The 32-story Edison tower on downtown Milwaukee’s riverfront could begin construction next spring, adding yet another peak to the city’s skyline.
Madison-based developer The Neutral Project has filed a proposal for review by the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals, city records show. The proposal also will undergo Plan Commission and Common Council review.
The firm is planning to complete its financing package in the first quarter of 2024, and planning to break ground on the project in the second or third quarter, followed by about two and a half years of construction, according to Daniel Glaessl, a partner at the firm.
The 381-unit luxury apartment tower would be built on a vacant lot at 1005 N. Edison St. along the Milwaukee River − where the former Rojahn & Malaney Co. warehouse was demolished this spring. The residential units would range from studios to three-bedroom apartments.
Parking is planned for the second through sixth floors of the building. Plans show a seventh floor dedicated to resident amenities. Floors 28 through 31 will be penthouse levels. The first floor will house a lobby, café, and a yet-to-be-determined tenant in a 7,100-square-foot space along the Milwaukee RiverWalk. A small park next to the building will also be relandscaped for public use.
The Edison would use a construction technique known as mass timber, or cross-laminated timber, which uses layers of wood pressed together to create columns, beams and other building frame components. This approach follows The Neutral Project’s mission to construct carbon neutral buildings.
“At completion the building will be one of the tallest mass timber hybrid structures in the world, utilizing nearly 100,000 cubic feet of lumber,” Glaessl said.
The Edison would add to a flurry of recent apartment tower construction in the downtown area. Both the 44-story Couture apartment tower and 31-story 333 North Water Street apartment tower, currently under construction, are to be completed this spring.
