The vision for an all-new entertainment district to bring together Milwaukee communities has yet to start moving forward, despite Marquette selling the land, located on North 6th St and the Marquette Interchange, in May of 2022.
The hope is to provide a home to Wisconsin professional soccer teams with an 8,000-seat stadium, with the center of the entertainment district named Iron District MKE. The entertainment site will include the professional soccer team, a full-service hotel, residential housing and lively food and beverage areas.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed legislation enacting the state operating budget for the 2023-2025 biennium on July 5, with $9.3 million dollars dedicated to the stadium’s construction. However, the stadium legislature was taken out.
Every year, Evers signs a budget for the state of Wisconsin that includes investments for money for VISIT Milwaukee to promote the city as the 2024 Republican National Convention approaches and funding for public schools. Executive authorities have the power to veto or partial veto the budget bill. The legislature chose to veto the investment for the stadium on this budget.
Kacmarcik Enterprises and Bear Development, the buyers of the 11-acre land, have yet to provide updates, despite the stadium being expected to be done in 2025.
Since the announcement of the project, there has been silence from the developers or any update on when or if the 2025 timeline will be pushed back for the soccer team’s debut, where the United Soccer League Championship franchise will soon call home.
Milwaukee Pro Soccer has to go through a process of hiring coaches and faculty and assembling the team for the 2025 inaugural season. They are planning on assembling the team at least 18 months in advance, and the stadium is a part of that plan.
In the meantime, Marquette teams will continue to practice at Valley Fields.
The site was originally planned to include a 3,500-capacity indoor concert venue, but that has been downsized and revised to an event space for the hotel, taking out the indoor concert venue.
This story was written by Trinity Zapotocky. She can be reached at [email protected]
