(The Center Square) – As the Milwaukee Brewers get ready to start a new season, the future of a new ballpark addition remains up in the air.
Brewers President of Baseball Operations Rick Schlesinger on Tuesday said they are likely a long way away from even making a decision on a so-called beer district.
“That’s probably a long-time planning,” Schlesinger said during an interview on News Talk 1130 WISN. “We’ve had a number of discussions with potential developers. The conditions to do it have to make sense, both economically and we have to do something that works with the neighborhood…I wouldn’t say anything is imminent, but we’re doing a lot of research and analysis.”
The possible district would be loosely modeled after the Milwaukee Bucks’ Deer District. Plans could include a hotel, bars, restaurants, and even office and apartment space.
Schlesinger said in addition to being mindful of American Family Field’s neighbors, he also wants to be mindful of Brewer fans and their tailgating tradition.
“We do have a tailgating culture, and we also love the convenience for fans of having so many parking spaces,” Schlesinger added.
But he also said American Family Field is not in the city’s center, like Wrigley Field in Chicago or Busch Stadium in St. Louis.
“We don’t have a lot of people who can walk to the ballpark,” he said. “So, we need to make sure that we are accommodating fans who come to the ballpark for games, as well as figure out a way to figure out a way for commercial, residential, and industrial real estate development that makes sense for the neighborhood.”
The Brewers are required to study a beer district as part of the 2023 state law that guaranteed American Family Field’s owner, the Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, nearly $379 million in state money.
An early draft of that study suggests it could cost as much as $821 million to build the new district.
The Brewers are opening a new patio area at the ballpark this year, but it will be built along an empty walkway just outside of Am Fam Field.
Schlesinger said that patio will open a temporary space later this summer and be fully open sometime next year.
