Project Description
Menomonee Valley
The 1,200-acre Menomonee Valley has always played a central role in the economic life of Milwaukee. Flowing through it is the Menomonee River, which provided Native Americans with a canoe route from Lake Michigan into the interior and abundant resources, including menomin (Algonquin for wild rice).
In the new millennium, renewal of the Valley focused on addressing key physical barriers, such as transportation access and soil contamination, and realizing a more sustainability-oriented vision for the district. Redevelopment of the 140-acre Milwaukee Road Shops property into the Menomonee River Valley Industrial Center exemplified this approach. This project’s success in the face of a global economic downturn triggered additional development throughout the Valley. To date, these projects have resulted in the cleanup and reuse of hundreds of acres of derelict property, the creation of thousands of family-supporting jobs, the construction of dozens of green buildings, the restoration of numerous acres of native habitat, the Three Bridges Park, the attraction of millions of visitors annually, and the physical, economic, and prideful reconnection of the Valley to the city.