Although the staggering economy has slowed many commercial development projects, the revitalization of downtown Milwaukee in recent years has attracted more development to areas just outside of the central business district. One of these near-downtown areas that is beginning to attract more development activity is the North 6th Street corridor, north of downtown.
One of the pioneers to help revitalize this area is Madison-based J.H. Findorff & Son Inc., which moved its Milwaukee office from 1122 N. Edison St. in downtown Milwaukee to what is now a 25,000-square-foot space at 1600 N. 6th Street.
The company wanted to own its own building and wanted one with 40 to 50 parking spaces, yet still wanted to stay in the downtown area, said Dan Katt, business development manager for Findorff. The company liked the 6th Street location because it offers an attractive hilltop view of the downtown skyline, plus easy freeway access, he said. Today, Findorff has about 35 employees in the building.
The building is just three blocks north of West McKinley Avenue and the Park East Corridor.
“We’ve been thrilled with it,” Katt said.
Another company is planning to move to the area. DAAR Engineering Inc. plans to move its headquarters from West Allis to a 9,900-square-foot building at 518 W. Cherry St., which is just east of 6th Street, and is just one block south of the Findorff building and two blocks north of the Park East corridor.
DAAR is remodeling the Cherry Street building, and plans to move in around Sept. 1. The company has 73 employees, and plans to add some more after the move.
“One of the main attractions (to the Cherry Street location) was its proximity to downtown, without parking issues,” said DAAR vice president Frank D’Amato. “There’s great access to parking for our employees. We’ve got staff coming from all over southeastern Wisconsin. We also wanted the opportunity to redevelop an existing piece of property.”
Another building on North 6th Street is being remodeled into a hotel.
Two investors, Karl Rajani and Pat Kasthurirangaian, are renovating the former Jackson Center nursing home, at 1840 N. Sixth St., transforming it into a 79-room Days Inn & Suites hotel. The hotel is expected to open in September of 2009, Rajani said. The 40-year-old three-story, 30,018-square-foot building is located five blocks north of the Park East corridor.
“It’s very close to downtown,” said Rajani, who is also the owner of Brookfield-based Evergreen Commercial Development LLC. “The traffic on 6th Street is fairly heavy.”
The site is also fairly close to entertainment venues in downtown Milwaukee, such as the Bradley Center and Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, Rajani said. In addition the revitalization of downtown Milwaukee in recent years, including the influx of several condominium buildings, is pushing development pressure north of downtown, he said.
“We see the whole area being significantly revitalized,” Rajani said. “We see the 6th Street area as an extension of downtown Milwaukee, really.”
Rajani and Kasthurirangaian bought the former Jackson Center nursing home building four years ago, anticipating the area would eventually be revitalized.
“Now we think the timing is great (to develop the hotel),” Rajani said.
The opening of the new 280,000-square-foot Manpower Inc. corporate headquarters, just four blocks east of North Sixth Street, is also helping to attract development to the area, Rajani and Katt said.
In addition, several new homes have been built in the Halyard Park neighborhood just east of 6th Street in recent years, including the Reservoir Hill Townhomes development, by Mequon-based Milestone Development Group, at 1849 N. 5th Street.
Rajani and Kasthurirangaian are also partners in part of long-planned mixed-use development that is being led by Carla Cross, principal of Cross Development Group Inc., for the block bounded by West Vine, North 5th, North 6th and West Walnut streets.
Cross could not be reached for comment.
According to city of Milwaukee documents, three new buildings, costing a total of $13 million, are planned for the site providing retail, office and residential space. The project would be financed through conventional financing, and additional financing may be provided by renewal community tax incentives, new market tax credits and other available grants.
Cross is partnering with Quarles & Brady partner Cory Nettles and Legacy Bank director Jeanette Mitchell, on the project. Together they formed Encore Development Group LLC, which is the managing member for Vineyard Business Park Development LLC, which is the overall project developer.
The components of the Sixth and Vine block development are:
• A one-story 4,960-square-foot building, called Sixth Street Market that would offer food and convenience items, would be built at the southeast corner of 6th and Vine. Rajani and Kasthurirangaian will operate and will be part owners of the Sixth Street Market.
• A two-story, 24,700-square-foot building, called Vineyard Place, with five live-work condominium units, would be built at the southwest corner of 5th and Vine. The units would average 3,346 square feet of space and will be priced between $554,000 and $669,000. The building would cost $2.4 million, and will house the offices for Cross Development Group, Cross Management Services Inc. and Encore Development.
• A four-story, 62,025-square-foot retail and office building, called Walnut Hill would be built at the northwest corner of 5th and Vine. The building may also include residential units on the top floor.
City officials say development along Sixth Street, including the plans for the Sixth and Vine block, demonstrate that efforts to boost city neighborhoods are paying off.
“We’ve worked hard to bring new development to neighborhoods throughout Milwaukee and the amount of projects proposed or underway for this block near Bronzeville speaks to the continued interest in our city as a place to live or grow a business,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
Oconomowoc
Oconomowoc-based Frontier Development Inc. recently broke ground on a mixed-use development, called Summit Village Commons on a 40-acre site at the southeast corner of Highway 67 and County Highway DR, near Oconomowoc in the Town of Summit, just south of the new Aurora hospital that is under construction and just outside of the 1,500-acre Pabst Farms mixed-use development. Summit Village Commons will consist of several retail and office buildings and a senior care campus, according to Frontier Development. The senior care campus will be composed of two interconnected facilities, a 100-bed skilled nursing facility and a 60-unit assisted living facility.
Kenosha
Kenosha-based Gendell Partners has hired Waukesha-based The Redmond Company to design and build a retail development with five buildings for a 12.78-acre site at Green Bay Road and Washington Avenue in Kenosha. One of the buildings will be 13,000 square feet and the exact size of the others has yet to be determined. The project is expected to break ground in the fall.
Mequon
Eagle Technology Inc. recently moved from a 3,000-square-foot building at 10500 N. Port Washington Road in Mequon to a 4,000-square-foot facility today at 11019 N. Town Square Road in Mequon. “As a company that’s involved with green building and LEED certification we wanted a building more energy efficient and we needed more space,” said Harry Kohal, director of sales and marketing. The move will allow the company to expand its software development team and sales branch, Kohal said. The company has added four employees this year and expects to continue adding throughout the year, Kohal said.
Greenfield
WS Development plans to build a 17,000-square-foot, single-story, multi-tenant office building at South 103rd Street and Ohio Avenue.
Brad Schlossmann and Michael Schlossmann, the owners of Schlossmann’s Honda City 3450 S. 108th St., Greenfield, plan to move their vehicle leasing business to the 50,000-square-foot former Evans Mattress and Furniture building at 3350 S. 108th St. The building has been vacant for about a month or two. The Scholssmann’s project still needs approval from city officials.
Milwaukee
The Barack Obama presidential campaign recently opened a Milwaukee office at 7984 W. Appleton Ave. on the city’s northwest side
Leases
CB Richard Ellis
Drs. Bence, Knoff, Fergus & Goddard S.C. leased 4,063 square feet of office space at 2600 Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa, from Mayfair Property Inc.
Marietta Investment Partners LLC leased 5,189 square feet of office space at 100 E. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, from 100 East Wisconsin Avenue Joint Venture.
Happy Valley Corporation d.b.a. Flat Top Grill leased 3,389 square feet of retail space at 2711-67 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa, from Midland 3521 LLC.
Cottonwood Financial Ltd. leased 1,746 square feet of retail space at 8171 S. Howell Ave., Oak Creek, from River Valley One LLC.
AmTrust Financial Services Inc. leased 3,471 square feet of office space at 400 S. Executive Dr., Brookfield, from DBSI Executive Dr. LeaseCo LLC.
JP Schwab Corp. leased 2,032 square feet of office space at 2600 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa, from Mayfair Property Inc.
Church Mutual Insurance Company renewed its 1,130-square-foot office space lease at N14 W2377 Stone Ridge Dr., Waukesha, from Stone Ridge II LLC.
Colliers Barry
Minergy Holdings leased 3,931 square feet of office space in the Crossroads Corporate Center at 20975 Swenson Dr., Waukesha, from Liberty Property Limited Partnership.
Gerald Nell Inc.
American Pipe ID LLC leased 2,400 square feet of industrial space at 3695 N. 126th St., Unit H, Brookfield, from Sunset Investment Co.
Judson & Associates
LOR & Associates Inc. leased 550 square feet of space at 15255 Watertown Plank Road, Elm Grove, from Sawyer Enterprises.
Peter G. Reichl DDS S.C. leased 3,610 square feet of space at 860 Rose Dr., Hartland, from Nagawicka View Dairy Farm Inc.
Music Dynamics of Sussex leased 2,400 square feet of space at N69 W25055 Indiangrass Lane, Sussex, from Indiangrass Holdings LLC.
V Metals leased 4,070 square feet of space at 16125 W. Ryerson Road, New Berlin, from WBM Properties LLC.
Tweet/Garot Mechanical Inc. leased 6,300 square feet of space at 1825 Dolphin Dr., Waukesha, from Koenigs Investments.
NAI MLG Commercial
The U.S. General Services Administration leased 7,020 square feet of space for the U.S. Census Bureau at 1110 N. Old World Third St., Milwaukee, from RFP Office LLC.
Sales
CB Richard Ellis
Westminster Fund VII purchased a 123,000-square-foot industrial building at 4700 W. Ironwood Dr., Franklin, from CenterPoint Properties Trust for $5.8 million.
Grange Avenue LLC purchased a 2,800-square-foot retail building at 7010 W. Grange Ave., Greendale, from SNR Properties LLC.
SAI RAM Acquisition LLC purchased 2.68 acres at 8015 Highway 41, Caledonia, from Deborah Willms and Trudelle Malicki.
Mahmood Investments LLC purchased a 49,950-square-foot building on 6.69 acres at 4550-60 S. Brust St., St. Francis, from Brust Property LLC.
Colliers Barry
Harken Inc. purchased 28 acres at N15 W24887 Bluemound Road, Pewaukee, from ASG General Partnership. Harken plans to build a new 100,000-square-foot headquarters on the site. Construction will begin in the fall.
ZR Real Estate LLC purchased the 24,712-square-foot former Malkin’s Carpets building at N85 W16093 Appleton Ave., Menomonee Falls, from J&L Malkin LLC.
Ron and Susan Haidinger Trust purchased the 12,400-square-foot industrial building in the Towne Corporate Park at 11011 W. Heather Ave., Milwaukee, from Bismila LLC.
Dickman Company
R.A. Acquisitions LLC purchased 39,000 square feet of space at 1099 Proctor Dr., Elkhorn, from GPI Interim Inc.
Grubb & Ellis|Apex Commercial
Roadster Port Washington LLC purchased a 407,000-square-foot industrial building at 500 N. Spring St., Port Washington, from Briggs & Stratton Yard Products Group for $1.8 million.
North Eden Properties LLC purchased a 11,984-square-foot industrial building at 3315 Intertech Dr., Brookfield, from Capital Partners Group LLC for $1,187,500.
Ron D. Haidinger and Suzanne N. Gerstad Haidinger Trust purchased a 12,400-square-foot industrial building at 11011 W. Heather Ave., Milwaukee, from Bismilla LLC for $750,000.
Judson & Associates
Pamela’s Properties LLC purchased 34,540 square feet of space at N22 W22922 Nancy’s Court, Pewaukee, from Hills of Wales LLC.
MJS Property Investments LLC purchased 5,000 square feet of space at 19750 Edgewood Dr., Lannon, from James H. Forester.
New construction
Brookfield-based Briohn Building Corp. has been contracted to design and build a 32,500-square-foot multi-tenant building on Commerce Center Drive in the Town of Lisbon for Commerce Centre Partners LLC. Davies Water, a division of Ferguson Water Works, will occupy 11,675 square feet of space in the building.
Waukesha-based Campbell Construction has been awarded a 5,200-square-foot office build-out project for Computer Training.com.
New Berlin-based Anderson-Ashton Inc., was hired to design and build a fire station for the Wind Lake Fire Department at 5517 E. Wind Lake Road, Union Grove.
MEDC Loans
Northwest Funeral Chapel Inc. received a $100,000 MEDC loan to renovate a garage at 6700 W. Fond du Lac Ave., which will be used for work space in preparation and embalming of the deceased.
John M. Ellsworth Co. Inc. received a $500,000 MEDC loan to purchase a 50,000-square-foot industrial building at 8700 W. Bradley Road.
