Harley Divides HQ Campus Lots For Future Development

There are still more questions than answers about what motorcycle company Harley-Davidson might do with its Milwaukee headquarters, but the lay of the land became a little bit clearer this month. The company completed a legal maneuver to subdivide and reconfigure most of its underused parking lots into saleable parcels.

CEO Jochen Zeitz set off a wave of speculation in October when he told Bloomberg that the headquarters campus, 3700 W. Juneau Ave., would remain “integral” to the company, but more attention would be paid to remote work capabilities.

“It democratizes the way we work together and allows you to bring the best talent into the company, no matter where they sit,” said Zeitz, who has led the company since 2010 and splits his time between Milwaukee and Santa Fe, NM.

On Dec. 13, the Milwaukee Common Council approved a request to subdivide the company’s 18.24-acre property into more parcels. The move, legally known as a certified survey map, makes it possible to sell portions of a property in the future.

The two large surface parking lots that face W. Highland Ave. were set up as a single, 3.95-acre property. A remnant of N. 37th St. runs between the lots, but was previously vacated by the city and is now part of the new parcel.

The surface parking lot along N. 35th St. was also carved out as a 1.84-acre parcel. A Kohl’s grocery once occupied much of the site, located just south of W. Juneau Ave. On the north side of W. Juneau Ave., the former Westside Marketplace shopping center, which Harley acquired in 2018, already sits in its own 3.61-acre parcel addressed as 1235 N. 35th St.

Two streets that bisect the multi-block campus, the former W. Juneau Ave. and N. 38th St., were established as stand-alone, privately-owned parcels.

Harley has not commented further on its plans for the site. Zeitz’ comments were published Oct. 17, six days after a Department of City Development official stamped the property reconfiguration for approval. Department of Public Works officials signed the plans in November.

The subdivision does not include the company’s buildings. The oldest of the buildings dates back to 1910, with a number of surrounding properties acquired in the ensuing 112 years. The company used the complex for manufacturing until the 1970s. Today the buildings are home to the majority of the company’s white-collar workforce. The office buildings remain in a combined parcel addressed as 3700 W. Juneau Ave.

The council did not debate Harley’s request at its meeting and has an extremely limited ability to reject a certified survey map request. The Harley site is in Alderman Russell W. Stamper, II‘s district.

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