# ![](media/image1.png){width="1.7598425196850394in" height="3.3751968503937007in"}**Milwaukee Road Redevelopment**

**Developer/Sponsor:**

Menomonee Valley Partnership, Inc., City of Milwaukee, Went Associates,
Solomon/WRT, HNTB

**Other Contributors:**

Menomonee Valley Business Improvement District, Menomonee Valley
Business Association, City of Milwaukee Department of City Development,
Milwaukee County Economic and Community Development Division, Milwaukee
Economic Development Corporation, Sixteenth Street Community Health
Clinic, Forest County Potawatomi Community, WE Energies, Friends of the
Hank Aaron State Trail

**Status:** Under Construction 1996-2010

**Aim:**

Developers aim to restore 200 acres of Milwaukee Road to its former
glory as one of the main industrial centers---with a few alterations.
Each building will comply with the Sustainable Design Guidelines set
forth by the City of Milwaukee and Menomonee Valley Partnership (MVP),
to promote energy efficient "green" facilities. Included in the
redevelopment will be 70 acres of green space that re-establish
Milwaukee Road's previous ecosystems and protect them from further
damage. In addition to considering environmental aspects developers will
contribute to the community and economy by selling parcels to companies
offering the most family-supportive jobs. Family supportive jobs entail
high wages and health benefits. Upon completion, city officials estimate
1,830 new jobs will be created.

![](media/image2.png)

*"A revitalized Valley at the Center of Milwaukee; economically with
strong companies and jobs near workers' homes, geographically with
renewed ties to the surrounding city, ecologically with healthy
waterways and greenspace, and culturally with firm roots in its past and
a role in histories to come."---Aim of Milwaukee Road Redevelopment*

**Project Description:**

The Milwaukee Road is an extensive brownfield redevelopment project
incorporating green technology and economic stimulation through job
creation. The Menomonee River Valley consists of 1,500 acres and drains
into a watershed, ultimately ending up in Lake Michigan. Previously the
site was home to the first railroad between Wisconsin and Minnesota,
known as the Milwaukee Road, and the subsequent locomotive and rail car
repair shops inhabiting what is currently the Milwaukee Road Shop Site.
In 1985, after 106 years of service, the railroad declared bankruptcy;
the surrounding industries declined and the land became vacant.
Rebuilding on the site was postponed because the land was considered a
brownfield. Stigmas associated with brownfields delay redevelopment
because of the fear of contamination and safety of rebuilding, as well
as the costs of clean up. However, in 2002, after conclusive findings of
mostly minor contamination from in-depth investigations, redevelopment
commenced. The project itself is divided into three sections beginning
with the West End, which extends from the Menomonee River to 27^th^
Street, Central Valley beginning at 27^th^ Street and ending at the
I-94/I-43, and finally the East End starting at the I-94/I-43 and ending
near Downtown Milwaukee.

![](media/image3.wmf){width="6.249305555555556in" height="1.55in"}

![](media/image4.png)West End:

Consisting of 70-acres designated for light industry and 70-arces for a
community park the West End is a premier location for development. The
70-acres reserved for a community park will be sectioned into three
separate parks, namely, Chimney Park, River Lawn, and Airline Yards. The
70 acres allotted for light industry have yet to be sold completely,
however Palermo has committed to constructing their manufacturing plant
in the West End of the Menomonee River Valley.

![](media/image6.png)Chimney Park pays homage to the history of
Milwaukee Road with the placement of two Chimney Stacks as the focal
points of the park. The park provides visitors with three soccer fields,
two basketball courts, four handball courts, picnic areas, a playground,
a skate park, and a sand volleyball court. A community gathering space
consisting of a multipurpose indoors meeting space and basic facilities
will also be built. To facilitate surrounding industrial buildings there
will be naturalized stormwater management in the form of wetlands, ponds
and meadows. There will also be a swamp forest reconstructed to restore
the habitat and assist in additional stormwater management needs. In
total there will be nine acres of stormwater management within Chimney
Park.

River Lawn gives visitors access to the Menomonee River for kayaking and
canoeing. These access points were constructed to provide flood control
and improve habitats along the banks. Builders integrated limestone
walls into the landscape along the rivers to both protect and provide
seating for visitors. A network of trails both for walking and bicycling
are found at River Lawn as well.

![](media/image7.png)

Airline Yards is 23 acres and possesses 2,600 feet of riverbank. This
park represents the definitive attempt to restore the natural habitats
and environment found in the Menomonee Valley prior to human contact. As
a result three large mounds, reminiscent of the glacial drumlins once
populating this area, are located within Airline Yards. These mounds
were constructed using debris collected from the Milwaukee Shops site,
filled in, and then covered with native foliage. The landscaping of the
park includes a variety of environments including savannah, upland
prairies, riparian forest, wetlands, bluffs, and meadows. Easy access
points to the river are also provided for visitors as well as a network
of trails, and athletic fields.

Palermo Villa Inc., the nations second fastest frozen pizza
manufacturer, is the first business to purchase land at the Milwaukee
Shops site. They will construct a manufacturing plant on 14 acres to
consolidate their facilities in both Milwaukee and Illinois. Palermo
will bring approximately 190 new jobs with substantial wages to the
Menomonee Valley. As per agreement Palermo will construct its new plant
in accordance with the Sustainable Design Guidelines.

Central Valley:

The Central Valley is composed of the Stockyards parcels. These sections
of land will be sold to "high-quality, high-yield" industries.

![](media/image8.jpeg){width="2.1875in" height="1.0in"}In 2003 The Sigma
Group relocated their 28,600 square foot headquarters to demonstrate
that safe relocation on a brownfield is possible. The Sigma Group
Environmental Headquarters adheres to the Sustainable Design Guidelines
making it energy efficient and environmentally friendly. They are
currently studying the environmental effects of their headquarters in
order to quantify the impact. (For Information on Sigma Impact Study
Click Here
\[http://epic.cuir.uwm.edu/mvbi/pdfs/sigma_impact_report.pd\])

![](media/image9.jpeg){width="1.875in" height="1.3895833333333334in"}The
40,000 square foot Potawatomi Administration Building is also
reconstructed within Central Valley. This building houses the Potawatomi
Casino's human resource department, the marketing department and the
tribe's legal department, as well as The Forest County Potawatomi
Community Foundation. This exemplary building incorporates many green
components compliant with the Sustainable Design Guidelines. In addition
to being environmentally cognoscente, developers of the Potawatomi
Administration Building purchased locally made products in order to
contribute to the economy while saving money on shipping expenditures.

![](media/image10.jpeg){width="1.875in" height="1.2715277777777778in"}

East End:

![](media/image11.jpeg){width="1.875in" height="1.0in"}The highlight of
the East End is the Harley-Davidson Museum. The project will consist of
three separate buildings totaling 130,000 square feet. The first will
house the museum, the second annex and archives, and the third will
contain a restaurant, café, retail shops, and a special events facility.
Another phase will be constructed at a later date to provide offices for
Harley-Davidson employees. The \$95 million dollar development will
offer 70 permanent full-time jobs to residents and approximately 350
temporary construction jobs. In addition to contributing to the economy,
the developers will also improve the environment. Harley-Davidson has
committed to abide by the Sustainable Design Guidelines. (For more
information on the Harley-Davidson Museum Click Here
\[www.h-dmuseum.com\])

![](media/image12.jpeg){width="1.7708333333333333in" height="1.375in"}

![](media/image13.jpeg){width="2.25in" height="1.542361111111111in"}The
Hank Aaron Trail, once extensions are finished, will be seven miles in
length. It will connect with the Oak Leaf Trail, and will traverse the
entire county of Milwaukee. The trail will take bicyclists and hikers
through the Menomonee Valley as well as the historic districts
surrounding the valley and other notable attractions. The Friends of the
Hank Aaron Trail are committed to restoring the natural environment that
was once present in the Valley along the trail. In order to re-establish
the prairie environment The Friends of the Hank Aaron Trail are using
controlled fires, mowing, seeding native plants, and removing aggressive
non-native plant species. (For more information on the Hank Aaron Trail
Click Here \[http://www.hankaaronstatetrail.org/\])

**Green Components:**

The Sigma Group Headquarters:

-   Extensive Natural Day Lighting---12% decrease in lighting
    expenditures compared to previous location, 85% Increase in Natural
    Day Lighting

-   Creation of 59,240 feet of Tree Canopy

-   14% Reduction in storm Water Run-off

-   36% Increase in Green Space

-   Low Flow Drainage Fixtures

-   100% Reduction in Salt, Fertilizer, and Pesticides

-   Capped/Removed Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbon (PAH) contaminated
    soil

-   High Efficiency HVAC roof Top Unit

-   Baseboard Electrical Units

-   High Efficiency Gas-filled Rotary Unit (Heating)

-   Native Planting, Eradicating Non-native Plants

-   Passive Methane Venting System

The Potawatomi Administration Building:

-   Recycled Brick and Carpeting

-   Recycled Materials from casino construction

-   Exterior Sunshade

-   Grass Roof

-   High Efficiency Lighting Fixtures

-   Optimal use of Natural Lighting

-   3 40-ton HVAC units

Harley Davidson Museum:

-   Reflective Roof (Heat Absorption)

-   Permeable Pavement

-   Lawns, Terraces, Native Plantings, Native Trees

-   Creation of Green Space

For other green components that will be found in future buildings
constructed in Menomonee Valley click here (Sustainable Guidelines
Website
http://design.renewthevalley.org/images/pdf/GuidelinesPrintable.pdf)

![](media/image14.wmf){width="6.125in" height="1.125in"}**Environmental
Complications and Solutions:**

The Menomonee Valley is a brownfield and required intensive
environmental investigations in order to ascertain the state of the
valley and the safety of redevelopment on the site. Studies were
conducted on Flood Plain, Soil Contamination, Air Quality, Groundwater,
and Stormwater Management, each one of these required mitigation efforts
to bring the redevelopment into compliance with both State and Federal
standards. The majority of the test and evaluations done to ensure
conformity to codes and regulations has been performed by the Menomonee
Valley Benchmark Initiative (MVBI). MVBI has identified and grouped 50
indicators, and will observe them in five-year intervals.

![](media/image15.jpeg){width="0.8041666666666667in"
height="1.0in"}Flood Plain:

![](media/image15.jpeg){width="1.375in" height="1.1in"}The Southeast
Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) conducted a preliminary
analysis of the flood plains, specifically at the Milwaukee Road Shops
redevelopment site and Airline Yards site. The study found that the Shop
site needed to be raised, but the Airline Yards development was for the
most part excluded from the flood plain, negating the need for flood
plain mitigation. SEWRPC also determined that the Shop site must
withstand a 2,000 cubic feet per second flow in a 100-year old flood
event. The Milwaukee Zoning Code also demands that the building floor be
two feet above the regular flood elevation as well as any area within 15
feet of the building. Mitigation efforts began as eight feet of fill,
transferred from the Marquette Interchange, were added to the Shop site.
Restoring the natural environment is also an important measure that will
contribute to the decrease in flooding. Another core component is the
Hydraulic Modeling system. The USGS conducted a study of the flow
systems present in the Menomonee Valley in order to determine the
destination and effects of recharge in the valley. With this strategy
the applicable 100 acres would have no surface water discharge.
Developers maintain that the Shop site will be ready for construction in
late 2006, early 2007 after the fill settles.

![](media/image16.png){width="2.0in" height="1.5534722222222221in"}Soil
Contamination:

![](media/image17.png){width="1.8751968503937009in"
height="0.45354330708661417in"}![](media/image18.png){width="1.8751968503937009in"
height="0.45354330708661417in"}![](media/image19.png){width="1.8751968503937009in"
height="0.45354330708661417in"}Soil Contamination poses a potentially
dangerous threat throughout the valley due to the history of the site.
Prior construction the site was a wetland and then a railroad and
industrial center. Because of peat moss deposits and the wetlands,
methane gas is a risk across the valley. The railroads and industries
have left relic structures including floor slabs, sewers and
foundations, causing a risk for heavy metal and Polynuclear Aromatic
Hydrocarbon contamination. As a result the redevelopment site has gone
through extensive testing and geotechnical evaluations. In order to
impede any further damage, developers have buried contaminated soil
under several feet of fill, and severely contaminated soil was
extricated to another location. A designated onsite placement area for
contaminated soil will be created for future projects. Engineering and
institutional controls for future developments include a long-term,
right-of-entry agreement giving the city access to groundwater
monitoring, sampling, and NAPL collection trench sampling ports and a
mandatory two foot thick clean soil cover or pavement cover. In
addition, methane mitigation is mandatory and is the responsibility of
the developer; recommendations for methane mitigation include passive
methane/soil gas collection systems.

Air Quality:

![](media/image20.wmf){width="2.75in" height="2.25in"}Menomonee Valley
is centrally located in a metropolitan area, and while that holds many
industrial benefits the air quality can be greatly compromised because
of the placement of highways through the valley as well as its location
near downtown Milwaukee. The MVBI is monitoring both mobile and
non-mobile emissions to determine the severity of impact on the air
quality at the site of the redevelopment project. In addition to
monitoring the Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5), MVBI is monitoring five
prevalent air toxins; Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, Benzene,
1,3-Butadiene, and PCBs, and both one hour and eight hour ozone
concentrations.

The PM2.5 are being recorded every third calendar day by the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources in various locations across the valley.
These PM2.5 pose a significant threat to humans, once they are inhaled
they are imbedded into the deep lunge tissue causing respiratory
problems and a variety of health issues. The National Ambient Air
Quality Standards set the average annual concentrations below 15ug/m3,
and average 24-hour concentrations no greater than 65ug/m3. Over the
past six years the amount of PM2.5s is declining rapidly and falls
within the federal standards.

![](media/image21.wmf){width="1.5in"
height="1.0736220472440945in"}![](media/image22.wmf){width="1.5in"
height="1.0in"}Fifty-six toxic compounds are presently being monitored
at Menomonee Valley. Of the fifty-six, Formaldehyde, Acetaldehyde,
Benzene, 1,3-Butadiene, and PCBs have been assessed as the highest
health risk. These compounds are known to be possible carcinogens,
causing various other health conditions, and have a negative effect on
the environment. These toxins

were observed from 2000-2004 at Valley 1, located at 1337 S. Cesar
Chavez Drive. As no National Ambient Air Quality Standards address toxic
compounds the Environmental Protection Agency standards were applied
(see table). Of the five compounds only 1,3-Butadiene is below the
standard. PCBs in 2004 finally declined, falling below the Environmental
Protection Agency's annual average of 0.45ng/m3. In all prior years
(2000-2003), the average of PCBs at Valley 1 exceeded the Environmental
Protection Agency's recommended maximum average.

![](media/image25.png){width="2.25in" height="1.56875in"}The final
component that the MVBI recorded was the one hour and eight hour ozone
concentrations. The National Ambient Air Quality Standards establish
that the average one-hour ozone concentration cannot exceed 124 ppb
(parts per billion) and the average eight-hour ozone concentration
cannot exceed 84 ppb. Observations took place at Valley 1 and hourly
readings were recorded; the greatest reading of the day is termed the
daily peak 1-hour ozone concentration. The average daily peak 1-hour
ozone concentrations were well below the standards and were considerably
lower in 2004 than in 2003. The eight-hour ozone standard is the federal
government standard that replaced the 1-hour ozone standard. Likewise,
the average daily peak 8-hour ozone concentration was significantly
lower than the 84ppb standard. The highest readings in close proximity
to the valley were 74ppb and 82ppb, still below the federal standard.

Groundwater:

![](media/image27.png){width="1.051968503937008in"
height="2.291732283464567in"}The groundwater within the Menomonee Valley
was examined meticulously by the City of Milwaukee and USGS from
1999-2001. The study was divided into separate parts, the first studying
the location and flow of the groundwater through the valley, and the
second determined the extent of contamination through chemical sampling
(It is important to note that the final location of all surface water
was impossible to determine conclusively because of the history of the
site and the various waterways). Studies determined that there were two
main receptors for shallow groundwater; the Deep Tunnel System and the
Menomonee River, flowing into Lake Michigan. For surface water within
100 feet of river or canals, the final destination was not conclusive.
Nevertheless, the approximate time for groundwater to travel from the
valley to the Deep Tunnel System is 250 years, which is a substantial
amount of time allowing for elimination of contaminants through natural
mechanisms. In the event that contaminates are not completely dissolved,
all water from the Deep Tunnel System is directed to the Jones Island
Treatment Plant. The USGS confirmed that there was little cross flow
between properties, negating the potential for widespread groundwater
contamination. However, some site-specific contamination was present and
can be handled on a case-by-case basis with the assistance of the
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR). Typically mitigation
measures such as removing the effected soil and monitoring for 1-2 years
should rectify the situation.

(For more information regarding the groundwater study click here
\[http://www.renewthevalley.org/files/pdf/epareport.pdf\])

Stormwater Management:

The Menomonee Valley stormwater management stratagem is founded on
natural means. Developers are restoring wetlands and green space once
prevalent in the valley and incorporating stormwater management into
parks. There will be two main stormwater management areas and a Swamp
Forest to accommodate stormwater from the surrounding developments.
These three areas will treat stormwater in three steps. First, all water
will be collected and transferred through a system of pipes where it
will accumulate in small pools of water. Second, stormwater will

disperse across the shallow wetland meadows and will infiltrate through
crushed pieces of concrete (this layer is known as an 'infiltration
gallery'). The stormwater will then be distributed to the Swamp Forest
where the natural vegetation will remove contaminants. In order to
decrease the actual amount of stormwater, builders must limit the number
of impervious surfaces. By promoting permeable surfaces infiltration of
stormwater will be amplified. Builders are also being urged to increase
canopy coverage on their property, which will in turn contribute to the
reduction of stormwater.

(For more information on MVBI Click Here
\[http://epic.cuir.uwm.edu/mvbi/other_docs.htm\])

(For more information on the Master Land Use Plan Click Here
\[http://www.renewthevalley.org/files/pdf/MVIC%20-%20Master%20Use%20Plan%20-%20RACM%20Adopted.pdf\])

**Financial Structure**

Section 108 \$10,000,000

BEDI \$2,000,000

EPA Clean Up Grant \$200,000

EDA BCR Loan Fund \$1,125,000

HUD Neighborhood Grant \$1,950,000

DNR SUDA Grant \$837,000

WI Commerce Grant \$1,250,000

Redevelopment Authority Loan \$6,475,000

**Total:** \$23,837,000