A New Downtown Plan For Milwaukee

"City of Milwaukee officials recently began work to update the Milwaukee Downtown Plan, which serves as a guide for downtown development. "We think the process is an opportunity to take a look at the downtown holistically," said City Planner Robert Greenstreet.

For the first time ever, city officials are creating a master plan for the entire city. In addition, city officials are creating 12 area plans, including the update of the downtown plan. All of the planning work is expected to be complete by 2010, Greenstreet said.

Once completed, the updated downtown plan will likely be heavily focused on the west side of downtown, which has long been overshadowed by the area east of the Milwaukee River.

"There are a number of opportunities on the west side of the river," Greenstreet said.

Projects west of the river that will be featured in the updated downtown plan will likely include a dramatic makeover for MacArthur Square, the Park East corridor, development around the Bradley Center and a potential expansion of the Midwest Airlines Center, Greenstreet said."