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.
• Want another hotel located in the heart of downtown Milwaukee? How about two? How about three? Well, you’re in luck, potential hotel guest and/or hotel fan, because Minnesota-based JR Hospitality plans to build three hotels on the southwest corner of E. Michigan St. and N. Jefferson St. Two Hilton hotels, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Tru by Hilton, will share one 213-room building, while a Holiday Inn Express will have 115 rooms. Each hotel will have six floors. [Urban Milwaukee]
• The state Department of Transportation recently put a high-profile chunk of Milwaukee lakefront property up for sale, in hopes of attracting some serious New Shit. The 2.66-acre site, located near the Milwaukee Art Museum and Discovery World, has had many suitors over the years, including Johnson Controls, Foxconn, and Amazon. The price tag? A cool $15.25 million. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• The Couture, the 44-story apartment tower long-envisioned for the former site of the Downtown Transit Center, finally secured a federal loan guarantee. “This is a major milestone for The Couture that enables us to move forward with the final stage of financing,” said developer Rick “No Relation To Tom” Barrett. [Urban Milwaukee]
• A surefire way to irritate a passionate Milwaukee urbanist is to complain about all the new condos being built. “They’re NOT condos!” the passionate Milwaukee urbanist will retort. “They’re apartments!” Indeed, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, “there haven’t been any major condo buildings developed in Milwaukee for around a decade.” BUT, the paper continues, “with a stronger housing market, some developers say demand is returning for condos in or near downtown.” Anyway, more condos! [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• Those Bay View horse stables for Milwaukee Police Department horses are finally a go. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Ohio-based Woda Cooper Co. wants to buy a 1.6-acre parcel at 100 E. National Ave. and build 100 units of affordable housing there. [Milwaukee Business Journal]