Milwaukee Common Council Approves New Contract for Couture Streetcar Hub

The Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously on March 2 to approve a new contract that requires Barret-Lo Visionary Development LLC to pay the city $1.4 million if the streetcar hub planned for the base of their 44-story lakefront skyscraper project, known as “The Couture”, is not complete by June of 2022. The new contract puts pressure on BLVD to start construction on a project that has been in development since 2014.

The Federal Transit Administration granted the city $14.8 million to build the downtown streetcar project, and any unspent money will have to be paid back by the city by June 29, 2022. The new contract ensures that the $1.4 million of the grant money meant for the Couture hub will be paid by developers if they fail to meet the deadline. 

The lot at 909 E Michigan has remained empty since the downtown Transit Center was demolished in 2017 to make way for the Couture. Construction on the new tower has been through a series of delays ever since.

“Every indication we are receiving from the developer is that he is ready to proceed, he is ready to have a closing, and ready to have a ground-breaking in a short amount of time,” said Alderman Robert J. Bauman. 

Bauman also indicated that they planned to have sufficient completion by late spring of 2022 so that the city could begin to build the streetcar hub infrastructure at that time.  

Mayor Tom Barrett expressed that he would not sign the approved legislation due to another requirement that would have the developers pay $100,000 to the MKE United Anti-Displacement Fund, however the legislation will not require his signature to be passed.

The Couture if completed will stand 537 feet tall, and will have a hotel, apartments, and retail in addition to the streetcar hub. The project is a key piece in the beautification of Milwaukee’s lakefront, and will connect to the planned lakefront gateway project.