With the Global Water Center grand opening behind us, and space in the building quickly filling up, moving onward, the next step is directly west of the Global Water Center, Reed Street Yards.
The Reed Street Yards currently are 15 acres of undeveloped, under-used, former railroad yards. That will soon change as workers clear and grade the land, which has been long targeted by the City of Milwaukee and The Water Council as the central hub of Southeastern Wisconsin’s water cluster. To its credit the site boasts:
The first phase of the redevelopment quietly began several weeks ago as construction crews started clearing overgrown weeds, since then workers have quickly graded the uneven terrain to create a more suitable palate for future development. In coming weeks, the recently branded Freshwater Way will be extended through the future global water business park, creating a western connection to another redevelopment, The Tannery, which covers an additional 15 acres, just west of the gleaming, award-winning 6th Street Bridge.
Additional improvements will be new water mains, sewer connections, a purple-pipe system to recycle “grey water”, 2,700 feet of new Riverwalk, an extension of the Hank Aaron State Trail, and a cutting-edge, water technology demonstration plaza.
Currently, the dock wall is undergoing repairs, underground utilities are being installed throughout the site and scheduled to be complete in early October, at which time the underground utilities for the water feature and plaza will start to be installed. At the end of October, the concrete walks and flatwork for the water plaza will be complete and the water feature installation team will begin constructing the water technology demonstration plaza.