Over $1 million committed to improve Near West Side

On April 14th, Mayor Tom Barrett joined representatives from Aurora Health Care, Harley-Davidson, Marquette University, Miller-Coors and the Potawatomi Business Development Corporation to announce the new Promoting Assets and Reducing Crime (PARC) Initiative on Milwaukee’s Near West Side.

The PARC Initiative is a three-year, over $1 million effort being carried out by the Near West Side Partners, a new non-profit funded by those five west side anchor institutions.  The focus of the PARC Initiative will include promoting neighborhood assets such as its proximity to jobs and entertainment venues and restoring its historic housing stock, while reducing crime to make the neighborhood a safer and more attractive place to live and work.  Funding under the initiative will support a fully-funded Community Prosecution Unit dedicated to the Near West Side, community organizing positions to lead neighborhood interventions to promote safety and economic development, and data gathering and analysis to guide planning and implementation carried out by Marquette University’s Center for Peacemaking.

Vanessa Koster represents DCD on the Board of Directors of the Near West Side Partners, as this group works to implement many of the recommendations that were included in the Near West Side Plan, including supporting the economic revitalization of 27th Street, providing additional amenities along the Wisconsin Avenue corridor, prioritizing improvements along Vliet Street, identifying resources for rehabilitating the neighborhood’s housing stock, and developing strategies to reduce crime that has been traditionally associated with a select number of larger apartment buildings in the area that have not had strong property management.  The photo above shows Mayor Barrett with the major partners, speaking at the public announcement of the PARC Initiative.  Learn more about the Near West Side Partners.