Wangard Partners Inc. will host a groundbreaking ceremony on Aug. 5, to celebrate the start of construction of The Roof, a six-building, 180-unit apartment development that it will build at 1215 N. 62nd St. in Wauwatosa.
Features of the project will include a multi-purpose clubhouse with kitchen, a pool, a 24-hour fitness center, a dog park, a free daily coffee bar and a picnic area with a barbeque station and an outdoor fireplace. The property will also have 100 enclosed, heated parking spaces.
Construction is expected to be complete in October of 2015.
The 9.4-acre site was previously occupied by Western Metal. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. provided a $700,000 grant for brownfield cleanup and the City of Wauwatosa provided $1.1 million in tax incremental financing for the project.
The development is adjacent to the 425 million-year-old Schoonmaker ancient sea fossil reef, which was discovered in 1862 and is the first fossil reef identified in the U.S. More than 200 different fossil species have been identified from this remnant coral reef that at one time grew on an ancient sea floor, according to Wangard.
Wangard is working with city officials to preserve the reef and make it accessible to the public for viewing.
