Depending on which news sources you follow, Milwaukee is going through either a “renaissance” or a “reinvention.” Or maybe it’s a “reboot” or a “reimagining,” like that crappy Tim Burton version of Planet Of The Apes. However you want to define it, it’s safe to say that Milwaukee is currently building a lot of new shit.
• Hot on the heels of Oakland and Locust losing one of its 17 pizza places comes news that the beat-up/boarded-up Cousins Subs on the well-trafficked corner is set to become—wait for it—a five-story mixed-use apartment thingy. The Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee unanimously approved a zoning change to make the “catalytic” project a reality. Per Urban Milwaukee:
Area alderman and committee member [Nik] Kovac noted he had received 10 letters in support and five in opposition. Speaking in support of the project, Kovac said he doesn’t anticipate the project will trigger a wave of development in the area. While he supports development of the surface parking lot at the northwest corner of N. Oakland Ave. and E. Locust St. (and across the street from the proposed 2900 Apartments), other large projects for the area would likely to run into opposition because they would require tearing down historic buildings. [Urban Milwaukee]
• The Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee also approved the sale of a small city-owned lot in the Brady Street neighborhood for development of—you’re never going to believe this—a “three-story building that includes first-floor commercial space and three apartments.” The exact location of the site is 1697 N. Marshall St. [Urban Milwaukee]
• The owner of a mixed-use development in Walker’s Point wants more retail; the city does not, and wants to focus on office space. Could the city’s opposition be related to the fact that an unnamed “national off-price retail chain” is interested in the space? Who’s to say! [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• That unnamed national off-price retail chain, FYI, is Ross Dress For Less. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Hotel Metro, 411 E. Mason St., is set to be converted into Wisconsin’s first Marriott Autograph hotel. So what can Wisconsin expect from the Metro’s “boutique” conversion? “It is a really expensive move,” hotel industry analyst Greg Hanis told BizTimes. “Marriott does not come cheap. Not only is the conversion going to be expensive, but the ongoing operation of the hotel is going to be expensive. Marriott has some very strict standards you have to comply with.” [BizTimes]
• Late-night cookie purveyors Insomnia Cookies are planning to open a second location in Bay View, at 2217 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Insomnia currently operates a location on the East Side, in the building where the old Pizza Man used to be (R.I.P. Grecian Delight). [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• The new Bucks arena is coming along nicely! [Urban Milwaukee]