Marquette University announced Friday morning that it has sold 11-acres of land, at the northeast side of the Marquette Interchange, to Bear Development and Kacmarcik Enterprises for a new sports and entertainment district.
“This new development reimagines and promises to bring new life into a highly visible strategic corridor, presenting an exceptional opportunity to connect the Marquette University campus and Westown neighborhood with the Downtown Milwaukee renaissance,” Marquette President Michael Lovell said in a statement.
The new district will include a building of a sports stadium, an indoor concert venue, a full-service hotel, multi-family residential housing, retail and food and beverage elements. Along with a professional soccer club playing in the 8,000-seat-stadium, both Marquette soccer and lacrosse teams will play their home games there.
All four Marquette teams will continue to practice at Valley Fields, which has served as the home to the Golden Eagles since 1993.
A professional soccer club will house the 8,000-seat-stadium along with Marquette soccer and lacrosse
“The economic revitalization and community pride this multi-purpose development will catalyze is something I am proud Marquette can help facilitate through the strategic sale of this important parcel of land,” Lovell said in the statement. “I look forward to cheering on our men’s and women’s lacrosse and soccer teams in their new competition venue.”
Currently, the land consist of vacant parking lots, a hotel building, an office space and Marquette’s Behavior Analysis Program Building. Per the release, all building were included in the sale.
As for the Behavior Analysis Program, the university is working with those facility members for a new location.
The university mentioned that it will have no financial or controlling interests in the sports and entertainment district development, as it will served as “a lessee in the athletic stadium, and a cooperative and supportive neighbor of this new premier sports and entertainment and residential destination.”
There is no target date as for when the project will be finished.
This story is developing.
This article was written by John Leuzzi. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @JohnLeuzziMU.
