Depending on which news sources you follow, Milwaukee is going through either a “renaissance” or a “reinvention.” However you want to define it, it’s safe to say that Milwaukee is currently building a lot of new and wonderful things! Here are some of them, brought to you by GTG Home Buyers!
• The City of Milwaukee Department of City Development (DCD) has unveiled a plan to convert that big, blue, and vacant office tower at 310 W. Wisconsin Ave. into 220 multifamily residential units.
“310W Wisconsin Rollup LLC, who has partnered with Time Equities, Inc., is proposing a $73.6 million project to convert vacant office space within the east tower of 310 West Wisconsin Avenue into 220 multifamily residential units,” reads a press release. “The proposed project would include a mix of studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom homes, including 50 workforce housing units for households earning between 70% and 90% of the area median income (AMI).”
The Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee will review the proposal on August 20. The meeting will include a public hearing.
• NCG Hospitality, along with representatives from the Milwaukee Bucks and the City of Milwaukee, held a groundbreaking ceremony last week for the new 156-room AC Hotel Milwaukee Downtown, located at 430 W. State St. in the Deer District.
“The new hotel will serve as a distinctive destination for guests visiting Milwaukee, offering modern, high-end accommodations in the heart of downtown,” reads a press release. “Located in Deer District, the city’s 30-acre sports, entertainment and mixed-use neighborhood anchored by Fiserv Forum, the AC Hotel Milwaukee Downtown will build on the continued momentum of one of Milwaukee’s most active destinations. The project will build on NCG Hospitality’s investment in Milwaukee, including The Trade, an Autograph Collection Hotel located two blocks north in Deer District. The two hotels combined will provide 363 additional guestrooms to support the expanded Baird Center and other demand in Milwaukee.”
The hotel is expected to open in late 2027.
• Kinship Community Food Center—formerly the Riverwest Food Pantry—is building a new 28,000-square-foot home on the corner of Holton and Locust, 2851 N. Holton St.
“When a person walks into Kinship, they enter a social ecosystem designed to propel their journey toward health, belonging, and stability,” reads a press release. “As people shop, cook, grow, and share food, they find social connectedness and support that generates the confidence to achieve their goals.”
The new Kinship is expected to open in summer 2027.
• The southern portion of 16th Street Bridge has reopened to traffic. Here’s the press release:
16th Street Bridge Reopens to Traffic South of Canal Street Following Floor Beam Replacement Closure
The southern portion of the 16th Street Bridge is now open to traffic following completion of the floor beam replacement that required the bridge to close in December 2025.
The entire 16th Street Bridge was closed to traffic in early December 2025 after an in-depth inspection identified one floor beam showing signs of accelerated wear compared to surrounding bridge elements. Due to the level of wear, the floor beam was determined to require immediate replacement.
Since December 2025, the project team has designed, fabricated and installed a new steel replacement beam for the 1929-built bridge. Repair work on the southern portion of the viaduct is now complete.
The southern portion of the viaduct has also been restriped to one travel lane in each direction between W. Pierce and W. Canal streets. The new configuration right-sizes the number of travel lanes to better align with current traffic volumes.
With the work complete, the southern portion of 16th Street is now open to traffic and the project has returned to its original detour route.
Meanwhile, planned rehabilitation work on the northern portion of the 16th Street Bridge remains underway. Crews are currently completing structural steel removals and repairs on the north and south trunnion towers.
Work on the full rehabilitation project is expected to continue into December 2026. Once the project is complete, 16th Street will reopen to all traffic.
Offsite links to more new and wonderful things…
• “Milwaukee seeks developers for old museum site.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• “Milwaukee’s I-94 expansion project may face two-year delay, extending timeline to 2035.” [WISN12]
• “7-story apartment project may replace this downtown office building.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]
• “See Inside Northwestern Mutual’s $500 Million Tower Overhaul.” [Urban Milwaukee]
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