The Daily Reporter – WI Construction News & Bids Wisconsin's Construction Authority
Members of the Milwaukee City Plan Commission voted on Monday to recommend a zoning change for an FPC Live concert venue planned for Milwaukee’s Deer District. (Photo courtesy of FPC Live)
Plans for an FPC Live concert venue in Milwaukee’s downtown have cleared their first planning process hurdle after a city meeting on Monday afternoon.
The City Plan Commission voted 3-2 to recommend the Common Council to change the zoning at 1001 Vel R. Phillips Ave., where the former Bradley Center stood. Two commissioners, including the commission chair, abstained from voting.
FPC Live, a Madison-based company partly owned by Live Nation, presented plans in May for two concert venues with an 800- and 4,000-person capacity in the Deer District. The proposal has generated pushback from smaller clubs and venues worried about competition with the larger company.
“This new venue will directly affect the neighborhood by putting those existing venues out of business,” concert promoter Adam Peterman said at the public comment session.
John Wirth, an attorney representing Save MKE’s Music Scene, said the proposal would create an “overwhelming monster like Walmart” that would hurt other promoters.
FPC President Joel Plant said that artists represented by Live Nation wouldn’t exclusively go to company venues when visiting Milwaukee. Other developers involved in the project addressed community members’ concerns about safety after a shooting outside the Fiserv Forum in May.
Miron Construction announced on Monday it will serve as the project’s construction manager with partners JCP Construction. The project is expected to be complete in early 2024.
The Wisconsin Center District signed the deed in 2018 to parcels including the old Bradley Center location to MKE BLK23 LLC, a company affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks.
