South 27th Street corridor in Milwaukee plans to be unveiled

Daily Reporter (Milwaukee), May 23, 2007 by Joe Grundle

The firms contracted to design the South 27th Street corridor streetscape in Oak Creek and Franklin will unveil their work to the cities' Joint Common Council Tuesday and then to the public in an open house May 31.

Milwaukee-based architects and project managers HNTB Corp. and Eppstein Uhen will give an animated presentation that allows viewers to envision how the street will look after it's completely developed, according to Lori Holly of public relations firm Zizzo Group.

While city leaders won't see the plans until next week, public input is welcome at the open house -- held from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and again from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Oak Creek Police Department -- as the plans for the boundary between the two cities are not final.

This Thursday, the Oak Creek-Franklin Joint 27th Street Steering Committee will discuss how to brand the corridor to attract desired high-quality development.

According to the South 27th Street Corridor Land-Use Plan, most residents currently view the corridor as conveniently located but lacking an identity. The plan details the cities' desire to improve the visual character and develop a unique image for the corridor.

"It will be important to structure an identity for South 27th Street that is consistent with this vision of a premier location to live, work, shop and play," reads the land-use plan. "The vision for the corridor must be consciously applied to new development proposals for the corridor, as well as new public amenities proposed for the corridor."

Shared vision

The South 27th Street corridor covers a six-mile stretch from College Avenue to South County Line Road. In 2004, Oak Creek and Franklin enacted a six-month moratorium on development along the corridor in order to come together and plan for the future of the quickly developing street.

The cities hope to ensure a diverse economic base of jobs, goods and service, consistent and coordinated development, a healthy and diverse property tax base and effective response to new development opportunities created by the Northwestern Mutual campus.

"The location of Northwestern Mutual along the corridor represents a significant new use and one which is likely to impact the development that takes place on nearby parcels," reads the land-use plan. "Medical office is another new use appearing along the corridor in both the northern and southern portions of the corridor."

The cities have broadly outlined intended land uses for segments of the street. The northern tip of the corridor between College and Rawson avenues will continue to consist of regional retail. Rawson to Drexel Avenue, a stretch that includes the Northwestern Mutual campus, will focus on mixed use and office. Drexel to Ryan Road will contain residential and commercial, and the southern end from Ryan to South County Line will remain open space with limited mixed use.

The street itself could also get an overhaul, as the cities are working with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to reconstruct the street for the entire length of the corridor as well as the Rawson intersection, and have proposed adding Interstate 94 interchanges at Drexel and West Elm Road.

WisDOT held a public information meeting for the I-94 north-south corridor reconstruction project at Oak Creek's West Middle School on Tuesday.