Milwaukee announces a $14.5M Riverwalk Project designed by SmithGroup

Milwaukee unveiled its plans for a nearly 1-mile extension to the Milwaukee Riverwalk on Friday to be considered by city officials next week.

The Department of City Development showed plans for a three-quarters mile extension south of Harbor View Plaza, between 311 and 615 E. Greenfield Ave., a city resolution showed. Milwaukee will commit $14.5 million to develop the walk with pedestrian and bicycle paths, a small bridge and habitats for the local ecosystem.

SmithGroup prepared the site plans which will be considered by the city Plan Commission on Monday, city officials said. Crews are expected to break ground in early 2023.

The Harbor District Riverwalk, next to the Kinnickinnic River and adjacent to the Komatsu Mining headquarters, will add value to the neighborhood and city’s waterways with effort from the city, local businesses and organizations, Mayor Cavalier Johnson said in a statement. He said having the river as a center for commerce and recreation was an asset.

“Our waterways are a great natural resource, and as we add connections to the water, we celebrate this asset,” Johnson added. “Milwaukee’s Riverwalks have become centers of commerce and recreation that add to the vitality of the city.”

The project includes a shipping container style building with bathrooms and a shaded stage for daily use, city plans showed. The Harbor View Plaza Extension on the north end will have signage to guide people to the Riverwalk.

Milwaukee City Development Commissioner Lafayette Crump said the momentum in the Harbor District will create new opportunities for residents, businesses and workers. The project was originally conceived in the Department of City Development‘s plan to develop the land around the water.

“With the leadership of Mayor Johnson and the partnership of Komatsu, the Harbor District, and many engaged Milwaukeeans, we are offering more educational opportunities in the harbor, promoting equity on our waterfronts, and allowing our youth to experience everything Milwaukee has to offer,” Crump said in a statement.

This will be the second Harbor District Riverwalk to be open to the public, city officials said. The River One mixed-use development was the first in the area, with office space, a restaurant and housing. The city approved $3.4 million for the project and associated dockwall work.

City officials also announced plans for “The Node,” a 4,300-square-foot extension to near Komatsu’s South Harbor Campus, in August. The project, which got $128,000 in state funds, would include ADA-accessible ramps and stairs and aquatic habitat measures.

Since the Riverwalk project started in 1993, property values along Milwaukee’s rivers climbed by more than $1.5 billion, city officials said.