Live Nation-backed FPC Live gets Milwaukee Common Council approval for Deer District venues
Alison DirrAfter at times contentious debate in other forums, FPC Live's plan to develop two concert venues in Milwaukee's downtown Deer District sailed through the Common Council Tuesday with no opposition or discussion.
The venues, one with a 4,000-person-capacity and another that can hold up to 800 people, would be built just south of Fiserv Forum.
The proposal for the $50 million project found support from local labor organizations and faced opposition from competing live music venues.
At Tuesday's meeting, supporters and detractors sat separately in the Common Council Chambers to watch the vote.
"We're very appreciative of council support for our project. We're excited to continue the process moving forward," Joel Plant, CEO of FPC Live's parent company, Frank Productions, told the Journal Sentinel afterward.
Madison-based FPC Live is backed by nationwide concert promoter Live Nation. Executives from the company and the Milwaukee Bucks, which own the development site, have said the new venues would draw additional touring acts to the city.
Plant said a groundbreaking would take place in December. The venue is expected to open in early 2024, with Plant previously suggesting it could host about 135 events a year.
But not all supported the council's action.
Kelsey Kaufmann, operator of Bay View's Cactus Club, noted council members' lack of discussion ahead of the vote and the power of a corporation the size of Live Nation.
"Big money wins this round at the expense of artists and concertgoers," she said in a statement to the Journal Sentinel.
She also argued that there was a lack of exploration of the potential tax revenue that could be generated with a taller mixed-use facility in that spot.
The planned complex is four stories tall.
The 10 council members present at the meeting voted in favor of the legislation for zoning and design approval. Ald. Nikiya Dodd was excused.
Common Council President José G. Pérez told the Journal Sentinel that the proposal gained unanimous approval from the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee and the Common Council because members were basing their decisions on the detailed planned development.
"At that point, we're making decisions on materials and design and structure and not necessarily taking into account competition," he said.
Pérez's comments echoed those of Ald. Robert Bauman, whose district includes the proposed venue. Bauman said as the committee was considering the measure that the question of competition is not relevant to zoning issues but rather that the decision should be made based on the proposal's compliance with the city's zoning code.
That position was backed by Mayor Cavalier Johnson's Department of City Development.