City Struggles on Couture Streetcar Extension
As project drags, officials to meet with Federal Transit Administration to discuss options.
The delay in starting construction on The Couture is causing issues beyond just the development of the 44-story apartment tower along the lakefront.
An extension of The Hop, paid for almost entirely with a federal grant, is required to start operating by the end of 2020 and is planned to run through the base of the proposed building at 909 E. Michigan St.
The idea, part of a plan by city and county officials to avoid having to pay the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) back for demolishing the former Downtown Transit Center, is for The Couture and eventually Milwaukee County’s East-West Bus Rapid Transit proposal to operate out of a three-story concourse at the base of the high-end apartment tower. But Barrett Lo Visionary Development has been unable to secure the necessary equity financing for the project to start construction.
City Engineer Samir Amin said in June that the city would need to consider alternatives if the project had not broken ground by the end of August.
The August deadline came and went, with the only news being that Barrett Lo replaced the signage at the two-acre site as part of a financing push with Robert W. Baird & Co.
“They are assembling a report to redirect the streetcar terminal away from The Couture,” said Bauman in announcing the file would not be heard Wednesday morning. He said city officials would soon meet with the FTA to discuss options.
“DPW and [the Department of City Develpoment] will be meeting with FTA later this month to discuss options with the Lakefront Line and any exploration of alternatives will be done in collaboration with Milwaukee County,” said DPW communications manager Brian DeNeve in a statement to Urban Milwaukee.
When will The Couture be built and when the streetcar extension ultimately be built? “Whether it’s next month, next year, or next decade, that’s hard to say,” said Bauman. Meanwhile, members of the county board have begun advocating for some other developer or project to replace Barrett Lo.
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Related Legislation: File 190352
More about the Couture
- Eyes on Milwaukee: Couture to Start Construction in January - Jeramey Jannene - Nov 23rd, 2020
- Eyes on Milwaukee: The Couture Developer Applies For Federal Loan Guarantee - Jeramey Jannene - Sep 5th, 2020
- Eyes on Milwaukee: The Couture Developer Secures Financing - Jeramey Jannene - Jun 26th, 2020
- Eyes on Milwaukee: Is A Couture Deal Finally Coming? - Jeramey Jannene - May 13th, 2020
- Eyes on Milwaukee: Still No Deal For The Couture. Yet - Jeramey Jannene - Dec 11th, 2019
- Plats and Parcels: NBA Player Plans Downtown Apartments - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 13th, 2019
- Transportation: Couture Streetcar Extension Decision Pushed to June 2020 - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 2nd, 2019
- Transportation: City Struggles on Couture Streetcar Extension - Jeramey Jannene - Sep 12th, 2019
- MKE County: Supervisors Question Couture Project - Graham Kilmer - Sep 11th, 2019
- Plats and Parcels: The Couture Getting New Signage - Jeramey Jannene - Aug 25th, 2019
Read more about Couture here
More about the Milwaukee Streetcar
For more project details, including the project timeline, financing, route and possible extensions, see our extensive past coverage.
- Plats and Parcels: Lakefront Streetcar Extension Scheduled for June 2022 Opening - Jeramey Jannene - Dec 6th, 2020
- Transportation: Should Milwaukee Stop The Hop? - Jeramey Jannene - Oct 13th, 2020
- Transportation: The Hop Now Wears a Mask - Jeramey Jannene - Aug 18th, 2020
- Eyes on Milwaukee: Is A Couture Deal Finally Coming? - Jeramey Jannene - May 13th, 2020
- Transportation: SUV Driver Runs Into The Hop - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 28th, 2020
- Transportation: Streetcar Kiosks Could Bring In $500,000 Annually - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 20th, 2020
- Thanks A Million, Hop Riders! - The Hop - Feb 19th, 2020
- Transportation: We Energies Will Sponsor Streetcar - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 10th, 2020
- Transportation: Streetcar Ridership Up in January Versus 2019 - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 7th, 2020
- Transportation: Streetcar Ridership Up in December - Jeramey Jannene - Jan 14th, 2020
Read more about Milwaukee Streetcar here