Milwaukee seeks developer proposal for Marcus Center parking garage

Milwaukee officials on Tuesday announced they are seeking proposals from developers for the Marcus Center parking garage.

The 106,432-square-foot structure is located at 1001 N. Water St. In Milwaukee and is attached to the Marcus Performing Arts Center (MPAC), officials from the Department of City Development (DCD) said. The arts center draws 200,000 visitors each year, officials added.

Because of its sole use as a parking facility, officials said the site was a “non-contributor” among downtown’s many active blocks and added a successful request for proposal (RFP) respondent will reactivate the block with a new use.

“The future use of the site is intended to serve as a major east/west portal that is engaged by downtown visitors moving to-and-from Pere Marquette Park and the Deer District on the west side of the Milwaukee River. It also serves to link together areas both north and south along Water Street,” DCD officials said in a news release.

The city is looking for a mixed-use development with public activation of the ground floor, such as restaurants, art galleries, civic uses, officials said. The floors above could be used for residential, hotel office or cultural space, officials added.

“These uses should be used to wrap any above ground structured parking on the site. The parking ramp component should be considered a design opportunity in and of itself, making the experience of parking there a favorable experience for users,” officials added.

Milwaukee’s recently signed downtown plan, known as Connec+ing MKE, recommended replacing the parking structure with high-density, mixed-use development, officials said.

Interested developers can view the RFP online at milwaukee.gov/MarcusCenterRFP.

According to city officials, Milwaukee had $4.5 billion in construction projects completed since 2010. There is another $1 billion under construction or in advanced planning stages.

There were more than 9,500 housing units and 1,300 hotel rooms developed downtown since 2010, officials said. There are 4,200 housing units in planning or under construction and they are expected to be completed between 2023 and 2026.

The greater downtown Milwaukee area saw an estimated 26.5% increase in the downtown residential population, currently totaling 42,000, since 2010, officials said. There are 90,700 more workers and more than six million downtown visitors each year, officials added.