MILWAUKEE — According to city records, AFS Milwaukee, LLC, which owns the former Walmart property within Midtown Center, wants to redevelop the space.
The plans include two 4-story, 100-unit affordable housing buildings, a new Milwaukee Public Library branch, and City of Milwaukee offices, and a data processing facility.
"And I just think it would be marvelous if we could just bring something back to this neighborhood," Pastor Jonathan Weathers said.
Watch: Residents react to proposed redevelopment plans including data processing facility
Weathers is the pastor of Holy Temple Missionary Baptist Church near the site, said he welcomes the idea of new activity in the area.
"I would love to see something going on over there," Weathers said.
However, the data processing facility included in the plans is sparking confusion in the community.
"A data processing, what's so dangerous about it? I don't know. It would be something to really look at and think about just what's it all about," Weathers said.
Neighbor Robert Krug said the scale of the facility matters.
"Well, there are some that are bigger than a city, and there are some that are if you didn't know it was a data center, you wouldn't know what it is, you would just think it's some sort of warehouse facility. So my understanding is that it's on the smaller side," Krug said.
A statement from Alderman Mark Chambers issued late Thursday afternoon said in part, “'Data centers' are a couple of very bad words these days. They conjure images of grey buildings covering thousands of acres, creating nuisance levels of noise, and taxing local water supplies and other resources."
Krug said design standards should be part of any conversation about the project.
"I think that there should be some design standards, ya know, we're not in the middle of an industrial park that's off a busy street that no one sees. Everything in Midtown is quite noticeable," Krug said.
The project had been on the agenda for Monday's City Plan Commission hearing. Alderman Chambers says that because residents have not heard enough information about the plans, it was removed from the agenda.
"Once better information is available, I will want to hear from all those directly affected by this development to help inform my decisions about it," Chambers said in the statement.
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