27th Street Concept Plan

27th Street Location

The 27th Street corridor has been and remains a dynamic roadway that borders the City of Greenfield, Franklin, Oak Creek, and traverses the City of Milwaukee in Milwaukee County.

Update Plans

The communities adjacent to 27th Street are increasingly planning to revitalize the corridor with façade updates, new businesses, and streetscaping to create an inviting atmosphere for residents and visitors to the area. The City of Greenfield is such a community with 27th Street being the eastern border of the City. The 27th Street concept planning involves analyzing the existing uses and factors that could affect the potential for redevelopment on the western side of 27th Street in the City of Greenfield.

Research

The City of Greenfield contracted with Municipal Economics and Planning of Ruekert-Mielke to study the redevelopment potential along the 27th Street corridor and create a concept plans for the corridor where redevelopment is feasible. A concept plan will provide goals, policies, and potential redevelopment concepts to guide the City through the redevelopment process. This concept plan is not intended to replace the current Comprehensive Plan but to supplement the Land Use component of the plan with a detailed concept plan for specific locations along the 27th Street corridor.

Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) District

The City of Greenfield is ultimately considering the possibility of creating a Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) District to enhance 27th Street from Grange Avenue to Howard Avenue. By creating the concept plan, the City is taking the first step toward a potential TIF District. TIF is a funding tool that allows municipalities to make improvements to a district and recover the cost of those improvements via additional tax revenue collected from increases in property values within the district.

WisDOT Improvements

Implementation of this concept plan is intended to coincide with the anticipated improvements by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT). To improve functionality and safety of the Interstate system, the 27th Street interchange on the I-894 bypass is undergoing a major transformation that will affect transportation routes in the surrounding area, including 27th Street. The State of Wisconsin is planning to invest in the corridor through a range of streetscaping projects due to the improvements planned by WisDOT.

The City of Greenfield recognizes the on-going dynamics of the market place upon the 27th Street corridor. City officials recognize that the economic engine known as 27th Street needs assistance maintain the marketability of the region. Therefore, this concept plan provides guidance to the City, property owners, and business owners.