Officials explore acquiring land
2.3-acre site being considered for park
Brown Deer — The Plan Commission wants to know more about adjacent property before making a decision on the acquisition of a vacant 2.3 acre site on North Kildeer Court at Brown Deer Road.
The land, which is on the Milwaukee River, has potential as a small park or open green space. Residents opposed the idea when suggested in 1993 but the recently adopted Comprehensive Plan identified access to the river as an opportunity for the village. In addition the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission identified the addition of park land in the northeast section of the village as desirable.
Various fishermen have fished in the river for a number of years from the site.
Plan Commission members last night discussed the idea of purchasing the land from the Department of Transportation, which used it as a staging area for Brown Deer Road reconstruction last year. As a minimum, the commission said it wants the DOT to complete its cleanup of the site, halted with the advent of winter weather.
The Rite Hite YMCA owns a swath of riverfront property extending from its property to the north side of Brown Deer Road. The Audubon Society owns 60 acres in River Hills across the river from the DOT site.
Members were interested in learning more about the adjacent sites and options for working with those landowners.
Village Manager Russell Van Gompel said if the village decided to explore the acquisition of the land from the DOT it would likely take at least six to eight months before the DOT would do its investigation of the site to determine if it would sell it and then set a price.
Member Susan Bellehumeur was on the commission when the issue was last raised.
"We had a really cantankerous crowd," she said. Brown Deer residents living on Kildeer Court worried about their privacy, while River Hills residents worried about access to their homes by people using the river.
Member Ryan Schmitz said the village had identified the area as one of its gateways and suggested improving the area would be desirable.
"Right now it looks like a rat hole," he said.
Van Gompel said he would bring back additional information from the Audubon Society and the YMCA at a future meeting.
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