The look of the lakefront in the South Shore could change drastically in coming years.
Wispark LLC is reportedly negotiating with Oak Creek to purchase 80 acres on South Fifth Avenue, not far from South Milwaukee’s southern border, for potentially mixed use development.
Click here to see the Journal Sentinel story. From it:
Development firm Wispark LLC is negotiating to buy 80 acres along Oak Creek’s lakefront, a property that would play a major role in that community’s effort to redevelop former industrial properties near Bender Park.
The property, at 9006 S. 5th Ave., was once home to the Peter Cooper Co. glue factory, and was later used by Oak Creek Storage and Handling Inc.
City officials have been working for years to redevelop the larger lakefront area, dubbed Lakeview Village.
Last year, the Common Council approved a tax incremental financing district that covers 335 acres, most of it undeveloped or underdeveloped, overlooking Lake Michigan near Bender Park, which is at the end of E. Ryan Road.
City planners have envisioned a mix of uses in the area, including housing and retail, along with public green space that provides access to Lake Michigan. The area would likely take 10 to 20 years to develop, according to a 2009 study conducted by the Urban Land Institute.
Of course, this is not the only major redevelopment project planned for Oak Creek in coming years. Wispark will also work to redevelop the former Delphi site at Howell and Drexel Avenues — a project that could become a “city center” of sorts for Oak Creek — and a business park proposed for Howell and Oakwood Road. Oak Creek Patch has more detail on all three projects.
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