Sunday, May 6, 2012
The former Delphi site at the corner of Drexel and Howell has a new name and refined plans.
Oak Creek used the Drexel Interchange groundbreaking Friday to show off refined plans for the Delphi redevelopment project and announce a major grant to pay for concrete removal at the site. The project has a new name: Drexel Town Square. Plans are along the same lines as those presented in November -- they create a new "downtown" for Oak Creek and call for a mix of residential, retail, and civic uses. The proposal unveiled Friday essentially divides the 85 acres into three areas: a residential component on the west, a town square in the middle and larger retail close to Howell Avenue. The town square will feature the new library and city hall and an area for public activities -- one possibility that has been floated is an ice rink. The …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Interchange is expected to be completed later this year and create jobs, grow economy.
State Rep. Mark Honadel was a child when Interstate 94 went in, right behind his family's apple orchards. "When I was a little kid I rode my bike on that freeway," he said. "It was the biggest road I've ever seen in my life." Decades later, he would represent the area in the state Assembly and get involved in the years of political battles that it took to get to Friday morning's Drexel Interchange groundbreaking. It was a journey that was often bumpy, but worth it with the economic development that's expected, he said. "This is momentus," Honadel said. "This is the first new interchange on I-94 in my lifetime in southeast Wisconsin. This interchange is going to be an economic gold mine for the city of Oak Creek." Gov. Scott Walker, Honadel…
Friday, March 23, 2012
Financial firm gets 50 acres near the planned Drexel Interchange.
The exchanging of lands in Oak Creek continues. Northwestern Mutual will get about 50 acres of land near the future Drexel Interchange as part of a land swap with the Milwaukee County Parks Department, according to a Milwaukee Business Journal report. The newspaper reported the company has no specific plans yet for the vacant property, but quoted a spokesman as saying the goal is to "facilitate high-quality development." The new Northwestern Mutual land is north of Drexel adjacent to Falk Park, while the parks department receives 75 acres for new park land south of Drexel along I-94. Local officials expect the area to greatly increase in value with the reconstruction of Drexel Avenue and the Drexel Interchange. Construction of the new …
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Major work planned on Pennsylvania and Drexel avenues.
With one major project already under way, the Oak Creek Common Council has finalized the rest of the road work that will take place in 2012. The biggest projects in the city this year are the widening of Drexel and Pennsylvania avenues. Work on Drexel, which is now closed west of 13th Street, began Feb. 13. Drexel between 27th Street and Interstate 94 will transform from a two-lane rural road to a four-lane divided boulevard, with on-street bicycle accommodations, street lighting, additional turn lanes at 27th Street and stoplight modifications. It will connect with the new Drexel Interchange, which is scheduled to get under construction in May. Officials say it's one of the largest road projects Oak Creek has ever undertaken. The cost of…
Friday, January 27, 2012
Construction will coincide with Drexel Interchange work, last through November.
Construction to expand W. Drexel Avenue to four lanes is expected to begin Feb. 13 and last through November. By the time it's done, Drexel from 27th Street to Interstate 94 will be a four-lane divided boulevard that will connect to a new interchange with the interstate. Interchange construction is expected to start around May 1. Drexel plans also call for a 10-foot wide multi-use path along the north side, on-street bicycle accommodations, street lighting, additional turn lanes at 27th Street and stoplight modifications, according to the city's website. The street will be closed to traffic during construction, but properties along Drexel and 20th Street will continue to have access. For more on the construction and the impact on traffic…
Kathy Grom
8:23 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
The leaders plan on building condos and apartments "similar in style to Milwaukee's Third Ward" - it would be nice if they would also recruit shops and restaurants like they have there such as Wicked Hop, Coquette Cafe, Anthropologie and Hot Pop. Instead we will probably end up with another phone store and crappy pizza chain like the other strip malls in the area. Or even worse, a chiropractor or… more ›