MMSD to sell lot with deep tunnel frontage
For sale: Menomonee Valley lot with frontage on river and deep tunnel. Zoned industrial.
A 1.5-acre parcel on the Menomonee River at S. 25th and W. Canal streets soon to be listed for sale comes with a combined sewer overflow discharge pipe to the river and a wastewater drop shaft to the deep tunnel. Sewer pipes, tunnel and shaft would not be sold with the property.
Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District Controller Don Nehmer isn't saying how much money MMSD wants for the property.
The district is evaluating the sales price, Nehmer told district commissioners attending a policy and finance committee meeting on Monday. Property in this area of the Menomonee Valley, a few blocks west of the Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, is increasing in value, Nehmer said.
The committee recommended selling the unneeded lot at 199 N. 25th St. The commission will act on the proposal at its Dec. 19 meeting.
The property is tied to the region's sewer engineering history since the crosstown, or west, leg of the deep tunnel extends beneath the property around 300 feet below the surface.
The 30-foot-diameter crosstown leg was completed in 1986 as part of the district's $1 billion system of tunnels for storage of wastewater. The first full year of tunnel operation was 1994.
The riverfront parcel at 25th and Canal boasts easy access to the freeway system, and a 13,500-square-foot garage with 10 overhead doors and office space, as well as a fueling station. One possible use is vehicle fleet maintenance, Nehmer said in an interview.
That is why the district built the garage there in 1987, after completing construction of the crosstown tunnel in 1986, according to a memo distributed to commissioners. After the district's vehicle repair work was consolidated at a south side location, the City of Milwaukee began leasing the property in 2003 for maintenance of its parking enforcement fleet.
Milwaukee currently pays the district $12,364 a month for the lease, but the city is seeking a different location.
"District staff recommends sale of the property prior to an interruption in monthly lease revenue or the need to invest in major building repairs," the memo said.