WISCONSIN — Two park and ride lots will close indefinitely and another will be partially closed due to “declining safety conditions,” the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) announced on Monday.
The Holt Avenue lot will close on Monday, Oct. 21; the northeast College Avenue lot and portions of the southwest College Avenue lot will be closed soon after that one.
Marley Feuerstheler said she does her laundry at a local laundromat near the southwest College Avenue lot. Feuerstheler, her boyfriend and her dog, Honeybee, have lived in a tent at that lot for the past month.
“Nobody should be out in a tent, especially with the cold weather and how Wisconsin is. But nobody knows where to go and nobody really has a place to go or anything, so it will affect people,” Feuerstheler said. “You’re trying to kick people out and then they have nowhere else to go and they are just going to keep going places that they don’t want homeless people going.”
She said they had to move to the lot due to an abusive home life.
WisDOT said concrete barriers and fencing will be placed around those lots. Officials said there will be an ability to leave the lots, but not to enter them.
The decision comes amid a growing number of people living in their vehicles and in encampments at the lots. It’s something the organization has been wrestling with for almost a year.
Nick Catania has been living at the Holt Avenue lot for about six months. He said he doesn't have a home, despite being employed. He said he sets up conventions for the Baird Center, Panther Arena and Fiserv Forum.
Catania said, in his situation, it's impossible for him to afford rent plus daily essentials.
“You’re paying a ton of money for food, and you’ve got transportation and gas for your car and upkeep. I mean the inflation is just ridiculous," Catania said.
Over the past few months, officials with WisDOT and other organizations have worked with those living at the lots to let them know they would need to vacate per Wisconsin law. That law states it’s illegal to camp on public highways or adjacent “rights-of-way.”
Leaders have worked with the individuals to find them housing. So far, Milwaukee County Housing Services has found housing for more than 80 individuals, according to WisDOT. However, officials said that despite being able to find housing for those living there, more people have continued to enter the lots.
It’s causing an unsafe environment, according to WisDOT.
“The environments continue to degrade and become less safe every day,” the release reads.
WisDOT said that there has been an increase in emergency calls about dangerous or unsafe activity at the park and rides. There was a combined 275 calls for service between July 1 and Sept. 30 of this year — a close to 42% increase compared to the same time period in 2023.
“Public safety is first and foremost,” WisDOT Assistant Deputy Secretary Joel Nilsestuen said in a release. “Park and ride lots are not safe or suitable places for anyone to live. We’ve worked closely with our partners to connect individuals with available resources and relocate them to safer situations. We do not take this action lightly, but we recognize the importance of doing what’s right for the safety of the people in the park and rides, the traveling public and nearby communities.”
WisDOT said it’s evaluating ways to allow other park and rides to remain open and is exploring plans for reconfiguration at other lots. Officials said it was a difficult decision to for them to make given the depths of the homelessness issue nationwide, but that safety took precedence.
“We are concerned for the safety of those choosing to live in these lots, as well as for the safety of the surrounding community,” Wisconsin State Patrol Superintendent Tim Carnahan said in a release. “The reported incidents happening inside of these encampments and nearby neighborhoods are unacceptable. We are dedicated to protecting the public, and in doing so, we must do what’s necessary to ensure everyone’s safety.”
WisDOT said it is also working with the Milwaukee County Transit System for transit users who park in the lots and ride buses to their destination. Officials said there will be signage at the lots and that they will also reach out to riders to inform them about the changes to service.
WisDOT said work to find individuals safer and suitable housing will continue.
WisDOT had originally set a deadline of May 16 for people living at the lots to vacate. However, that deadline was not enforced as it worked to get people more permanent places to live.