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.
• A quick timeline: Horny Goat Hideaway, 2011-2029 S. First St., closed in 2015. Michels Corp. bought the former brewery—as well as an adjoining automotive drilling business and a single-story office building—in 2017. The complex was demolished last week. Now, Michels is releasing details of its planned $100 million mixed-use development on the site. The so-called River 1 project will serve as a home for Michels’ regional office, and will include “220,000 square feet of office space, 67 units of multi-family housing, 19,000 square feet of retail, a 103 room hotel, and nearly 1000 underground parking spaces.” Phase one of the development is expected to be finished by summer 2020. [BizTimes]
• A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Legacy Lofts apartment complex, a $13.9 million, 64-unit development located in the former Blommer Ice Cream factory in Lindsay Heights. According to Urban Milwaukee, “the bulk of the units in the project will be affordable housing set aside for those making between $17,400 and $46,920.” [Urban Milwaukee]
• A former underperforming office building located at 735 W. Wisconsin Ave. has been converted into apartments. The 12-story building—now dubbed 735 West—features 144 one-bedroom and studio apartments with rents starting at $799 a month. [BizTimes]
• A former Pabst Brewing Co. warehouse in Walker’s Point is being converted into—wait for it—apartments. Phase one of the project will feature 29 one-bedroom apartments and six two-bedroom units. Monthly rents will be between $1,295 and $2,395 a month. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• “From my perspective, this is the most significant step that we have taken to move Century City forward,” Mayor Tom Barrett said about Good City Brewing moving its headquarters to the Century City Business Park on city’s North Side. [Urban Milwaukee]
• The State of Wisconsin has chosen two Milwaukee sites—N. 27th St. and W. Wisconsin Ave., and N. 5th St. and W. Michigan St.—for a new office building and crime lab. [Urban Milwaukee]