Martin Drive Community Gardens is located on the SW corner of N. 46th St and W. Vliet St, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This property is currently owned by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. Over the past five years the neighborhood has worked to transform the previously unused property into a vibrant community space by adding six raised flower/vegetable beds, two vegetable beds along the fence line, additional landscaping, and five Aldo Leopold benches.
Finding a water source for the gardens became an immediate need. Initially, they were able to obtain a permit for the use of a fire hydrant near the gardens. In 2010, the City of Milwaukee notified them of their plans to start eliminating the use of fire hydrant permits for urban gardens. The gardens began looking for other sustainable solutions for
harvesting rainwater. In the summer of 2014, they contacted Reflo to develop design plans for an open air structure to aid summertime activities. Reflo has been tasked with designing a multipurpose structure that can provide shelter space as well as harvest rainwater for the gardens.
Photos of our design can be seen below.
