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Riverwalk

Riverwalk

Opportunity

The waterfront of Milwaukee’s Harbor District has largely been off-limits to the general public for most of the City’s history. As much of the waterfront is no longer needed for heavy industry and shipping, there is an opportunity to open up the waterfront to public use and to reconnect surrounding neighborhoods to the waterways that flow through their community, while preserving the ability for marine-based businesses to operate or expand. A public Riverwalk extending from the northern end of Walker’s Point at Bruce Street up the Kinnickinnic River to Lincoln Avenue will be a great asset to the Harbor District, surrounding neighborhoods, and the city as a whole.

PROCESS

In 2018 the City of Milwaukee Common Council approved the Harbor District Water and Land Use Plan (WaLUP) as an element of the City’s comprehensive plan. The first of four catalytic projects in the WaLUP is an “Improved Waterfront Experience”, which proposes a new vision for the waterfront of the Harbor District as a “multi-purpose multi-use waterfront” that includes a public Riverwalk.

With the WaLUP completed, Harbor District, Inc. (HDI) and the City of Milwaukee are now moving forward with efforts to develop a public Riverwalk along the western shore of the inner harbor and the Kinnickinnic River. The first step in that process took place over 2018 as HDI and City staff worked with waterfront property owners to create and approve the Harbor District Riverwalk Site Plan Review Overlay Zone (SPROZ). This overlay zone covers the western shore of the inner harbor and both sides of the Kinnickinnic River up to Lincoln Avenue.

Following the adoption of the Harbor District Riverwalk SPROZ, a consultant team developed design standards, concepts for addressing challenging Riverwalk segments, and concepts for capitalizing on several more significant public spaces and access points. The Harbor District Riverwalk Design Standards will ensure the Riverwalk operates as a cohesive network with a common aesthetic theme and meets high standards for elements such as furniture, lighting, landscaping, natural habitat, and stormwater management.

Impact

The Harbor District Riverwalk SPROZ includes all waterfront parcels on the western shore of the Inner Harbor and waterfront parcels on both sides of the Kinnickinnic River between the Union Pacific rail swing bridge and Lincoln Avenue.  City Plan Commission approval is required for all projects located 50 feet landward of an existing dock wall or ordinary high-water mark. For any property located within or partially within the overlay zone, a Riverwalk that complies with the requirements of this overlay zone and associated design standards shall be constructed at the time of any new construction or substantial improvement of a principal structure on the property.  The requirement to construct a Riverwalk shall apply even in cases where the principal structure itself is not located within the zone.

For questions or comments related to the Harbor District Riverwalk Overlay Zone, please contact us at info@harbordistrict.org

RIVERWALK RESOURCES

We are excited to announce the Harbor District Riverwalk is a new member of the High Line Network, a group of infrastructure reuse projects located across North America. For more info, visit http://network.thehighline.org.

Conceptual rendering of a Riverwalk on the north end of the Harbor District. Rendering by UWM Community Design Solutions.
Conceptual rendering of a Riverwalk and waterfront park along the Kinnickinnic River on the south end of the former Solvay Coke & Gas site. Rendering by SEH.
Conceptual rendering of a Riverwalk and waterfront park along the Kinnickinnic River on the south end of the former Solvay Coke & Gas site. Rendering by SEH.
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Our Work Public Spaces

Harbor View Plaza

Harbor View Plaza

Harbor View Plaza is the first waterfront public park in the Harbor District, located at the east end of Greenfield Avenue in front of the UWM School of Freshwater Sciences. The Plaza opened in July 2019 with several hundred project funders, partners, community members, and other stakeholders celebrating in the Plaza on a warm and sunny summer day. Check out photo below from the grand opening event.
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all photos courtesy of Rockwell Automation, Inc.

Harbor District, Inc. constructed the winning design from a public design competition for a new public plaza at the east end of Greenfield Avenue. The concept was created by Ayres Associates and Quorum Architects and is located along the waterfront next to the UWM School of Freshwater  Sciences.

The plaza design includes a play structure for children, a water play area and water feature, and a canoe/kayak launch and dock.  The play structure is designed to look like the shipping containers synonymous with ports around the world.  The water play area allows children to explore water flow and cool off on hot days.  The canoe/kayak launch and dock allows visitors to get to the water’s edge and provides the only public canoe/kayak launch and docking south of the Milwaukee River in Milwaukee’s inner harbor.

Harbor View Plaza provides a space for families and children to recreate outdoors and experience the waterfront, a place for neighborhood workers to relax at lunch, and a destination for canoers and kayakers. The plaza is the first major investment in what will eventually be a continuous network of Riverwalk and waterfront parks spanning much of the western shore of the Harbor District.  For details on the larger vision for the Harbor District, see the Water and Land Use Plan.

Harbor View Plaza was made possible thanks to the generous donations of Rockwell Automation, Inc., the City of Milwaukee, Brico Fund, and many other donors listed further down on this web page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are questions we have received regarding the Harbor View Plaza.  If you have a question that isn’t addressed on this page, please contact us through our online form or email us at info@harbordistrict.org.

WHERE IS HARBOR VIEW PLAZA?

The Harbor View Plaza is located at the east end of the Greenfield Avenue along the waterfront of the inner harbor. See the map below for further detail on how to get to the Plaza.

WHY DO WE NEED A NEW PARK?

Early in the Harbor District Water and Land Use Plan process, it was clear that new public space and access to the water were major points of interest and need for the residents that live in the area. In our one-on-one interviews, focus groups, public meetings, and surveys people consistently ranked “space for people to recreate and enjoy the outdoors” as the highest priority outcome for future redevelopment of the Harbor District. To further illuminate the issue, HDI compiled data that supported the community’s call for public space and access to the water.
These findings combined with public input led HDI to develop the Take Me to the River initiative to develop a new public park on the waterfront in the Harbor District. This park is the first step in a much larger effort to create public park space and water access for Milwaukee’s near south side. Future efforts, outlined in the Water and Land Use Plan, include a four-and-a-half mile extension of the downtown Riverwalk, a seven to ten-acre waterfront park, and a network of canoe/kayak launches.

WHAT WAS THE PROCESS TO CREATE HARBOR VIEW PLAZA?

HDI launched the Take Me to the River initiative in 2016 to create new community connections – both programmatic and physical – to the waterfront, and to focus on creating an “early win” for the area.  The project team quickly zeroed in on creating a public plaza at the end of Greenfield Avenue to provide access to the water and new public space for people to recreate and relax. To inform the creation of this new public space HDI conducted a variety of events and activities described below. The events were aimed at gathering input on what the community would want in a public space, familiarizing the community with the Harbor District, and bringing people to the waterfront.

HOW WAS THE PLAZA FUNDED?

Harbor View Plaza was made possible due to the generous donations of a number of organizations and individuals including those below.  The most significant contributions included a $600,000 donation from Rockwell Automation, Inc., $300,000 from the City of Milwaukee, and $260,000 from Brico Fund.

WHERE DID THE NAME HARBOR VIEW PLAZA COME FROM?

Rockwell Automation, located only a few blocks from the project site, was announced as the naming sponsor for the new park.  As the naming sponsor, they have collectively decided on the aptly name, “Harbor View Plaza”.

WHO DESIGNED AND BUILT THE PLAZA?

Ayres Associates and Quorum Architects design Harbor View Plaza.  Altius Building Co. managed the construction of the Plaza.  Gallas Metalworks designed, constructed, and installed the Fish & Ships Gates and the Donor Wall.  Containers Up designed, constructed, and installed the shipping container play structure.