With the future addition of two nine-story buildings, downtown Kenosha is finally beginning to establish its own skyline.
KMA Developments LLC plans to build a nine-story, mixed-use building called The Brindisi on a vacant city block at 714 52nd St. The building would have 15,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor, parking on the second and third floors for a total of 204 vehicles and 87 condominiums on the fourth through ninth floors.
The condo prices will start at $450,000, said John Landa, a real estate consultant for Coldwell Banker, which will market the condos.
KMA Developments is a partnership led by Ken Antaramian, the brother of Kenosha Mayor John Antaramian.
The building site is about 700 feet from the Lake Michigan shore and would provide views of the lake and harbor to condo residents.
Construction is expected to begin in the spring and be completed in 2007.
The Kenosha area has experienced a population surge in recent years as people from the expanding Chicago area have moved north, many seeking more affordable housing. Some consider Kenosha to be part of the Chicago area, especially since Chicago’s Metra commuter rail service connects downtown Kenosha to downtown Chicago.
"Kenosha is the northernmost suburb of Chicago," Ken Antaramian said. "The Milwaukee people haven’t realized it yet. I think a lot of the Milwaukee developers and investors have stayed in the Milwaukee area. They’ve gone west to Waukesha County but they haven’t gone south yet."
Southeastern Wisconsin government officials are working on a plan to extend the Metra service from Kenosha to downtown Milwaukee. If that occurs, more people may choose to live in Kenosha and commute to Milwaukee, Landa said.
"We think Kenosha needs to start looking north more than it currently does," Landa said. He plans to promote the Kenosha condos to the Milwaukee, Chicago and Lake Geneva markets.
The Brindisi site is just three blocks from the train station in downtown Kenosha. Extending Metra service from Kenosha to Milwaukee would spur real estate development near the train stations on that route, Antaramian said.
"I think it’s going to explode, once the Metra goes up to Milwaukee," he said.
The growth of the Kenosha area is also resulting in the revitalization of the city’s downtown, and now some developers want to build taller buildings to take advantage of Lake Michigan views.
Developer Robert Watring is also building a nine-story building in downtown Kenosha. Watring’s project, at the southwest corner of Fourth Avenue and 57th Street, will have 34 condominiums on the third through ninth floors, 4,500 square feet of retail space on the first floor and parking on the first and second floors.
The Watring and KMA Developments building will both be similar in height to downtown Kenosha’s current tallest buildings, Lakeside Towers at 5800 Third Ave. and the former Kenosha National Bank building at 615 57th St. The 80,000-square-foot former Kenosha National Bank building is being renovated into a mix of office and retail space.
In addition, developer Larry Biehn plans to build a six-story, 45-unit condominium building in the 4800 block of Fifth Avenue. Some neighbors are objecting to the size of that proposed building.
More Kenosha news
A Red Robin Gourmet Burgers restaurant will occupy about 6,000 square feet in a 10,000-square-foot multi-tenant retail building that Raymond Properties plans to develop on an outlot near a Lowe’s store under construction at the northwest corner of 67th Street and Highway 31. Raymond Properties also plans to develop a 5,856-square-foot multi-tenant retail building on another outlot on the Lowe’s site. Greenwood Village, Colo.-based Red Robin Gourbet Burgers Inc. has more than 250 restaurants in the U.S. and Canada, including five in Wisconsin, located in Appleton, Green Bay, Janesville, Madison and Monona.
Milwaukee
A Brazilian-style steakhouse, called Sabor, will open next year in the 8,000-square-foot former Stout Bros. Public House space at 777 N. Water St. in downtown Milwaukee.
Stout Bros. Public House opened in 2000 and closed in 2003. The property was sold earlier this year by David Leszczynski to Fitchburg-based Oscar Inc.
Sabor means "flavor" in Portugese. The restaurant will open next spring, said Paul Berlin, chief operating officer for Oscar Inc.
The restaurant will be a churrascaria, Berlin said, which is a Brazilian barbeque, a concept new to the Milwaukee area. However, this will be an upscale restaurant.
"It will be a very high-end, high-service level establishment," Berlin said.
Sabor will serve lunch and dinner. Customers will be able to select from more than a dozen different types of meat, including beef, pork, chicken and lamb. The meat will be prepared slowly with a minimal amount of seasonings or sauces to emphasize the true flavor of the meat. The meat will be carved at tableside from sword-like skewers. The menu will also include salads, cheeses, Brazilian side dishes and desserts.
"We’re savoring the rarity of being able to bring an entirely new dining experience to this savvy restaurant market," Berlin said. "Based on the reception in the country’s top cities, this will satisfy the palate and the desire for both an original experience and remarkable hospitality."
Brookfield
Panera Bread will open a restaurant in a 4,750-square-foot building at 15040 W. Greenfield Ave. Richmond Heights, Mo.-based Panera Bread has more than 770 locations in the nation, including 12 in southeastern Wisconsin. The restaurant will be part of an eight-building commercial project that is under construction and being developed by Brookfield-based Thomson Corp. The anchor of the development will be a Pick ‘n Save grocery store.
Genuineworks LLC plans to open the first Pump It Up franchise in Wisconsin at 195 N. Janacek Road in the Town of Brookfield. New Berlin-based Anderson-Ashton Inc. was awarded the contract to design and construct the 12,000-square-foot building. Pump It Up is a Pleasanton, Calif.-based chain of inflatable party zones for kids that can cater to children’s birthday parties with activity areas and party rooms.
Potbelly Sandwich Works plans to open a second restaurant in Brookfield in 2,100 square feet of space at the southwest corner of 124th Street and Capitol Drive. The lease was brokered by The Polacheck Co. Chicago-based Potbelly Sandwich Works already has stores in Madison, downtown Milwaukee and at 17800 W. Bluemound Road in Brookfield.
Cedarburg
Brookfield-based MLG Development plans to develop a 60-acre business park on the north side of Cedarburg. MLG was the only firm to respond to a request for proposals issued by the City of Cedarburg seeking a firm to develop a business park on farmland south of Highway 60 and west of Count Highway I. "We’re hoping to get a high-end, high-tech business park," said City Planner Jon Censky.
Entertainer John McGivern plans to open a four-room bed and breakfast inn in a Victorian home built in 1892 at W61 N375 Washington Ave.
Delafield
Susan Steiner recently opened Bangles & Bags LLC located at 637 Main St. Steiner is also president of SKS Properties LLC, Waukesha. Bangles & Bags is a boutique that features upscale yet affordable jewelry.
Elm Grove
Several additional tenants will be moving into Autumn Grove Plaza, two buildings at 12850-12960 W. Bluemound Road with a total of 24,000-square-foot commercial space. The buildings were developed by Milwaukee-based The Towne Group. Denver-based Perk & Pub, which serves food, coffee and alcoholic beverages, will occupy about 2,000 square feet. Wisconsin Vision Inc. will occupy 1,850 square feet. Kyoto-Sushi & Hibachi, a Japanese restaurant owned by Hong Wu Vhang and Man "Peter" Vhang, will occupy 3,000 square feet and Delafield-based Town Bank will open a 3,000-square-foot branch. Autumn Grove’s current tenants are Quiznos, which occupies 1,700 square feet, and Whimsikids, a children’s clothing store that occupies 1,400 square feet.
Franklin
Dr. Noemi Prieto plans to build an 8,700-square-foot medical clinic building on a mostly vacant 9-acre site at 10500 W. Loomis Road. Southeastern Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine Center will occupy 4,200 square feet in the building and a yet-to-be-determined tenant will occupy the remaining space.
Glendale
Stan’s Fit For Your Feet recently opened a new store at 505 W. Silver Spring Dr. The location is located across the street from Bayshore Town Center. "With our new store in Glendale we are able to provide our fashionable footwear, fit expertise and customer service to the North Shore area, Ozaukee County, as well as downtown and the north side of Milwaukee," said Stan’s Fit For Your Feet president Jim Sajdak. Stan’s Fit For Your Feet has two other locations, in Greenfield and Brookfield.
Menomonee Falls
Village Furniture recently opened a store at N95 W17061 Richfield Way, in a space formerly occupied by Today’s Home Furniture. Village Furniture is moving to that location from W61 N513 Washington Ave. in downtown Cedarburg. The Cedarburg store remains open until the conclusion of a store closing sale. "(The space) is larger at the new one by a couple thousand square feet," store manager Jamey Skelton said. "And the traffic, it’s just a better location (in Menomonee Falls)." The new Village Furniture location is near several other furniture, appliance and home improvement stores. Malkin’s Carpets, Neu’s Building Center and DBR Concepts Inc. occupy space in the same building as Village Furniture. Best Buy and La-Z-Boy have stores nearby and Steinhafels is building a store nearby that is scheduled to open next fall.
Oconomowoc
Froedtert Hospital plans to open a Froedtert Spine Care Clinic in a 5,000-square-foot space in a multi-tenant commercial building at 1230 Corporate Circle. The clinic will be a physical therapy and rehabilitation center.
Sheboygan Falls
Random Lake-based Wisconsin State Bank is building a new, 4,910-square-foot branch at the corner of Highway 32 and Happy Lane in Sheboygan Falls. Milwaukee-based La Macchia Group LLC is the general contractor for the project. Besides its Random Lake headquarters, Wisconsin State Bank has only one other location, in Belgium. The bank has set up a temporary facility to serve Sheboygan Falls customers, on Fond du Lac Avenue next to a Piggly Wiggly grocery store.
Sturtevant
Educators Credit Union recently opened a new 48,000-square-foot branch at Highway 20 and 90th Street in Sturtevant. The branch was built by Bukacek Construction. Stelling and Associates was the architect for the project. It is the 14th Educators Credit Union branch built by Bukacek. "This new branch is a fantastic addition to our company," said Educators Credit Union spokesperson Greg Gowdy. "Few people knew that we had pre-owned vehicles for sale. The new showroom (in the branch) is a great way to showcase these vehicles and the Educators Auto and Lease program. In addition, the convenient location of this full-service office expands our service coverage and provides greater convenience to our members."
Waukesha
Midwest Engineering Services plans to build a 15,000-square-foot industrial building, with some office space, on a vacant two acre site on the east side of Center Road and south of Les Paul Parkway in the Waukesha Corporate Center.
Great Lakes Real Estate plans to build a 4,000-square-foot office building on a long, narrow lot at 1951 E. Main St.
Wauwatosa
Fitness Together plans to open a workout/training facility in a space in a multi-tenant commercial building at 2525 N. Mayfair Road.
Yan Qiong Huang and Shang Jun Huang plan to open a Chinese restaurant in a small commercial building owned by James Rogge at 6618 W. North Ave. The restaurant will replace the Yankee Fish Market.
