Photo credit: Milwaukee County Parks' Facebook Page
Nearly 11 months after the proposed repurposing of the historic Bradford Beach Bathhouse, the public will finally be able to address its views about the project to Milwaukee County officials, during two virtual hearings.
Milwaukee County Parks will provide an informational report to the County Board’s Parks, Energy and Environment Committee during its 9 a.m. hearing on Tuesday, January 26. The Lakefront Development Advisory Commission (LDAC), which includes county and city officials and citizen representatives, will address the issue for its entire meeting 5 p.m. Wednesday, January 27. Information about how the public may comment is included at the end of this article.
The open upper deck of Bradford Beach’s public pavilion overlooking Lake Michigan might soon be cordoned off regularly from the public for private parties, and otherwise function as a pricey bar-and-dining establishment. The Dock Bradford, LLC, of Park Ridge, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, has operated Bradford Beach concessions for Milwaukee County since 2019 and wants to significantly expand its operations. It currently provides beverages and food in the pavilion’s lower level and at three tiki-hut bars on the Milwaukee County beach, plus cabana rentals.
The Dock’s management has submitted revamped designs to install a “semi-permanent” bar adapted from a 2.6-ton steel shipping container on the historic ship-like pavilion’s upper deck. The modular bar would jut out from a wall in the center of the open deck. The Dock’s owners said in a questionnaire required by the Lakefront Development Advisory Commission (LDAC) that the vendors anticipate their overall gross revenues will more than double within five years, from when their lease started in 2019. They also said, “the project shall serve to ease the overcrowding of the beach/lakefront.”
The company’s original plan called for the shipping container to house the bar and two additional shipping containers on the upper deck for private dining space. Milwaukee’s Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) last summer approved the bar with modifications but rejected the plan for the restaurant. The Dock suggested they may return with modified restaurant plans but have not yet done so.
Raising Concerns
Neighborhood residents and preservationists, including HPC staff and members, have raised numerous concerns about the proposals. They included loss of public access (which appears to be required by The Dock’s lease with Milwaukee County); inappropriate and unsightly alterations to the historic 1949 Moderne-style landmark; potential danger to the building’s structural integrity from the weight of containers; additional noise affecting neighbors; and a further loss of a family-atmosphere in this Milwaukee park with the continuing growth of alcohol-related options and spaces.
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Another key unresolved issue is the proposed project’s compliance with Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Th HPC indicated in its report that the Dock Bradford will need to return to HPC with its plan for ADA accommodations, after consulting with the city's Department of Neighborhood Services.
The beach house was listed in 2005 as a Milwaukee County Historic Landmark. It is also listed within the City of Milwaukee’s North Point North Historic District as a “contributing structure,” and within a Milwaukee County Historic District, called “Lake Michigan Parkway North.” The latter has been deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. The district encompasses Lincoln Memorial Drive, designed as a scenic parkway, and its adjacent parks.
Upgrade the Amenities
The Dock Bradford LLC, compared its plans to their first beachside facility, The Dock at Montrose Beach in Chicago. Their statement to LDAC said, “The idea for the first restaurant mirrors the one that we wish to bring to Bradford Beach now, to upgrade a dining amenity for beach goers. Requiring people to bring their own food and drinks to enjoy a day at the beach often precluded families from venturing out, and the thought of having to pack a cooler dissuaded neighborhood residents who would have otherwise ventured there. The lack of families enjoying the beach also created a reputation, warranted or not, that the beach was not the safest place to go.
“After opening the The Dock at Montrose Beach, the beach itself was very quickly transformed, while the number of beach goers stayed the same, the neighborhood mix that the beach attracted had changed quite a bit. We see the beach house at Bradford Beach calling out in the same way. At Montrose Beach we have found that people are less likely to leave behind empty bottles of beer in the sand when kids are running around building sandcastles. We expect the same result at Bradford once our upgraded dining amenity is operational.”
Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman said by phone that he disagrees with the assertion that Bradford Beach, located within his district, does not attract families, including those who build sandcastles. “Bradford Beach is a really wonderful beach for the whole community. It truly is a melting pot" for people of all ages and backgrounds, and for varied uses. Wasserman, who chairs the board's parks commitee, also said the beach has long been a safe place.
Proposed Destination for Private Parties
The Bradford vendors have said their business plan includes making the upper deck of the pavilion a destination for private events, including bachelor/bachelorette parties and corporate outings.
The Dock’s LDAC report said, “There will be no additional parking requirements.” Currently there are 87 total spaces, including four ADA parking spaces, in the Bradford Beach parking lot across from the pavilion. Additionally, three spaces are reserved for Milwaukee County staff and six reserved for staff of the Dock. Other spaces there and nearby on Lincoln Memorial Drive are for public use, and beach patrons regularly park on residential Wahl Avenue when those are not available.
A Milwaukee County Parks staff memorandum dated January 15 itemizes logistical tasks for the project to be checked off by Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee. It said, “These review comments are considered interim while the City of Milwaukee has review through the Department of Neighborhood Services pending. Milwaukee County Parks will finalize review during issuance of a right-of-entry permit for construction, which will refer to and include any City/State permits."
Private Use of Public Trust Doctrine Land
Six local and state environmental-advocacy organizations have written a letter to local and state officials outlining concerns about the proposed project, in terms of both Public Trust Doctrine and social-justice issues. The letter dated October 31, 2020, was signed by representatives of Midwest Environmental Advocates, Milwaukee Riverkeeper, Milwaukee Water Commons, Preserve Our Parks, Wisconsin’s Green Fire: Voices for Conservation, and Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. It said, in part, “The State of Wisconsin has historically been vigilant in assuring that the 'public' nature of these lands is preserved so that the general public reaps the full benefits of these resources.” The letter also said, “Historically, issues of social justice relating to proposed lakebed developments were not recognized as significant considerations, but we believe social justice considerations are very relevant to the protection and use of these public resources.” Bradford Beach is the county's primary beach north of downtown, and currently attracts thousands of people from throughout the city who go there in summer to enjoy Lake Michigan and cool off.
The joint letter also attached extensive documentation about precedents of development proposals on Milwaukee’s waterfront and ones processed by Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR) relating to “these types of proposals around the State of Wisconsin.” It cited DNR communication in June 1996, when Milwaukee County had several pending proposals for commercializing portions of the lakebed grant areas. The DNR, after conferring with the Attorney General’s office, stated: “We continue to object to the development of ‘destination’ restaurants, bars or similar commercial facilities on lakebed or riverbeds around Wisconsin. These developments are clearly not consistent with the provisions of our Constitution.”
The recent joint letter said, “The issues raised by the current development proposals are similar, and the law on these issues remains unchanged.” Milwaukee County Park’s January 15 memorandum said that Wisconsin's DNR “is currently reviewing the proposal for compliance with the regulations applicable to lakebed lands in the Public Trust Doctrine.”
Opportunities for Public Comment
Parks Committee:
Members of the public are invited to submit one written comment per agenda item (4,000 character maximum) through the County Legislative Information Center's (CLIC) "eComment" function. Please include in the first line of your submitted comment whether you support, are neutral, or oppose the item. The creation of a user login is required in order to submit comments, by using this link. eComments will be accepted upon agenda publication and through the duration of the meeting. The Office of the County Clerk collects eComments submitted via CLIC, and appends these official public records to Reference File No. 21-22 at the conclusion of each meeting. Residents may also send comments directly to their respective supervisors and members of the parks committee.
Lakefront Development Advisory Committee:
Time permitting, the LDAC Chairman will accept public comment limited to the matters on this agenda, posted here with related documents attached. This meeting will be live-streamed on the County Legislative Information Center.
To request a Teams invitation to join the meeting, please e-mail kelsey.evans@milwaukeecountywi.gov no later than when the Chairman announces the closing of the public comment period and indicate which e-mail address the invitation should be sent to.
The invitation will only be sent once LDAC reaches the comment phase of the meeting. LDAC will stand informal while members of the public join and may impose a two-minute time limit per speaker. Written testimony may also be provided in advance of the meeting by sending remarks or documentation to: billlynch@me.com, with carbon copy to: kelsey.evans@milwaukeecountywi.gov, no later than 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 27, 2021. Written testimony will be accepted up to 24 hours after meeting adjournment, only if LDAC does not adopt a recommendation at its Wednesday, January 27, 2021, meeting for the project.
