Council approves TID amendment that will bring playground to West Basin, other key north side improvements

Yesterday (Tuesday, July 14) the full Common Council approved an amendment to city Tax Incremental District (TID) No. 72 (Bishops Creek) that will help pay for major improvements on the city’s north side, including a multifaceted playground at West Basin, a public greenspace area along N. 35^th St. in the 1^st Aldermanic District.

The TID #72 amendment – recommended for approval in a vote last month by the Board of Commissioners of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee (RACM) – is “major positive news” for her district, said 1^st District Alderwoman Andrea M. Pratt.

“The West Basin playground will be built on a former commercial/industrial site, and that project alone is a major public improvement in an area that hasn’t seen much public investment in many, many years,” Alderwoman Pratt said. “But there will also be work to mitigate the impacts of flooding, and other key infrastructure work. I am very grateful for the close partnership on this project with MMSD, the Department of Public Works, the Department of City Development, and the City of Milwaukee Parks, to help push these projects and especially to bring this wonderful playground closer to fruition.”

In coordination with stormwater management and other community improvements being led by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), the City of Milwaukee Parks will be installing the playground at the West Basin on the former Bee Bus Lines property near 35th and Marion. This new playground will work with other improvements being funded by MMSD to provide a place for residents to gather, play, and enjoy nature.

A second TID amendment (TID #62 – DRS Power & Control Technologies) approved today by the Council will bring a host of roadway/pedestrian safety improvements to areas mostly in the 1^st District (especially along Hopkins and N. Teutonia), as well as resurfacing and high impact paving to several street segments. “I’m very pleased that several streets will be redone, raised crosswalks will be installed on Teutonia, and that overall we will be seeing historic investments in an area that rarely gets an infusion like this,” Alderwoman Pratt said.