Potawatomi Casino Hotel in Milwaukee files permits for temporary outdoor music venue
Potawatomi Casino Hotel has taken a critical next step to try to get a temporary outdoor music venue up and running for this summer.
The Forest County Potawatomi Community on Monday filed permit applications with the Milwaukee Department of Neighborhood Services for an outdoor stage, fence and 10 tents, including two VIP tents. Specifics on what those live entertainment events may be are not in the filings, but they are planned for June 15, July 18, July 26 to 28, and Aug. 22.
July 18 will be the last day of the the Republican National Convention, which will start July 15, while July 26 to 28 lines up with the Harley-Davidson Homecoming Festival.
Provided DNS issues permits, the outdoor venue will be built on a 9.2-acre site the Potawatomi purchased in 2015 from Cargill Inc. that used to house a slaughterhouse just west of the casino and a research and development facility just east of the casino and the 16th Street viaduct — facilities that have since been torn down.
It's also the site, sources previously have told the Journal Sentinel, where Potawatomi is seeking to build a $200 million indoor concert venue that will seat up to 6,000 people. The tribe plans to finance the project itself, with tentative plans to gain city approval and break ground in early 2025.
In February, Dominic Ortiz, property chief executive officer and general manager for the Milwaukee casino and hotel, revealed plans for a temporary outdoor concert venue this summer that can accommodate nearly 6,000 people, with up to 2,800 seats. A Potawatomi spokeswoman declined comment Tuesday.
Potawatomi won at least $415 million from gamblers during the 12-month period that ended June 30, according to a Journal Sentinel calculation based on fees paid by the tribe to the city and county of Milwaukee.
Tom Daykin contributed to this report.
Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee's Potawatomi Casino Hotel files outdoor music venue permits
