‘Inflation-Adjusted’ Deer District Concert Venue Approved

2023 proposal for FPC Live Deer District concert venue. Rendering by Eppstein Uhen Architects.

A concert venue proposed for a vacant lot immediately south of Fiserv Forum was approved Tuesday by the Common Council.

The council unanimously granted FPC Live, a partnership of Madison-based Frank Productions and national concert promoter Live Nation, zoning approval to develop a 4,500-person concert venue targeted primarily at standing crowds.

The approval follows two contested public hearings where opponents of the project, including those with connections to competing venues, contested elements of the proposal and requested delays. It also follows a lengthy 2022 approval process for a larger complex.

The council, in 2022, approved the initial $50 million proposal for attached 800- and 4,000-person venues. But FPC officials said rising construction prices caused repeated delays. The smaller project is still expected to cost $60 million to develop.

“‘I would propose we call this project our inflation-adjusted concert venue,” said Frank Productions CEO Joel Plant to the council’s zoning committee on Nov. 13.

After the vote Tuesday, Plant told Urban Milwaukee the project partners must now finalize construction plans and permitting before a spring 2024 groundbreaking. “I appreciate the council’s unanimous approval again,” said Plant while shaking hands with council members as they left the chamber.

Individuals on all sides of the issue acknowledged that the approval was far from a certain thing in the lead up to the vote, especially given the now longstanding opposition from those affiliated with competing venues. Live Nation, which owns Ticketmaster, has engendered criticism for its alleged monopolistic practices.

Area Alderman Robert Bauman, who had raised concerns about a 2021 plan to develop the venue in the Historic Third Ward, encouraged his colleagues to vote for the latest version Tuesday.

He said the development would be a positive because it is fully taxable, included a community benefits agreement to include union-level worker protections, fulfilled the promise of developing the area around the arena into an entertainment destination and was consistent with the new downtown plan.

Bauman said the scaled down venue was an improvement. He said it would offer less competition with existing venues, create a larger adjacent development site, encourage the development of a now-proposed adjacent hotel. Additionally, the city now has a 2% sales tax that will ensure the city directly benefits from more activity.

“I understand there are some concerns about safety, and there are some concerns about traffic,” said Bauman. “There will be a traffic problem, there is no avoiding it, which is why we are pushing to have the streetcar extended down [Vel R. Phillips Avenue] to directly address the traffic issue,” said the alderman. “Congestion is good when it involves people spending money and patronizing our businesses.”

Alderman Lamont Westmoreland said the development provides an opportunity to review not just the safety plan for the new venue, which is one of the elements those affiliated with Turner Hall had contested, but plans for venues across the city.

“I think it is important we use this as an opportunity to better keep folks safe,” said Westmoreland.

“This is a 100% union project,” said Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa of why she was supporting it. “Those are the Milwaukeeans that go home to our districts at the end of their shifts.”

FPC officials have previously said the new facility would provide a high-quality venue that serves growing demand for live music, stimulates economic development and ensures the city remains a must-stop tour destination.

Concerns expressed during the latest approval process revolved around the safety plan, traffic congestion and exterior design.

Two development sites would be created alongside the new venue, which will fill the northeast corner of the former Bradley Center site along N. Vel R. Phillips Avenue.

To the south of the venue, at the intersection of W. State Street and N. Vel R. Phillips Avenue, a hotel is envisioned.

Bucks President Peter Feigin, during a committee hearing said a letter of intent has been signed with North Central Group, which developed the 207-room The Trade hotel on the north side of the arena. North Central already operates a hotel adjacent to a FPC venue in Madison. If a zoning change for the hotel hasn’t been approved by Jan. 1, 2026, the Bucks and FPC will be required to landscape the site.

A 12,500-square-foot site would also be created in a pocket facing Turner Hall between the venue and N. Vel R. Phillips Avenue. Project architect Greg Uhen of Eppstein Uhen Architects previously said that site would be attractive for development.

A wide array of individuals associated with the venue attended Tuesday’s meeting, including Plant, Feigin, Bucks senior vice president Michael Belot, lobbyists and strategic advisors Buddy Julius, Mike Tate and Patrick Guarasci, attorney Brian Randall, JCP Construction president James Phelps and leaders of Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization Peter Rickman, Troy Brewer, Jerry Johnson, Julia Derby and Justin Otto.

A partnership of Miron Construction and JCP Construction is to serve as the project’s general contractor.

Renderings

2022 Venue Renderings

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Related Legislation: File 230626