What is Envision South 13th Street Together? 

The Department of City Development is amending the Southwest Side Area Plan¹ with a Strategic Action Plan called Envision South 13th Street Together. Strategic Action Plans are a method of updating a portion of an existing comprehensive area plan to advance implementation of plan recommendations.

Envision South 13th Street Together will build upon initiatives and projects occurring in the area. It aims to bring the community together to build consensus on actionable steps for reinvigorating the South 13th Street and West Oklahoma Avenue corridors and improving connections to the surrounding neighborhoods.

Why now?

Since the Southwest Side Area Plan’s adoption in 2009, there have been a number of projects and plans in the area, such as: 

• The Kinnickinnic River Neighborhood Plan led by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) and the South Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers (SSCHC) created a vision for the river and the surrounding area. Community engagement has been ongoing since the plan’s completion.
• In 2018, Milwaukee joined a national initiative called Connect Capital. The initiative has brought together representatives from MMSD, the city, BID #50, and SSCHC to look at how to leverage MMSD’s flood management investment in the area to catalyze the creation of community amenities, improve connectivity and safety through complete streets, and spur economic development.
• Through Connect Capital outreach, the BID’s work, and SSCHC community projects, residents, businesses, and other stakeholders have brought forward concerns such as unsafe streets, underutilization of properties, and the need for a stronger identity for the South 13th Street corridor and the surrounding neighborhood.

With all of the activity occurring in the area, there is a need for a planning process to align the needs of the community with public and private partners to spur action and reinvigorate South 13th Street. The planning process will provide action steps to reinvigorate and make public investments in the South 13th Street commercial corridor, set priorities, and identify responsible parties for implementation. When complete, the plan will document community input and will be approved by Common Council. This will help the City and partners obtain funding to move plan recommendations forward.

Click on the image below for a map of the planning area:

[1] A small portion of the planning area is within the Near South Area Plan boundaries, so Envision South 13th Street Together will update the Near South Area Plan as well. 

Plan Advisory Group 

Updating a plan requires input from the public and many stakeholders. The Plan Advisory Group helps advise on the planning process and plan components. Thank you Plan Advisory Group!

American Heart Association, Crisol Corridor (BID# 50), DCD Commercial Corridors, DCD Real Estate, DPW Transportation Operations, DPW Stormwater, ECO, Forest Home Cemetery, Grandview High School, Holt Neighborhood Association KK River Neighbors in Action, Lighthouse Youth Center, MCTS, Mexican Fiesta & Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation, Inc., MKE Plays, Milwaukee County Parks, Milwaukee Health Department, Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), MPD District 2, MPD District 6, Office of Violence Prevention, Ohio Park Neighborhood, Polonia Block Watch, Safe and Sound, Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers, South of the Tracks – Polonia Neighborhood Association, Southside Organizing Center, St. Joseph's Academy, Wisconsin Bike Federation, and Zablocki Elementary School

Take a look!

City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) is working on a re-striping project for W. Morgan Ave. To learn more, visit: https://city.milwaukee.gov/dpw/infrastructure/multimodal/Multi-Modal-Projects/Morgan-Ave-Complete-Streets-Project

In early July 2020, the City of Milwaukee Department of Public Works (DPW) installed quick, low-cost street improvements to increase the safety and comfort of people walking, biking, and driving on South 13th Street. More about the project can be found here.

Schedule

*Updated September 2021. Subject to change.

Input

Summary of Input received February - November 2020

Recommendations 

The draft recommendations website is closed for comments, but you can still view them here:

Click here

Meetings

Upcoming Meetings

• TBD, Late Fall 2021 - Draft Plan Public Meeting

Past Community Meetings 

Monday, April 20, 2021 - Draft Recommendations Meeting

• Agenda: Discussion of draft recommendations for the plan
• Materials: Recorded Presentation, Draft Recommendations Website Overview

Monday, Nov. 9, 2020 - S. 13th Street and W. Oklahoma Ave.'s Identity Virtual Meeting

• Discussion questions: what do you like and want to preserve? What businesses do you want to see? What would make it a more attractive place to visit (art, gathering places, etc.)?
• Materials: Digital Discussion Board, Recorded Presentation

Monday, Oct. 26, 2020 -Parks, Recreation, & Trails Virtual Meeting

• Discussion questions: What do you like about the facilities in the area? What would you like to see in the future? Are there issues with accessing trails? What types of recreation are missing?
• Materials: Digital Discussion Board, Recorded Presentation

Monday, Oct. 12, 2020 - Personal Safety & Crime Virtual Meeting

• Discussion questions: What areas do you feel are concerning in regards to crime and personal safety? What are examples of projects or initiatives in the neighborhood that have had a positive impact on the community?
• Materials: Digital Discussion Board, Recorded Presentation

Monday, Oct. 5, 2020 - Transportation & Streets Virtual Meeting

• Discussion questions: What intersections and portions of street corridors cause issues for walking, biking, driving, and taking transit?Where do you currently feel comfortable walking and biking?
• Materials: Digital Discussion Board, Recorded Presentation

Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020 - Facebook Live Broadcast Launch of Envision South 13th Street Together

• Recorded Presentation: Facebook, YouTube

All recorded meeting presentations and clips can be found under the Presentations & Clips tab or on DCD's YouTube channel 

A written summary of the discussions at the topic meetings and survey results is included under the Your Feedback tab

Presentation Clips

Data & Maps

Zoning
Land Use
Parks Access
Trails Access
Pedestrian High Injury Network & Crash Risk
Crashes
MCTS Bus Routes
Transportation & Street Safety Map