MONROE - Options for the downtown municipal parking ramp are still on the table, especially after the city was approached by a housing company to develop multi-family dwellings at the site of the current, much-debated structure.
Assistant City Administrator Martin Shanks said he was recently approached by the Milwaukee office of MSP Real Estate Inc. about laying out a plan to develop the parking ramp site into housing. Shanks said representatives plan to attend the Nov. 1 council meeting to share more details.
City council members decided April 19 that the ramp should be torn down because of its threat to public safety and its increasing deterioration. But when aldermen voted on the issue, they could not agree on what type of parking would replace the 212-stall ramp.
Requests for proposals were sent out Oct. 7, Mayor Louis Armstrong said during Tuesday's common council meeting. Opening bids are due back to the city by Oct. 31.
At the beginning of the endeavor, the plan was to have the ramp torn down by September, yet it still stands, he said. Armstrong added that it bothers him "that timing has been an issue" and an update may provide clarity on the reason the city project is several months behind schedule. He requested a report from staff within the city explaining the reason the planned timeline was not followed. The report will be provided to the city during the next council meeting as well.
Assistant City Administrator Martin Shanks said he was recently approached by the Milwaukee office of MSP Real Estate Inc. about laying out a plan to develop the parking ramp site into housing. Shanks said representatives plan to attend the Nov. 1 council meeting to share more details.
City council members decided April 19 that the ramp should be torn down because of its threat to public safety and its increasing deterioration. But when aldermen voted on the issue, they could not agree on what type of parking would replace the 212-stall ramp.
Requests for proposals were sent out Oct. 7, Mayor Louis Armstrong said during Tuesday's common council meeting. Opening bids are due back to the city by Oct. 31.
At the beginning of the endeavor, the plan was to have the ramp torn down by September, yet it still stands, he said. Armstrong added that it bothers him "that timing has been an issue" and an update may provide clarity on the reason the city project is several months behind schedule. He requested a report from staff within the city explaining the reason the planned timeline was not followed. The report will be provided to the city during the next council meeting as well.