The Milwaukee City Plan Commission on Oct. 20 approved a resolution allowing Milwaukee Boat Line to install an ADA-compliant ramp, stair access and railings to its existing deck at 1124 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, adjacent to the Milwaukee River.

Kristen Connolly, Department of City Development planner, said the site sits within the Riverwalk site plan review overlay zone and staff reviewed the proposal for the overlay standards. "Staff does recommend approval," Connolly said, noting the project increases accessibility and uses native plantings to provide year-round interest.

Jake Chenelly, owner and operator of Milwaukee Boat Line, described the project as replacing older gangways with a more permanent poured, reinforced-concrete ramp arranged in four sections flanking a stairway, with ADA-compliant handrails fabricated from 6061 aluminum and stainless-steel hardware. He said the primary vessel access remains a 40-foot articulating gangway that adjusts for river height and connects to a floating dock. Chenelly said the company will plant native pollinator species, including lavender and milkweed, in new planter beds.

Commissioners asked about the ramp-to-vessel interface and whether lifts would be used; Chenelly said access to the vessels is provided by the articulating gangway and the floating dock. With no public testimony and planning staff recommending approval, the commission moved and seconded the resolution and voted to approve the site improvements. The approval is required because the site work is within the Riverwalk overlay zone and the proposal is consistent with the downtown area plan’s goal of making public spaces more accessible.