A PARK AND OPEN SPACE PLAN FOR MILWAUKEE COUNTY SUMMARY REPORT MAY 1991 MILWAUKEE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, RECREATION AND CULTURE Summary Report A PARK AND OPEN SPACE PLAN FOR MILWAUKEE COUNTY PROPOSED NEW PLAN COMPLETED kee County. The report provides information on recent park and open space acquisition and devel- In 1977, the Regional Planning Commission pre- opment within the County; incorporates new land pared a regional park and open space plan for use and natural resource inventory and planning Southeastern Wisconsin. That plan was adopted by data; and, as necessary, sets forth revised recom- the Milwaukee County Board in 1978 as a guide mendations on park and open space site acquisition to the acquisition and development of needed park and development within Milwaukee County. The and open space sites and facilities in the County. report also contains a set of park and open space At the request of Milwaukee County, the South- preservation, acquisition, and development objec- eastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission tives and supporting standards relevant to the has prepared a new County park plan. needs and values of the citizens of the County, and identifies the roles which the State and local Adoption and implementation of the plan will, over agencies of government, as well as the County, time, result in the completion of an integrated park should play in meeting park and related open space and related open space system within the County- needs within the County in a fully coordinated, a system which can continue to preserve and cooperative manner. Adoption of the plan by the enhance the natural resource base, while at the County Board and by the Wisconsin Department of same time providing, in an efficient and effective Natural Resources will make the County eligible for manner, opportunities for a wide range of high- up to 50 percent assistance in the acquisition and quality outdoor recreational experiences. The development of outdoor recreation and open space importance of the implementation of this plan to the sites and related facilities. This pamphlet presents overall quality of life within the County cannot be a summary of the new Milwaukee County park and overemphasized. Milwaukee County is blessed with open space plan. an abundance of high-quality resource amenities, including Lake Michigan shoreline, numerous rivers EXISTING PARK AND OPEN SPACE SITES and streams, attractive and environmentally impor- tant woodlands and wetlands, and scenic lands- As indicated on Map 1 and in Table 1, the Milwau- capes. Unfortunately, these resource amenities are kee County park and parkway system in 1990 all too often taken for granted, or worse, abused and consisted of 140 sites encompassing 14,725 acres, destroyed. These natural resource amenities are as or about 9 percent of the total area of the County. irreplaceable as they are invaluable, and once lost, The 128 County parks ranged in size from Whitnall are lost forever. Action taken now to complete the Park, a 640-acre regional park located in the south- County park and parkway system will not only western portion of the County to five small parks preserve these natural resources and therefore the less than one acre in size. These County parks unique natural beauty, cultural heritage, and overall provided such facilities as ball diamonds and other environmental quality of Milwaukee County for all playfields, tennis courts, children's play areas, time, but will also assure the provision of recrea- swimming pools and beaches, golf courses, and tional resources that can continue to provide picnic areas. residents of the County with outstanding opportu- nities to participate in a wide variety of wholesome The 12 County parkways ranged in size from the outdoor recreational activities close to home. 3,929-acre Root River Parkway to the II-acre Grantosa Parkway. County-owned parkways The proposed new County park plan is set forth in encompass and protect the natural resources SEWRPC Community Assistance Planning Report associated with the rivers and streams of the No. 132, A Park and Open Space Plan for Milwau- County. Table 1 MILWAUKEE COUNTY PARKS AND PARKWAYS: 1990 Number Number on Map 1 I Site Name I Acres on Map 1 I Site Name Acres Alcott ................ 72 Lindsay ............... Algonquin ............. 73 Little Menomonee Armour .............. River Parkway ........... Atkinson .............. 74 Lyons ................. Back Bay .............. 75 Madison ............... Baran ............... 76 Maitland ............... Barnard .............. 77 Manitoba .............. Bay View ............. 78 McCarty ............... Bender ............... 79 McGovern .............. Big Bay ............... 80 McKinley .............. Bluff ................ 81 Meaux ................ Bradford Beach .......... 82 Menomonee River Parkway .... Brown Deer ............ 83 Metcalfe ............... Burns Triangle .......... 84 Milwaukee River Parkway Chicago & North Western (includes Cambridge Woods) ... Railroad Right-of-way ..... 85 Mitchell ............... Caesar's .............. 86 Mitchell Airport ........... Cannon .............. 87 Mitchell Boulevard ......... Carver ............... 88 Moody ................ Cathedral Square ......... 89 Morgan Triangle .......... Center ............... 90 Nash ................. Chippewa ............. 91 Noyes ................ Clark Square ........... 92 Oak Creek Parkway ........ Clas ................ 93 Oakwood .............. Columbus ............. 94 O'Donnell .............. Cooper ............... 95 Parksite 56 ............. Copernicus ............ 96 Parksite 59 ............. Cudahy ............... 97 Parksite 64 ............. Cudahy Nature Preserve ..... 98 Parksite 65 ............. Currie ............... 99 Parksite 71 ............. Dale Creek Parkway ....... 100 Pere Marquette ........... Dineen ............... 101 Pleasant Valley ........... Doctors .............. 102 Popuch ................ Doyne ............... 103 Prospect Triangle .......... Dretzka ............... 104 Pulaski (Cudahy) .......... Estabrook ............. 105 Pulaski (Milwaukee) ........ Euclid ............... 106 Rainbow ............... Falk ................. 107 Rawson ............... Franklin .............. 108 Red Arrow .............. Froemming ............ 109 Riverfront Launch Site ....... Garden Homes Square ..... 110 Riverside ............... Gilman Triangle ......... 11 1 Root River Parkway ........ Gordon ............... 112 Rose ................. Grant ................ 113 St. Martin's ............. Grantosa Parkway ........ 114 Saveland ............... Greene ............... 11 5 Schoenecker ............ Greenfield ............. 11 6 Scout Lake ............. Grobschmidt ........... 117 Sheridan ............... Hales Corners ........... 118 Sherman ............... Hanson .............. 119 Smith ................ Highland .............. 120 South Shore ............. Holler ............... 121 Tiefenthaler ............. Holt ................. 122 Tippecanoe ............. Honey Creek Parkway 123 Trimborn Farm ........... (North and South) ........ 124 Underwood Creek Parkway .... Hoyt ................ 125 Valley ................ Humboldt ............. 126 Veterans ............... Jackson .............. 127 Vogel ................. Jacobus .............. 128 Wahl ................. Johnsons ............. 129 Walker Square ........... Johnstone ............. 130 Warnimont ............. Juneau ............... 131 Washington ............. Kern ................ 132 Wedgewood ............. King ................ 133 West Milwaukee .......... Kinnickinnic River Parkway ... 134 Whitnall ............... Kletzsch .............. 135 Wilson ................ Kops ................ 136 Wilson Recreational Center. Kosciusko ............ 137 Wisconsin Avenue ......... La Follette ............. 138 Wyrick ................ Lake ............... 139 Zablocki ............... Lincoln .............. 140 Zeidler ................ Lincoln Creek Parkway .... Lindbergh ............ Total Site Area Source: Milwaukee County Department of Parks. Recreation and Culture; and SEWRPC. The County park and parkway system also offers a in width. As shown on Map 2, in 1990, primary variety of special recreational facilities, including environmental corridors encompassed 10,277 such facilities as the Boerner Botanical Gardens at acres, or about 7 percent of the total area of the Whitnall Park; the ice arena at the Wilson Recrea- County. Of this total, about 6,787 acres, or about tional Center; and the Horticultural Conservatory at 66 percent, were located within the Milwaukee Mitchell Park. In addition, the County provides County park and parkway system, primarily within about 89 miles of trails and bicycle routes in the Little Menomonee River, the Menomonee River, County parks and parkways and along public the Oak Creek, and the Root River Parkways. streets in the County. Secondary environmental corridors connect with In 1990, there were also 584 other public park and primary environmental corridors and provide areas open space sites, school outdoor recreation sites, for the movement of wildlife, maintain "pockets" of and private outdoor recreation sites in Milwaukee natural resource features, and facilitate surface County, having a combined area of 5,650 acres, or water drainage. Secondary environmental corridors about 4 percent of the total area of the County. Of are, by definition, at least 100 acres in size and one this total, 422 sites, or 72 percent of the sites, and mile in length. As shown