Committee approves conditional-use changes for Emerald event space and narrows city parking lease after neighborhood concerns

The City of West Allis economic and development committee voted to approve amended conditions for a proposed event venue called the Emerald at 7546 West Greenfield Ave. and to recommend a revised, nonexclusive parking lot lease between the city and the venue owner to the full Common Council.

The committee approved an amendment that removes certain earlier conditions and requires the applicant to present a signed parking agreement addressing shared parking and signage for neighboring lots. The committee also approved changes to a separate parking-lease draft that had drawn extended discussion from aldermen and nearby business owners; the lease language was revised to require no advance notice for Monday–Wednesday use, and 90 days’ advance notice for Thursday–Sunday use, with the first Sunday in June and the first Sunday in October (until 3 p.m.) carved out in the first year as protected dates.

The item drew sustained public and aldermanic attention to downtown parking. Aldermen Chad and Marty, who represent the area, described meetings they held with the applicant and a neighboring business called Inkwell and reported that the applicant was willing to take a number of measures to reduce parking and trash impacts: adding directional signage to identify private lots, purchasing sandwich-board signs at lot entrances, committing to scheduled event cleanups the night of events and the following morning, maintaining open communications with neighboring businesses, and designating drop-off zones for rideshare and shuttles.

Wally, the applicant for the Emerald event venue, told the committee the operation will direct guests to city lots and nearby downtown businesses and that event traffic typically uses rideshare and shuttles. “We’re going to have on our website for the Emerald specifically showing where to park,” Wally said. He also told the committee most events end by 11 p.m. to midnight and that he and his staff would remind clients about downtown parking constraints and avoid using a rear patio that abuts upstairs residential units.

Aldermen and staff noted two related planning issues that could reduce nearby street parking in coming years: a reconstruction plan for Greenfield Avenue that would add pedestrian safety features and dedicated turn lanes; and the potential loss of a small parking area to a proposed turn lane, which officials said would reduce overall downtown parking supply near the site. “There will be a net loss of parking in the downtown and specifically, you know, close to this intersection,” one alderman said during the discussion.

To address recurring concerns raised in committee, the applicant agreed to several operational commitments: directing most guests to city-owned lots through the Emerald website and event contracts, providing receptacles and on-site cleanup for cigarette butts and trash, and keeping an open line of communication with neighboring businesses for post-event complaints.

On the conditional-use amendment, a committee member said the intent of an earlier capacity cap was to create a one-year trial and not to shut the venue down if issues arose. The amendment as passed allows the applicant to seek a later capacity increase from the full council should the trial period proceed without incident.

Both the conditional-use revision and the parking-lease changes passed at the committee and will be forwarded to the full Common Council for final consideration.

The committee also discussed operational specifics raised by neighbors and staff, including whether event shuttles would be privately contracted (the applicant said shuttles would be provided or recommended on larger events), how city notices would be issued (the clerk’s office was identified as the notice point), and how the agreement would handle city needs for the lot (the lease retains city reservation rights, with the committee adopting the 90-day/Mon–Wed exception framework to balance city events and the venue’s business needs).