Milwaukee-area investor Timothy M. Krause's hopes drew an immediate and negative response from a key Bradley Center official and the executive director of the Greater Milwaukee Committee. The Bradley Center board has an option to buy the land that Krause covets.
Speaking publicly for the first time, Krause also released renderings of the proposed soccer stadium, which features a design that evokes London's Wembley Stadium, and articulated his vision that his group's 20,000-seat facility could complement the city's stated desire to create a sports-entertainment district along N. 4th St. from the Grand Avenue mall north to the Park East Freeway.
"The stadium is great for Milwaukee - it can happen in Milwaukee, and we shouldn't make the mistake of not doing it - because Milwaukee can sometimes get in its own way of doing something good," said Krause, a member of a prominent family that ran the old Krause Milling Co. "This is an opportunity that can be a real catalytic development for Milwaukee. That's why I'm focused on it."
The GMC and Ulice Payne Jr, chairman of the Bradley Center board, were cool to Krause's proposal.
"Should the land north of the Bradley Center gain serious consideration as a potential soccer site, a number of important issues must be addressed, Payne said. "There are real and significant questions about other potential uses of the land, parking implications, impact on other development, vehicle and pedestrian traffic, and more.
"At this point, the idea of building a professional soccer stadium just north of the Bradley Center doesn't seem to be a logical fit with the overall plan, but we'll still listen."
Krause's investor group, known formally as Wisconsin Sports Management LLC, plans to make a presentation to the MLS Board of Governors this week seeking a franchise for Milwaukee by the beginning of the 2003 season. The Milwaukee group plans to meet with league officials on Friday in San Jose, California, during the league's all-star break, with a final decision expected in the autumn.
Krause's group will demonstrate that he has obtained oral commitments from investors and letters of intent and has money in the bank.
A Milwaukee businessman has launched an ambitious bid to bring Major League Soccer to the city by proposing the construction of a $50million (B
