Northwestern Mutual Rep Says Swaps Preserve Park Land

A representative for Northwestern Mutual told the Oak Creek Plan Commission Tuesday night that will help preserve the natural beauty of the area near 20th Street and Drexel Avenue.

Kevin Kennedy, director of real estate investments for the company, said Milwaukee County Parks officials approached the company about exchanging lands so it could expand Falk Park and maintain some of the last remaining wetlands in the county.

Northwestern Mutual was happy to accommodate the request, he said. In giving up one-and-a-half acres for every acre it acquired, the swaps will preserve park land for "generations to come."

"They are very nice lands and that's what we want to preserve," he said.

Under the plan, which still needs several approvals, Northwestern Mutual gets 50 acres of land near the , while Milwaukee County gets 75 acres, much of it south of Drexel Avenue.

Northwestern Mutual has no immediate plans to develop that land or the property it owns on 27th Street across from its Franklin campus, Kennedy said.

Kennedy's comments seemed to appease the worries of some residents who attended the meeting and questioned the impact of the land exchanges on their neighborhood.

Resident Al Ellingson said he has fought over the years to keep 20th Street a dead-end and not a through street. Another resident, Debra Moss, questioned why residents weren't notified earlier.

City officials said they follow state law in sending such public notices to residents and in this case actually exceeded legal requirements in doing so.

Alderman Dan Bukiewicz, whose district encompasses that area, said there are no plans to expand 20th Street and any talk is just rumor.

He added the land exchanges should enhance the neighborhood, which he called "one of the best-kept secrets in all of Oak Creek."

In a seperate land swap, the Oak Creek-Franklin School District will get 16 acres at 2200 W. Drexel Ave. Like Northwestern Mutual, school officials have said any talk of construction is still a long ways off.

That area of Oak Creek is undergoing some big changes this year.

Drexel Avenue from 27th to 13th streets is closed to traffic for a reconstruction project that will expand the street to four lanes. Last Friday, a groundbreaking was held for the new Drexel Interchange.

Both projects are expected to conclude by the end of this year.