Developer Proposes Speculative Warehouse Space Near MATC In Oak Creek

OAK CREEK, WI — A developer is proposing to create thousands of square feet of speculative warehouse space on almost 34-acres of vacant land near Howell and College Avenues in Oak Creek, according to documents from the city's plan commission.

The developer said it expects the facility would be used by two or three tenants looking for a warehouse. The building would be just under 330,000 square feet, featuring 30 dock positions for trucks, 70 trailer parking stalls and about 250 car parking stalls, Crow Holdings told the city.

Crow Holdings Industrial submitted an application for a conditional permit to the plan commission. The plan commission is scheduled to discuss the proposal Tuesday evening. The application is the first step on if the building would ever come to light.

Some city staff had concerns about the proposal, most prominently about the truck traffic to the site from Howell Avenue, the significant amount of wetlands on the proposed parcels, and the lack of conformance to the Business Park land use designation in the city's Comprehensive Plan, according to plan commission documents.

The developer said in its proposal that it would include a truck queuing area to relieve truck traffic on city streets in the area.

The land in the proposal is located at 6475 Howell Avenue — just north of the Oak Creek Milwaukee Area Technical College campus and just south of Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport.

Crow Holdings told the city in its application letter there is a strong ongoing demand for Class A space in Milwaukee County, with demand being stronger when you are close to the airport.

Crow Holdings said speculative development such as their warehouse proposal is important for a healthy industrial market. The developer said the market "craves speculative space" and that a building would likely lease up quickly.

The proposal comes after construction was scheduled to begin on other speculative warehouses in the Oakview Business Park.