North Point Parking Lot Could Be Finished by Summer

North Point parking lot and stone revetment. Photo by Short Elliott Hendrickson. Courtesy of Milwaukee County Parks.

Milwaukee County will likely finish the $13 million redevelopment of the North Point parking lot in time for start of summer next year.

The parking lot, as most Milwaukeeans are aware, is more than a place to park along the lake. The lot provides the closest access to Bradford Beach and is also a popular meeting spot for many residents. It’s also the site of a Milwaukee County Parks concession stand run by Moosa’s Custard Stand.

The project has been in the works for approximately five years. Parks is currently rebuilding the stone revetment hemming the north end of Bradford Beach and protecting the lot from lake surges. In particular, the area of the lot nearest the lakeshore has been degraded by erosion and now regularly floods. In 2020, winter storms caused damage all along Milwaukee’s shoreline, including to North Point.

The Milwaukee County Board recently adopted a budget for 2025, which included approximately $1.2 million to finish the North Point Project. To date, the county has budgeted just over $13 million for planning, design and construction. Parks has worked with a handful of contractors on the project including Freshwater Engineering, Visu-sewer, Gestra Engineering Inc., Resource Environmental Solutions, Inc. and Short Elliott Hendrickson.

The project was split into two phases after construction quotes came in higher than expected. The first phase, or construction of the stone wall, is expected to finish this fall. Work on the parking lot will begin in 2025 and it will include a new pedestrian path connecting the concession stand to a path along the lakefront.