175. After only a one mile stretch of the freeway was completed that provided three access points to downtown, the project was stopped in the 1970s due to local opposition. The spur extended from 1-43 to North Milwaukee Street. The spur was underused and inhibited nearby development. It disconnected African American, German, Jewish, and white residents who lived along I-43, affecting 17,300 homes and as many as 1,000 businesses. In 1999, the state, county, and city approved the removal of the spur. Removal began in 2002 with use of federal ISTEA money and local tax increment financing. The redevelopment plan created for the area by the City of Milwaukee included a 28-acre tax-increment financing district to help fund public infrastructure improvements, along with a zoning code for future development on the site. The code used new urbanist principles to create a block-by-block form-based code that established requirements for building heights, setbacks, streetscapes, and the relationships between buildings and the streetscape. The code also required that developers of parcels located along the Milwaukee River extend the Milwaukee Riverwalk, a linear park system created and maintained through a public-private partnership between riverfront property owners and the city of Milwaukee that provides public access to the riverfront. The detailed zoning code helped provide clarity to future developers about the types of developments the city would accept in this section of downtown. To ensure development was equitable and residents shared in the benefits, the Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods Coalition leveraged a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), a legally-binding covenant made between developers or government bodies and community groups that require development on specified lands to meet thresholds for living wage standards, local hiring policies, affordable housing, and sustainable development practices. The Park East Redevelopment Compact (PERC) requires county-owned land to be sold competitively. Tax increment financing will fund new roads, sidewalks, and other necessary physical amenities. The PERC also includes affordable housing units, expanded transit options, and green building elements. In addition, the PERC has provisions to ensure equitable hiring practices for construction. In 2003, the freeway was removed and replaced with McKinley Boulevard, an at-grade, six-lane boulevard, and the urban street grid was restored. The new boulevard opened up 26 acres of property for redevelopment. The land adjacent to the freeway was ultimately redeveloped as a combination of commercial, retail, townhouse, and apartment uses. Three distinct new neighborhoods were created, including: McKinley Avenue District, Lower Water Street District, and Upper Water Street District. In 2011, a joint marketing effort led to an innovative rolling RFP process, which has led to redevelopment of the entire corridor. The Park East is the site of the new Milwaukee Bucks sports and entertainment district, the Modern high-rise tower, and mixed-use housing redevelopments along Water Street.

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