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Milwaukee Bay Park Phase 3 faces funding, permitting hurdles; council open to exploring swim access without slowing core project
Summary
Staff told council that Phase 3 of Milwaukee Bay Park may need a new environmental review, arborist report and floodplain permits; construction could slip to spring 2028 if reliant on federal grants. Councilors expressed broad interest in swim access but directed staff to scope it without delaying core Phase 3 work.
City staff gave a detailed update on Milwaukee Bay Park Phase 3, warning that design approvals from 2022 have lapsed and that updated environmental, tree-inventory and floodplain permitting will be required before construction can proceed.
“Some of that we already need to do for phase three,” a staff member said, explaining that work below ordinary high water would trigger joint permit applications with the Army Corps of Engineers, the Department of State Lands and DEQ. Staff said federal grants typically push award timelines into the following fall, which could delay construction start to spring 2028 if those funds become essential to the project budget.
Staff estimated an additional long-term fundraising need (discussed as roughly a $40 million program at prior design scopes) and identified a nearer-term gap of about $1.5–2 million that would help keep Phase 3 on a faster schedule. The Milwaukee Parks Foundation and local philanthropies were identified as potential backstops for some near-term dollars; staff cautioned that using donor or URRA funds to front federal-matchable elements requires confirming grant rules in advance.
Councilors then turned to separate community proposals that would expand swim access at Milwaukee Bay Park, including a floating swim dock, a ramp to water level and buoyed swim areas. Staff and Marine Board contacts raised safety and permitting concerns: floating docks and any work below ordinary high water may require additional federal permits and lengthy technical studies, and marine safety (boat traffic and prop-strike risk) would need to be addressed.
“I would love for us one day to have a swim dock in Milwaukee Bay Park,” a councilor said, while others recommended that staff scope a preliminary analysis with community proponents and report back at the quarterly check-in. Council members consistently emphasized that any swim-access work should not slow delivery of the Phase 3 core scope.
Next steps: staff will convene community proponents, scope cost and permitting implications for swim access, and return at a quarterly check‑in with a staff recommendation that preserves Phase 3’s delivery timeline.
