Economic development and job creation

Menomonee Valley – The Menomonee Valley redevelopment project will transform a nearly abandoned 1,200 acre area into the thriving industrial center of Milwaukee that it once was.  Surrounded by downtown Milwaukee, cultural and entertainment attractions, and new and established neighborhoods, this project will create hundreds of high paying manufacturing jobs to support Milwaukee families.  Mayor Barrett recently announced Palermo Villa, Inc., a family-owned Italian food manufacturer, will become the first company to relocate to the Menomonee Valley.  Barrett and other representatives from City government are involved in this public-private collaboration to ensure the success of the Menomonee Valley redevelopment project. 

Park East – Once an awkward and unappealing highway corridor running through the center of downtown, this riverside parcel of land represents almost unlimited development opportunities.  The plan for the Park East area includes residential, office, retail and entertainment uses projected to total $250 million in development.  Building in this area will soon begin as a proposal for the use of the City's portion of Park East is currently under review.  Mayor Barrett is working in conjunction with Milwaukee County to accelerate and promote the development of Park East.  For more information about the Park East project visit the City or County's websites at http://www.mkedcd.org/parkeast/index.html or http://www.county.milwaukee.gov/display/router.asp?docid=7804.
 

Minimum wage – Mayor Barrett led the recent effort to increase minimum wage in Milwaukee, and the Common Council voted unanimously to increase the City's minimum wage.  The minimum wage will increase in two steps.  First, from $5.15 to $5.75 an hour as of October 1, and then to $6.50 an hour a year later.  "Raising the minimum wage particularly helps women and minorities, and obviously Milwaukee's working families would see more disposable income rather than inflation eating away at their purchasing power.  Families gain.  Business gains," said Mayor Barrett.
 

Summer youth job partnership – Mayor Barrett made a commitment to help create summer employment opportunities for Milwaukee teens in his first State of the City address.  The Mayor's Summer Youth Jobs Partnership will provide a few hundred employment opportunities to young adults in both City government and the private sector.