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 and wonderful things.

• Remember that big Iron District announcement? The one where Kacmarcik Enterprises and Bear Development suddenly revealed that they were going to transform an 11-acre chunk of semi-barren downtown land on the corner of 6th and Michigan near the 794/I-43 interchange into a whole new district complete with an 8,000-seat soccer stadium and a 3,500-person concert venue and a hotel and some retail and some affordable housing? Phew. Yeah, that one. Well, construction on the affordable housing component—a.k.a. the 99-unit Michigan Street Commons—has begun! Also, they’re going to be “deconstructing” that old Ramada Hotel at 633 W. Michigan St. [Urban Milwaukee]

• Speaking of the great Milwaukee Concert Venue/District Wars of 2022-20??, Madison-based FPC Live is still going ahead with its oft-controversial $50 million two-room music venue near Fiserv Forum in the Deer District. Concert promoting behemoth Live Nation owns a majority share of FPC’s parent company, Frank Productions; because of that, many people aren’t thrilled with the proposed venue. Not that any of them were quoted in this “Business execs sound off on FPC Live’s music venue proposal” piece. [Milwaukee Business Journal]

• That long-in-the-works plan to build another block of apartments on the far north end of Water Street—1801-1881 N. Water St., to be exact—is not only going forward, it’s gotten bigger. A total of 221 new units would make up the second phase of the so-called River House development, which already boasts 243 units in the old Gallun tannery building. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

• The Department of City Development is currently putting together a long-term development plan for Bay View. In a survey, Bay View residents say they’re most concerned about housing, especially “missing middle” housing, “which straddles single-family homes and large apartment buildings.” [Milwaukee Business Journal]

• Speaking of Bay View, the old Llewellyn Library at 907 E. Russell Ave. is expected to be put up for sale, “creating a new redevelopment opportunity.” [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

• The fog is getting thicker, and the price tag for the formerly $420 million downtown convention center expansion is getting laaaaarger. (It’s up to $456 million now.) [Urban Milwaukee]

• Some fancy new bus stops for the upcoming Milwaukee County East-West Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line along Wisconsin Avenue have been popping up. They’re big! [Urban Milwaukee]

• Milwaukee can’t seem to get enough of mass timber buildings! Developers are currently mulling a seven-story mass timber tower for the corner of Walnut Street and Vel R. Phillips Avenue. The tower would join Milwaukee’s very own Tallest Mass Timber Building…IN THE WORLD. [Milwaukee Business Journal]

• Those East Side residents who filed a lawsuit against the city seeking to block a 55-unit apartment building being built across the street from their condos have dropped their lawsuit. R.I.P. GOOD SEATS AT CAFE HOLLANDER. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

• A group of different East Side residents are up in arms about a different East Side development. Must be Tuesday. [Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]

• And what did we learn this week? Well, they’re always building something. Isn’t that right, old song from my old band?

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Co-Founder and Editor

Matt Wild weighs between 140 and 145 pounds. He lives on Milwaukee's east side.