Creekside Crossing Marketplace Planned For 27-Acre Plot Near IKEA

OAK CREEK, WI — City officials in Oak Creek will be setting guidelines for a new mixed-used development that is proposed for a 27-acre plot of land near IKEA.

Members of the Oak Creek Plan Commission will be reviewing plans for the Creekside Crossing Marketplace mixed-use development during a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 14.

Officials say the new development encompass about 27 acres of land located on the north side of West Drexel Ave. South Ikea Way, and creates the site boundary to the west and Interstate Highway I-94 to the east. IKEA is situated directly to the north of the proposed development with a large natural wetland area between the two areas.

Creekside Crossing Marketplace is projected to have primarily commercial, mixed-use residential and compatible uses.

In a Jan. 14 plan commission document, officials said a buffer yard would be created and maintained in accordance with local ordinances where the Creekside Crossing Marketplace would border park districts, though no buffer yard would be required where the Creekside Crossing Marketplace borders residential neighborhoods.

A minimum of 30 percent open space would be maintained on a district-wide basis through the entire Creekside Crossing Marketplace development. Open space would be accomplished through a combination of different existing natural areas and proposed impervious areas. The primary open space is the existing wetland area in the northern portion of the site.

Previously, at a Dec. 10, 2019 meeting, the Oak Creek Plan Commission recommended approval of a rezone and Planned Unit Development for the properties at 1920, 1900, 1850, 1848, 1816, 1800, 1750, and 1700 W. Drexel Ave. and 7700 S. Ikea Way as part of the development of the Creekside Crossing Marketplace.

As developers plan out the development, city officials are recommending the following guidelines to help shape the development:

• Connection of key pedestrian destinations such as plazas, parks, and entertainment/commercial amenities.
• Vehicular traffic calming at intersections to give pedestrians a safe experience.
• Parking areas would be designed to have minimal impact on pedestrian movements and views.
• Trash, loading, and utility areas should be screened to be out of public view, except that overhead doors for any underground parking may face a public right-of-way.
• Reinforcement of the urban street edge in the form of landscaping or decorative boundary elements would be implemented to enhance the pedestrian experience and emphasize a community territory.