South Milwaukee Comprehensive + Downtown Plan Receives Award

GRAEF is proud to announce the South Milwaukee Comprehensive + Downtown Plan Update (the plan) has been awarded an outstanding achievement in planning award from the American Planning Association – Wisconsin Chapter (APA-WI). The award recognizes the exceptional work of the Planning Team led by GRAEF and comprised of the City of South Milwaukee and Business Districts, Inc.

The South Milwaukee Comprehensive + Downtown Plan Update is being awarded for successful plan implementation. The plan outlines a clear vision of actionable steps to revitalize the City of South Milwaukee. The planning team, led by GRAEF, a Wisconsin-based engineering, planning and design firm, and the award-winning project was presented to the public at the conference awards luncheon on Friday, October 27, 2017 at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center.

“We sought to provide a robust plan that not only reflects South Milwaukee’s role in our regional economy, but also showcases the groundswell of commitment to the community’s future,” said Stephanie Hacker, Practice Area Leader of the Planning + Urban Design Group at GRAEF. “The success of this planning effort lives in the collaboration between our partners and in a prevalent devotion to the heritage and future of South Milwaukee.”

The plan captures the economic potential for reinvestment in the City of South Milwaukee and seeks to improve the existing integration with the natural environment. This includes improved access points to the Oak Creek Parkway and additional outdoor public spaces. The plan is also built to help the existing effort to become a “21st century industrial city” with a mixed-use downtown that includes new multi-tenant manufacturing, transitional manufacturing and a mixture of retail and residential properties.

"Have a plan, work the plan -- that's been our philosophy to redevelop South Milwaukee, and GRAEF has been a terrific partner every step of the way,” said Erik Brooks, South Milwaukee Mayor. “Since our first meeting, GRAEF was focused on implementation of the plan, and we've been doing just that since the day it was passed. From our innovative Downtown Revitalization Grant program to the work we've done with our local businesses on downtown management strategies, we are focused on bringing this plan to life. And we are."

About GRAEF

GRAEF is an employee-owned, full-service engineering, planning and design firm with proven expertise in planning; landscape and industrial architecture; operations consulting; and structural, civil, transportation, MEP, and environmental engineering. GRAEF serves public and private clients from its offices in Milwaukee, Green Bay, and Madison, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Orlando, Florida and Minnesota; Minneapolis. For more than 50 years, GRAEF has demonstrated its commitment to continuously adapting to meet the changing needs of the industry and its clients. For more information, visit www.GRAEF-usa.com.

About Business Districts, Inc.

Business Districts, Inc. is the premier provider of business district services to local governments and business district organizations. For over a decade and a half, BDI has developed and implemented effective business district plans in top communities throughout the Midwest and elsewhere. We have created thriving, marquee projects, attesting to both community resilience and to BDI’s skill in ensuring long term results. With deep roots in urban planning, commercial development, business management, and commercial district management, BDI uses its flexible, hands-on approach to empower those developing their business district to define, move toward, and attain their aspirations for their districts.

###