MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Millions of dollars could be coming to Milwaukee's King Park neighborhood, just west of downtown, as city and county leaders announced a proposed $22 million investment to revitalize the area, build affordable housing, and provide resources for people already living there.
As you leave downtown and cross west over Interstate 43 and drive down Vliet Street, the contrast is stark.
"We see a bunch of abandoned buildings, and we got all the graffiti on the wall," Joseph Woodland Jr., a King Park resident, said.
Woodland Jr. remembers when the neighborhood looked very different.
"When we had the barber shop down there, we had that Ben Franklin, we had a lot of stuff down the block. There was plenty of places to go," Woodland Jr. explained.
Woodland Jr. and fellow resident Evan Hadnot have lived in King Park for years and have watched it go from a thriving space to a desolate one.
"I've walked along the neighborhood and gone down by the shelter, it's a pretty bad look. I see people on the ground with barely anything to eat, barely any clothes, no where to go," Hadnot added.
King Park has historically been home to a large unhoused population.
Watch: Mayor Cavalier Johnson announces $22M King Park project proposal
Neighbors and community organizers say they hope the proposed investment turns things around.
"I think it's well needed, probably past due time," Eva Welch, executive co-director of Street Angels, said.
Welch says a majority of Street Angels' work across Milwaukee is done in the King Park neighborhood.
"I'm really hoping that there's consideration for the homeless population. I'm hopeful this infrastructure will also assist and keep in mind the folks who are unsheltered in the community," Welch said.
City and county leaders have already invested in health and human services, mental health services, and housing in the area.
Now, they say they want to spend $22 million on public infrastructure improvements like street reconstruction and traffic calming measures, property acquisition, and building new affordable housing developments.
City leaders say $16.7 million will be used for public infrastructure improvements, $500,000 for commercial corridor programs, $1.5 million for property acquisition and related site work, and $1.5 million for housing programs.
Woodland Jr. said the investment would make a real difference.
"That's great, we need it. We need it. We need better housing, we need more fixed up, and it would be a big help," Woodland Jr. said.
Dee McCollum, director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center, echoed that sentiment.
"This area has been waiting a long time. Give it what it deserves. Allow this area to continue to thrive. We are a connection from downtown," McCollum said.
The King Community Center, located in the heart of King Park, is celebrating 50 years next month. She says the additional investment in the area is critical.
"To tackle the issues of the people who live in this area, we've definitely been waiting for this to happen in this community cause it's something that's very much needed, it's been needed," McCollum said.
Two city committees will have to hear, discuss and vote on this proposal. If the committees approve the proposal, it will be voted on by the full common council on June 2.
This story was reported on-air by Jenna Rae and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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