Listen to this articleKENOSHA, Wis. — The city of Kenosha, Miron Construction and nonprofit Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood broke ground last Wednesday on the $23.5 million Kenosha Innovation Center. This will be the anchor development of the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood (KIN), a mixed-use redevelopment of 107 acres of a former Chrysler plant.
The project calls for a three-story, 64,000-square-foot building on a 3.5-acre portion of KIN, officials said. The facility is expected to be completed in summer of 2025. There will be tenant space, events and meeting spaces for the community. According to the KIN master plan, the mixed-use community will be located east of 30th Avenue between 52nd and 60th Streets.
The master plan included more than 1 million square feet of office, medical and commercial space, as well as up to 1,300 residential units including apartments and townhomes. The long-term plan would also create 20 acres of public green space.
Kenosha unveiled plans for the innovation center in March 2023 and selected Milwaukee-based Eppstein Uhen Architects (EUA) as its designer. The following winter, the city awarded Neenah-based Miron Construction the bid.
The project is supported by a $14 million state grant and a tax increment district, with the city managing development of the Kenosha Innovation Center project. When construction is completed, KIN will take over ownership and operations.
“Years of vision casting and planning have gone into the revitalization of this land,” said Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian. “Today marks a pivotal milestone as we celebrate the start of construction for the Kenosha Innovation Center.”
“We are thrilled to be a partner on this exciting project for the Kenosha community and surrounding region,” said Heather Turner Loth, project development practice leader and principal at EUA. “As we conceived ideas on design, intention was given to inclusivity, community, connectivity as well as setting a tone for the future development and paying tribute to the rich history of the site. We are honored to be a part of such an impactful project that will further elevate opportunities for innovation, education and community partnerships.”
“Miron is honored to partner with the City of Kenosha and the KIN to build the Kenosha Innovation Center,” said Jill Didier, vice president of business development for Miron Construction’s Milwaukee office. “We’ve seen firsthand what an incredible impact this type of development can have, and we are eager to contribute to Kenosha’s growth.”
In October 2023, KIN broke ground on a separate LakeView Technology Academy facility and infrastructure for the KIN site.