Milwaukee County has issued a request for proposals for the last available block of the Park East redevelopment land.
Known as Block 22, multiple developers have had the block under contract for purchase since the freeway was removed in 2002, but none of those development plans ever moved forward.
The 2.28-acre block is bounded by Water Street, Ogden Avenue, Milwaukee Street and North Broadway.
The RFP issued Friday does not include an asking price, but the amount offered is among the criteria officials will use to pick a buyer. The buyer will need to deposit $50,000 with the county for a nonrefundable one-year purchase option.
The selected buyer must follow Milwaukee County’s participation goals for women-owned, minority-owned and small businesses for the eventual development.
Responses are due on Oct. 6.
Block 22 is one of several lots created by the removal of the Park East freeway about 20 years ago.
The elevated freeway spur was replaced with an at-grade, boulevard which reconnected the street grid. New block configurations opened up 24 acres of downtown property for redevelopment.
Parcels on the west side of the river were pledged to an affiliate of the Milwaukee Bucks as part of the Deer District development. Parcels on the east side of the river have been sold individually.
Block 22 was initially to be developed by Wauwatosa-based Wangard Partners into a seven-story, $52 million project that included 250 apartments and 70,000 square feet of retail space. The developer dropped those plans in 2018Â in order to pursue other projects.
Most recently, Milwaukee-based McClendon Capital Group had the block under contract for a plan with about 160 apartments and a hotel. Earlier this year, Milwaukee County officials decided to put the land back on the market because McClendon’s development plans had changed since 2020 when it was selected as a buyer, according to county documents.
As of Tuesday, McClendon Capital Group had downloaded the new RFP, as had several other construction firms, architects, property managers and developers including Milwaukee-based Emem Group, according to the county’s RFP website.
