Eaton considers sites proposed by Irgens, Weas and Briohn

Cleveland-based Eaton Corp. is considering three build-to-suit proposals to relocate its Milwaukee operations. The proposals have been submitted by Wauwatosa-based Irgens Development Partners LLC, Milwaukee-based Weas Development and Brookfield-based Briohn Building Corp., according to commercial real estate sources.
The Irgens project would be built in the Milwaukee County Research Park in Wauwatosa. The Weas project would be built in the Woodland Prime office park in Menomonee Falls. The location of the Briohn Building Corp. site is unclear.
Eaton has also considered another site in Menomonee Falls, a site in New Berlin and the former Pabst brewery complex in downtown Milwaukee, according to a commercial real estate source.
Eaton is seeking about 70,000 square feet of space for its new Milwaukee facility, according to a commercial real estate source.
Doug Weas, president of Weas Development, and Mark Irgens, president of Irgens Development Partners, could not be reached for comment. Briohn Building Corp. president Bob Goehner declined to comment on his company’s proposal.
“We’ve been asked to just kind of hold tight for awhile,” Goehner said. “(Eaton is) still in deliberations.”
When asked when he expected a decision from Eaton, Goehner said, “I would think fairly soon.”
Eaton’s Milwaukee operations are currently located at 4201 N. 27th St. in Milwaukee’s central city. The facility is used by the industrial control division of Eaton’s electrical sector. The company has about 145 employees at the facility. The building is owned by Eaton and has an assessed value of $2.96 million, according to city records.
Eaton has indicated that it plans to move the Milwaukee operations, but has not said where it will be moved to. According to sources, the company wants to move the operation out of its current area, because it is difficult to attract employees to work in the neighborhood, which has a higher crime rate than a suburban location.
In May Eaton initiated discussions with officials from the state Department of Commerce, Milwaukee County and the Milwaukee Department of City Development about its desire to move the Milwaukee operation to a new location, a company spokesman said.