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.
• Milwaukee’s harbor area is due for a much-needed facelift this summer. A public plaza and “wetland garden” will take over a city-owned vacant lot at the end of E. Greenfield Avenue. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• A five-building apartment complex, complete with 191 housing units and maybe some condos, is coming to Brewers Hill. Work is set to begin in spring. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• A four-story, mixed-use development dubbed 3600@Villard is coming to 37th and Villard. The project, located two blocks west of the redeveloped Villard Square public library, will feature 43 affordable apartment units. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Buckley’s Restaurant & Bar, located on 801 N. Cass St., will expand and take over an adjacent driveway and residential building. The super-sized restaurant will sport two new bars, an expanded kitchen, and a second-floor balcony. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• State Fair Park’s Cream Puff Pavilion is due for a $6-million upgrade. According to Gov. Scott Walker, who is expected to include the project in his upcoming budget, the modernization will be funded entirely by private gifts. [BizTimes]
• The Milwaukee Bucks’ entertainment center took another step closer to reality with an approval from the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee. The still-open-for-change plans call for “three buildings, separated by two public walkways, totaling 104,000 square feet, east of N. 4th St. between W. Highland and W. Juneau avenues.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• St. John’s on the Lake is planning a third tower on Milwaukee’s East Side, and will “replace or significantly expand” its existing three-story assisted living building. [BizTimes]
• Two proposals are currently duking it out for dominance of the empty city-owned lot on the corner of N. Fourth Street and W. Wisconsin Avenue: Nexus and eMbarKE. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• This week in faux-fancy names for hulking apartment complexes: “Vignette,” the fourth phase of The North End development, is nearing completion. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Buy hey, rents are falling! [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]