Not everyone foresaw the momentum in progress on Villard Avenue five years ago.

But Angelique Sharpe, then the Villard Business Improvement District 19 liaison at Havenwoods Economic Development Corp., knew it was possible if the neighborhood received the type of support more affluent areas receive.

“Everyone should be elated to see the communities that need it most finally get a seat at the table and get funding they desperately need,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe referred to the latest in a series of history-shaping developments in the neighborhood – a $14 million RAISE grant that will fund a redesign of Villard Avenue.

She calls it a major boost for a neighborhood that decades ago housed one of the most vibrant commercial corridors in the city but fell on hard times as industries collapsed.

“This grant award is catalytic and is historic on so many levels,” said Sharpe, who now manages the Black Business Boost Program at the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. “It’s going to build on all the great work that’s been done over the past few years.”

RAISE stands for Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity.

A new plan for the neighborhood

The efforts of Sharpe and others led to a new strategic plan for the area, which includes the redevelopment of vacant commercial properties; public art; community events; improved streetscapes and measures to reduce reckless driving and increase safety; the recruitment of new business; and the development of affordable housing. 

The grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation had been awarded to projects in Milwaukee only twice before.

The first was to build a bridge on Juneau Avenue over the Milwaukee River and the second funded an extension of the streetcar. Both projects were based Downtown. 

The most recent award is intended to increase the connectivity and safety of Villard Avenue and surrounding streets.

Plans include new bike lanes, a shared use trail that will connect to the Oak Leaf Trail and others in the future, a pedestrian plaza on Hopkins Street and other major improvements, said Mike Amsden, multimodal transportation manager for the City of Milwaukee’s Department of Public Works.

The plans for the funds came directly from the work of the Villard Business Improvement District and the community, he added.

There’s still no date set for work funded through the RAISE grant to begin, Amsden said.

“I think Villard Avenue is going to be one of the best designed streets in the city,” he said.

Amy Oeth, senior planner for the Department of City Development, worked with the Villard BID, or Business Improvement District, and others to host a meeting of stakeholders during the pandemic as part of the strategic plan for the area.

“I think there’s already been much positive movement for economic development, and the street project will continue that work,” Oeth said.

Que El-Amin, a developer who grew up near Villard Avenue, was one of the first to bring major investment to the area in recent years when he built the mixed-use Villard Commons.

"It will change attitudes"

He said he’s happy to see federal interest in the area.

“The redoing of the street is major,” he said. “When you redo the streets and the infrastructure to improve businesses in the area, it will change attitudes. And when people have something that they take pride in, they take better care of it.”

The remaking of the street also will help improve safety, he added, something that’s been a major aspect of the revitalization process on Villard Avenue.

Stephanie Harling, executive director of the Havenwoods Economic Development Corp., which helped to relaunch the business district under Sharpe’s guidance in 2018, said vacant buildings and reckless driving are some of the biggest hurdles left to tackle in the area.

Although high-tech cameras placed at different intersections on Villard Avenue, curb extensions and other measures aligned with the Vision Zero strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities have improved safety, more work is needed.

Connecting to businesses

In addition, Harling and others will work to ensure new construction does not impede current or prospective business owners.

“We’ll let them know what’s going on and what’s going to happen and find other ways to support them,” she said.

One idea, she said, is to encourage businesses to take advantage of available funds to improve their facades and properties in general – and to encourage entrepreneurs to redevelop properties to coincide with the other improvements.

Brian Rott, the founding artistic director of Quasimondo Milwaukee Physical Theatre, 5151 N. 35th St., and a longtime member of the Villard BID, looks forward to a new Villard Avenue that is reminiscent of the historic one.

“Traffic will be slower, and the streets will be accessible to pedestrians,” he said. “You would want to spend the afternoon going to the restaurant and shopping at stores in the area, just enjoying all that the neighborhood has to offer.”