Downtown’s beleaguered Shops of Grand Avenue (or the Grand Ave., if you’re nasty) has been a source of consternation for nearly two decades. The cavernous mall is more empty than full, and the only places worth visiting are Boston Store, T.J.Maxx, and the Rocky Rococo in the food court. Gallons of virtual ink have been spilled wondering what should be done to save the mall; and, because it’s Tuesday, yet another task force has been formed to save it from its seemingly inevitable doom.
The Milwaukee Business Journal is reporting that a new organization, the Wisconsin Avenue Milwaukee Development Corp. LLC (WAM DC) was formed a few months ago to tackle the tricky Grand Ave. problem. What does WAM DC have in mind?
One of the most important opportunities for the group could be site control on West Wisconsin Avenue, including of Grand Avenue, said Julia Taylor, president of the Greater Milwaukee Committee and a member of the task force that created the organization.
WAM DC could try to buy the property or promote a sale, Taylor said during the Milwaukee Business Journal’s Downtown CEO Roundtable on Tuesday morning.
Beyond a vague idea of buying the mall (“We see an opportunity to do something completely different there,”) and setting a meeting next week, nothing more has been hammered out. But, because reporting on each and every effort to save Grand Ave. is practically a federal mandate at this point, there you go.