MILWAUKEE - Kacmarcik Enterprises and Bear Development have agreed to purchase an 11-acre parcel from Marquette University that the companies plan to develop into a vibrant sports and entertainment district.
The parcel, developed by Kenosha-based Bear Development, is bordered by North Sixth Street to the east, Michigan Street to the north, and the 794/Interstate 43 interchange to the east and south.
Plans for the comprehensive district include a stadium, which will be home to a professional soccer club, an indoor concert venue, a full-service hotel, multi-family residential housing, retail, and food and beverage elements.
The development will have a pivotal role in linking downtown Milwaukee, the Menomonee Valley, the Near West Side neighborhood, and Marquette University. Milwaukee-based Kahler Slater is lead design and architecture partner for the project.
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The centerpiece is an 8,000-seat-stadium, home to the highest level of professional soccer in Wisconsin and as the home competition field for Marquette men's and women's soccer and lacrosse teams. The stadium will also host community events, recreational programming, and other athletic uses.
The field, featuring a premium, synthetic turf surface, will be used from March through November, hosting approximately 200 events. A professional soccer league affiliation will be announced soon.
Adjacent to the soccer facility will be a 3,500-person indoor concert venue operated by one of the world's premier concert promoters and the Pabst Theater Group in partnership with Kacmarcik Enterprises. The facility will host national touring acts 80 to 100 nights a year and more than 300 events a year in total.
Directly attached to the indoor concert venue will be a full-service, 140-room hotel with downtown Milwaukee and Lake Michigan views. Plans for the upscale hotel, owned by Bear Development, include a full-service bar and restaurant overlooking the soccer stadium.
Additionally, the western edge of the parcel will feature 99 multi-family housing units. The project is scheduled to break ground later this year, with the stadium and entertainment elements projected to open in spring 2024.
