Oak Creek Hosts Urban Land Institute to
Study Lakefront Redevelopment

On Thursday, September 24, 2009, the City of Oak Creek along with its project sponsors WE Energies and Wispark LLC hosted a presentation by an advisory services panel of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) on the redevelopment of the Oak Creek lakefront. The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit research and education organization whose mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in creating and sustaining thriving communities worldwide.

The presentation came at the conclusion of an intensive three day evaluation of the lakefront area and its redevelopment potential by an advisory services panel consisting of a diverse group of ULI members.

The 250 acre study area, which includes one mile of Lake Michigan shoreline adjacent to Milwaukee County’s Bender Park, was once home to a number of industrial uses which have since closed or relocated. The area also lies adjacent to the route of the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee (KRM) commuter rail proposal, which includes a station in Oak Creek.

Oak Creek is committed to environmentally-sensitive reuse and redevelopment of its lakefront area, and has been working in partnership with its project sponsors to conduct a thorough investigation of the environmental challenges with the ultimate goal of creating a cutting edge redevelopment along its shore.

The panel presented its initial findings to the City at a public meeting on Thursday, September 24, 2009, at the Oak Creek Community Center. To access a copy of that presentation please follow this link.

The final report from the study can be view here.

For more information on the presentation, the ULI Advisory Services Panel or the Oak Creek lakefront redevelopment efforts, please contact Doug Seymour, Director of Community Development for the City of Oak Creek, at (414) 768-6526 or dseymour@oakcreekwi.org.