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.
• The saga of that big Bay View apartment development continues. To quickly sum up: Last fall at a neighborhood meeting, developer Scott Lurie unveiled plans for a 220-unit, two-building, mixed-use complex for the 2700 block of S. Kinnickinnic Ave. Several houses would be demolished to make room for the project, and a nearby BMO Harris Bank branch would be moved to where the long-empty Bella’s Fat Cat building sits today. Neighbors, however, greeted the project with cries of “eww,” “yuck,” and “don’t want it, turn it off.” At a second neighborhood meeting, Lurie presented a scaled-back version of the project, though that didn’t stop Ald. Tony Zielinski from pledging to vote against it. “To me it’s clear, people don’t support this project,” Zielinski said.
But now, as all new shit must, things are going forward anyway, with Lurie submitting a rezoning request for the development. Still, Zielinski remains unimpressed, saying:
“Based upon community input I will NOT sponsor the file and will work diligently to oppose the zoning change. We had great success blocking over development in our residential areas and we have been prudent with pushing development on KK. We needed to do that so that we looked reasonable and therefore had the efficacy to have some influence on how much development takes place and where it is located. Hopefully, that will allow us to block this 200 plus housing development on KK. The city is looking at expanding the tax base without deference to the negative impact it would have on our quality of life.”
Zielinski’s house was unavailable for comment. [Urban Milwaukee]
• American Family Insurance may be taking over naming rights of Miller Park in 2021, but the bigger story, arguably, is that the company plans to build, buy, or lease 100,000 square feet of space for a new downtown office. So where will that downtown office be, exactly? [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Good City Brewing is up and running in the Fiserv Forum’s entertainment/live block, and it’ll eventually be joined by an as-yet-unnamed sports bar. [Urban Milwaukee]
• Speaking of the Fiserv, Milwaukee Bucks president Peter Feigin says new development deals for land surrounding the arena could firm up “later this year.” [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• Should Milwaukee subsidize high-end new shit? Developer Mandel Group Inc. seems to think so, and may seek city financing for a planned luxury apartment tower overlooking Lake Michigan. [Milwaukee Business Journal]
• A new “entrepreneurship center” is being built on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus, and Urban Milwaukee has the pictures to prove it. [Urban Milwaukee]
• There’s no end in sight for new shit in Milwaukee, say developers and city officials. [Shepherd Express]