Photo: Newly rebuilt 1st Street bridge. Photo by Mortensen Photography.

In this issue of Harbor District news

- Development Updates 

- Harbor View Plaza update

- New Restaurants

- EPA Cleanup Plan for Solvay Coke accepting public comments

- Opportunity Zones

- Water Marks

- First Street bridge reopened

- Introducing our research kayaks

- Job Opportunities

Development Updates 

Photo: Updated design of Michels R1ver development. Rendering by Rinka Architecture

There has been a lot of development news in the Harbor District in the second half of 2018 and we are excited to share that the momentum continues as we move into 2019.  Just this week a number of large projects totaling more than $385 million in proposed development achieved major milestones on their way to being built.  Check out the details below on the new manufacturing, offices, jobs, and public space planned for the District as three separate items received City support on December 18th at the City of Milwaukee Common Council meeting.  

First, the Harbor District Riverwalk Overlay Zone was approved, which will extend the downtown Riverwalk south along the western shore of the Harbor District all the way up the Kinnickinnic River to Lincoln Avenue and then back up the opposite shore of the Kinnickinnic River to the Grand Trunk Wetland.  The Riverwalk was one of the main recommendations in the Harbor District Water and Land Use Plan, adopted by the City of Milwaukee in early 2018.  For more details see our Harbor District Riverwalk web page and this article from Urban Milwaukee.    

Second, the City of Milwaukee approved $40 million in financing for the proposed $285 million Komatsu development on the former Solvay Coke & Gas Co. site and the City-owned former coal pile at the east end of the Greenfield Avenue.  For details on the development, which will include a 410,000 square foot manufacturing facility, offices, a museum/training center, and a 3/4 of a mile public Riverwalk, see this article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.  

Finally, the City of Milwaukee approved a $7 million financing package for the R1VER development being built by the Michels Corporation on the former Horny Goat Brewery site along the Kinnickinnic River.  This $100 development includes an 8-story office building, underground parking, and 1,000 feet of public Riverwalk in its first phase, with additional buildings planned for a second phase. 

Harbor View Plaza Update

Photo: Installed landing for the Harbor View Plaza canoe/kayak launch

We were excited to announce that construction began on Harbor View Plaza, the Harbor District's first waterfront park, in September.  However, since breaking ground the weather has not cooperated fully with our construction timeline.  Altius Building Co., the construction project manager, was able to complete most of the below-ground work including the installation of electrical and plumbing systems, an underground cistern for the water features, and the landing for the canoe/kayak launch.  However, with plenty of rain followed by below freezing temps we were forced to hold off until spring for cement and landscaping.  Stay tuned for updates as warmer weather approaches in March and April and we get back to work on completing Harbor View Plaza.

New Businesses!

A couple of new restaurants opened in the Harbor District. Please welcome Don's Diner and Momo-Mee to the neighborhood. 

Photo by OnMilwaukee

Don's Diner, located at the southeast corner of 1st and Washington, is an homage to the life and times of one of the owners' grandfathers Don, a longtime Milwaukeean whose life is laid out in black and white photographs throughout the space. Learn more about Don's past here. Check out the Naughty Angel, a tucked away back bar within Don's Diner. Food includes "next level" comfort dishes. 

Photo by OnMilwaukee

Momo-Mee, located within the Freshwater Plaza development at 1st and Greenfield, serves up pan-Asian dishes but specializes in variations of Momo (dumplings) and Mee (noodles). Learn more in this article from OnMilwaukee including how to properly eat Momo. 

Solvay Coke Remediation Updates

The proposed cleanup plan for the Solvay Coke and Gas Superfund Site was released on December 17th for public review and comment. The comment period will run from December 17th to January 18, 2019. A public open house is scheduled for Tuesday, January 8th, 2-4:30 PM at the Bay View Public Library. Please refer to the official announcement below for more details, or to the Superfund website: www.epa.gov/superfund/solvay-coke.

More information in this article. 

Photo: People running in front of Solvay Coke site. Photo by Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

EPA is Accepting 
PUBLIC COMMENTS
on a Proposed Cleanup Plan for 
Solvay Coke and Gas Co. Superfund Site
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Comment Period: Dec. 17, 2018 – Jan. 18, 2019
Open House: Jan. 8, 2019

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a cleanup plan for on-site soil at the Solvay Coke and Gas Co. Superfund site, Milwaukee.

EPA is proposing to:

• Stabilize/solidify and cap oily soil.
• Excavate and dispose of small volumes of oily soil.
• Excavate and dispose of possible cyanide-contaminated soil.
• Remove piping that may pose a threat to surface water.
• Install a cover over the site.
• Install a groundwater monitoring well network. 
• Implement institutional controls such as deed restrictions, restrictive covenants, and protective easements. 

The proposed cleanup plan is outlined in a document called an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis Report, or EE/CA. The estimated cost of the cleanup is about $15.9 million. Site owner We Energies will do the work recommended in the EE/CA. EPA will oversee the cleanup.  A final cleanup plan will be selected after the comment period and will be detailed in a document called an action memorandum.

To submit comments:

• Send a written comment to Susan Pastor, Community Involvement Coordinator, EPA Region 5 (SI-6J), 77 W. Jackson Blvd., Chicago, IL  60604. 
• Send an email to Susan Pastor at pastor.susan@epa.gov.

The EE/CA and other site-related documents will be available for review at the Milwaukee Public Library, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave.; Bay View Library, 2566 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., Milwaukee, and at www.epa.gov/superfund/solvay-coke.

EPA and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources staff will be available to answer questions at an open house from 2-4:30 p.m., Jan. 8, 2019, at the Bay View Library Community Room.

The administrative record, which contains detailed information that will be used in the selection of the final cleanup plan, will be available at the Milwaukee Public Library.

Opportunity Zones in the Harbor District

Real estate development activity in and around the Harbor District has been picking up steam over the last five years.   A new federal program - Opportunity Zones, created in the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act - provides incentives for more investment:  investors can defer or avoid capital gains taxes by investing in targeted neighborhoods, including parts of the Harbor District.   For more information, check out our Harbor District Opportunity Zone Overview.  At HDI, we will be working on figuring out how to use this tool to support the kinds of sustainable, equitable development envisioned in our Water and Land Use Plan. 

WaterMarks

The Watermarks project is a public art and science initiative to develop an inclusive and urban-scaled vision for the city of Milwaukee, designed to help its citizens better understand their relationships to the water systems and infrastructure that support their lives.  As part of the project,  Milwaukee's first WaterMarker was installed this fall at the UCC Acosta Middle School on 6th & Washington. The letter ‘A’ was selected by students for Agua, Acosta and the grade they want to aim for (hear their stories at watermarksmke.org). The Marker reminds us all how water connects and sustains city life and is a symbol of our mutual commitment to take care of the precious resource.

In the upcoming months, WaterMarks will be planning to install 4 new Markers along Greenfield Avenue to celebrate innovative water-based projects along the street and towards the water's edge -- and to highlight a number of exciting new developments throughout the Inner Harbor.  For more info on WaterMarks visit the project website at watermarksmke.org. 

First Street Bridge Reopens

On November 16th the First Street Bridge over the Kinnickinnic River reopened with a large group of people on hand to celebrate this connection and infrastructure investment.  Reconstructing the bridge, which had been closed for more than a year, was an $8.7 million investment by the City of Milwaukee.  Mayor Tom Barrett (speaking in the above photo), new Department of Public Works Commissioner Jeff Polenske, and others were on hand to celebrate.  Harbor District businesses Enlightened Brewing Company and Transfer Pizza provided beer and pizza to those who showed up and celebrated the opening with a toast across the bridge. 

Introducing Our Research Kayaks: Laverne and Shirley

This past summer, the Harbor District staff gained a pair of gently used kayaks to assist in our Habitat Hotel monitoring and outreach efforts to connect the community with our waterways. We opened up a naming competition on social media - and yes, Kayak McKayak Face was suggested - but the clear winner was to name the kayaks "Laverne and Shirley" after the iconic on-screen pals. Perhaps in 2019 you will see our dynamic kayak duo out on the water. 

Rest in peace, Penny Marshall. 

Special thanks to Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin and the Fund for Lake Michigan for supporting our kayak monitoring program. 

Job Opportunities

If you are hiring in the Harbor District and want to post your job ads in this newsletter for free, email us by clicking the Job Ad button. A healthy harbor is a harbor that hires locally. 

Plunkett Raysich

PRA is an award-winning Architectural and Interior Design firm dedicated to delivering innovative design solutions. They are hiring a Construction Administrator. The primary area of focus is administrating the construction contracts for all of the projects that the firm has designed that are under construction.  This person is responsible for mitigation or elimination of risk for the firm as he/she works to identify design and field problems and coordinate effective win/win solutions for the firm, constructors, and the owner.

Wantable
 

Wantable is an online lifestyle service for busy people on the go. Providing distinctly unique products tailored to individual tastes, needs, and wants. They are looking to fill a number of different position in their creative, customer service, HR, IT, Operations, and Warehouse departments. Click below for the full listing. 

Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation is the largest company in the world that is dedicated to industrial automation and information. Across the globe, their flagship Allen-Bradley® and Rockwell Software® product brands are recognized for excellence. Rockwell is always hiring in different departments including, corporate, software, engineering, sales, and operations. 

V. Marchese

V. Marchese, Inc., the premier supplier of Food Service Products in Wisconsin, is looking to fill full-time positions for a Route Driver and Warehouse Selector. Established in 1932, this family owned and operated business offers an environment for continued growth that rewards hard work and dedication. This growing business is almost always hiring. If you or someone you know needs a job, click the button below for an application.