Number
230354
Version
SUBSTITUTE 1
Reference
110372
Sponsor
ALD. BAUMAN AND DIMITRIJEVIC
Title:
Substitute resolution directing the Commissioner of Public Works to apply to the Federal Transit Administration for a Capital Investment Grants Program Small Starts grant to extend the Milwaukee Streetcar to Fiserv Forum and to Brady/Farwell/Prospect, and to enter project development for extensions to Bronzeville and Walker's Point consistent with the plan included in the draft update to the Downtown Area Plan.
Analysis
This resolution directs the Commissioner of Public Works to:
1. Apply to the Federal Transit Administration for a Capital Investment Grants Program (Small Starts) grant to fund extensions of the Milwaukee Streetcar to Fiserv Forum and to Brady/Farwell/Prospect.
2. Enter project development for the planned extensions of the Milwaukee Streetcar to Bronzeville and to Walker’s Point.
3. Provide a status report on these activities to the Common Council within 90 days of adoption of this resolution
Body
Whereas, The Milwaukee Streetcar is a 2.1-mile fixed-rail transit system in Downtown Milwaukee operating between the Intermodal Station and Burns Commons, with a 0.4-mile spur to the Lakefront (Couture development) currently under construction; and
Whereas, The 2.1-mile route is part of a 3.6-mile Locally Preferred Alternative approved by the Common Council in July, 2011 and February, 2015; and
Whereas, The extensions of the Milwaukee Streetcar to Fiserv Forum and to Brady/Farwell/Prospect were part of the Locally Preferred Alternative and have already undergone extensive analysis and are shovel-ready projects; and
Whereas, The Milwaukee Streetcar has increased mobility for Milwaukee residents and visitors, improved access to Downtown Milwaukee attractions and destinations, and reduced the need for off-street parking by allowing “park-once” visits to Downtown Milwaukee; and
Whereas, Construction, operation and maintenance of the Milwaukee Streetcar have created much-needed employment opportunities for Milwaukee residents; and
Whereas, Since the Milwaukee Streetcar was approved in 2015, there has been over $1.7 billion in new development along or in close proximity to the Streetcar’s two initial routes, including 2.7 million square feet in new or renovated commercial space, over 1,000 apartment units and more than 360 hotel rooms that are recently completed, under construction or expected to start soon; and
Whereas, Major Downtown development projects that have been completed, started or planned since operation of the Milwaukee Streetcar began in 2018 include:
Completed New Construction or Major Renovation
1. The Ascent (high-rise apartment building, 700 E. Kilbourn Avenue).
2. Diercks Computational Science Hall (higher education facility, 1025 N. Milwaukee Street).
3. BMO Tower (25-story mixed-use building, 790 N. Water Street).
4. Holiday Inn Express, Tru Hotel, Home2Suites (new hotels at 515 and 525 N. Jefferson Street).
5. Huron Building (11-story mixed-use office building, 511 N. Broadway).
6. Cambria Hotel (new lodging at 503 N. Plankinton Avenue).
7. Cathedral Square Park (complete refurbishment).
8. Milwaukee Athletic Club (refurbishment of 12-story building at 758 N. Broadway).
9. Kinn Guesthouse (renovation of historic building to boutique hotel, 600 N. Broadway).
10. Prtizlaff Building, including Explorium Brewpub (refurbishment of historic building into mixed-use commercial/residential development, 315 N. Plankinton Avenue).
Under Construction
1. 333 N. Water Street (new 31-story apartment tower).
2. Streetcar Flats (renovation of 1924 office building for new apartments, 828 N. Broadway).
3. The Couture (new 44-story mixed-use building serving as terminus of Streetcar’s Lakefront Line).
4. NovaMKE (new apartment building; 1237 N. Van Buren Street).
5. MSOE athletic field (new collegiate softball stadium, corner Milwaukee/State).
6. Milwaukee Tool (major refurbishment of former insurance company building, 501 W. Michigan Street).
Planned Development
1. 1550 N. Prospect Avenue (25-story apartment tower at Goll Mansion site).
2. Proposed residential development at site of Renaissance Place and Mexican Consulate (1400 blocks of Farwell and Prospect).
3. Foxtown Landing (new restaurant and, dog park and riverwalk segment, 490 N. Plankinton Avenue)
4. Vel R. Phillips Plaza (transit hub and pedestrian plaza with retail space, southwest corner of Vel R. Phillips and Wisconsin).
5. Lakefront Gateway Plaza (proposed pedestrian plaza just east of Couture that includes access multi-modal transit station and lakefront amenities).
; and
Whereas, New development along or near the Milwaukee Streetcar route is already generating millions of additional property tax dollars for the City of Milwaukee each year; and
Whereas, The Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants Program offers funding for “Small Starts” fixed-guideway transit extension projects where the total system project cost is less than $400 million and the extension cost is less than $150 million; and
Whereas, The planned extensions of the Milwaukee Streetcar to Fiserv Forum and to Brady/Farwell/Prospect appear to be eligible for funding under the Capital Investment Grants Program (Small Starts); and
Whereas, In April, 2023, the Department of City Development released a draft “Connec+ing MKE: Downtown Plan 2040,” an update to the Downtown Area Plan that is part of the City’s overall comprehensive plan; and
Whereas, This Downtown Plan update identifies extension of the Milwaukee Streetcar into neighborhoods surrounding Downtown - particularly Bronzeville and Walker’s Point - as catalytic projects as depicted on the map attached (Exhibit A); and
Whereas, These two streetcar extensions would bring enhanced connectivity and boost economic growth throughout the Greater Downtown area; and
Whereas, The Downtown Plan update calls for the City to pursue these projects and work aggressively to secure funding and support for the projects; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Common Council of the City of Milwaukee, that the Commissioner of Public Works is directed to apply to the Federal Transit Administration for a Capital Investment Grants Program (Small Starts) grant to fund extensions of the Milwaukee Streetcar to Fiserv Forum and to Brady/Farwell/Prospect; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Commissioner of Public Works is further directed to enter project development for the planned extensions of the Milwaukee Streetcar to Bronzeville and to Walker’s Point; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Commissioner of Public Works shall provide a status report on these activities to the Common Council within 90 days of adoption of this resolution.
Requestor
Drafter
LRB178234-1
Jeff Osterman
06/22/2023