While the county board refused to sell O'Donnell Park on Thursday, the board agreed to sell the nearby transit garage, for development of a high-rise.
The proposed Couture project would be 44 stories tall and offer high-end apartments, along with retail space and restaurants.
According to County Executive Chris Abele, the $122 million project "will change the skyline of Milwaukee, while also putting thousands of people to work and greatly improving the public’s access to our lakefront.”
The Couture would also feature a public plaza, walkway to lakefront and public parking.