Every piece of Downtown Milwaukee’s continuing reinvention is connected. Each decision has a domino effect, so when Johnson Controls, Wisconsin’s biggest company (in terms of revenue), makes news in the Downtown discussion, it’s a big deal.
The Journal Sentinel reported Thursday that the company was “considering a new office development on a downtown site.” This Downtown site – at the southwest corner of Clybourn Street and Lincoln Memorial Drive – is one that would be opened up by the Lakefront Gateway Project that is set to begin this August, and some say it’s the best development site in all of Wisconsin. This is the first report of expressed interest in the site, and considering the dollar figures attached to surrounding developments in that area, it’s not unreasonable to think this could amount to being a nine-figure project.
Johnson Controls did not confirm or deny this report, but did release a statement addressing this, along with another important piece of the Downtown puzzle – the controversial streetcar.
“Johnson Controls is exploring a full range of options to address our expanding facilities needs in the area to support future growth,” says Fraser Engerman, director of global media relations. “These include options within Milwaukee, the surrounding communities and potentially elsewhere. These efforts are focused on growth and would not entail displacing our current local workforce.
“As we are evaluating options, a key consideration is a vibrant downtown community with convenient transportation and easy access to our facilities. As a result we also have a keen interest in the downtown streetcar project and are monitoring that situation closely.”
The proposed streetcar would run one block north of this new development site. The fixed-rail transit project still faces an uncertain future, with Aldermen Joe Davis and Bob Donovan pushing a petition drive to force a referendum (for more on these efforts, read our story from yesterday, “The Strange Streetcar Bedfellows”).
It remains to be seen how this news from Johnson Controls will impact pending decisions on the streetcar, but make no mistake: this is important. Johnson Controls has gone on record saying it has interest in the Downtown streetcar the week before the matter is before the Milwaukee Common Council, and has done so just as reports are tying the company to a potentially major development one block from the streetcar track.
