Major projects in Port of Milwaukee get approval to move forward

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Two major leases are moving forward at the Port of Milwaukee after they were approved by the Board of Harbor Commissioners Thursday morning, Aug. 6. 

The construction company, Michels, will be renewing its lease for its corporate location for 99 years at the Port of Milwaukee. 

Michels' corporate already has a presence at the Grand Trunk section of the port. 

The agricultural product wholesaler, Delong, will be developing a facility on Jones Island, and will have a 30-year lease. 

Delong will be investing $31 million and it will be the largest investment in the port's history. 

Port officials say these companies will bolster the economy of the City of Milwaukee. 

"The Board of Harbor Commissioners and the City of Milwaukee has tried and sought out new development opportunities at the parcel for decades, over twenty years at least. So, to see a visionary project like Michel’s coming forward with an almost hundred-year commitment to developing and realizing opportunities for that sight really is the culmination of twenty years of work,” Port Director Adam Tindall-Schlicht said. 

In September, the leases will have to be approved by the Milwaukee Common Council.