As the City of Milwaukee’s efforts to redevelop the former Northridge Mall site are stalled in court, Gov. Tony Evers announced Friday that his office is funding those plans with a $15 million grant.
The grant would be funded by federal American Rescue Plan Act dollars and would be used for abating environmental contaminants on the site, completing demolition work, relocating utilities and continuing revitalization planning, according to a statement from Evers.
However, the city’s condemnation case against Northridge owner U.S. Black Spruce Enterprises Inc. to allow for the redevelopment is still pending approval in court.
Evers’ office did not respond to a request for comment on why the funding was being distributed before the court decision.
“This grant is only the latest example of how we are connecting the dots with our local and federal partners and working to build stronger, safer, and more prosperous communities across Wisconsin,” Evers said in the statement. “This project will remove a blighted property, address safety hazards, and clear the way for the site to be redeveloped into a significant asset for the community, bolstering growth and development for Milwaukee and our state.”
The former mall, located at West Brown Deer Road and North 76th Street on the city’s far northwest side, closed in 2003 and has been a site for trespassing, fires and other crime.
“I greatly appreciate the governor’s allocation of resources to address this significant problem,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, in the statement. “The property is a danger to our firefighters and trespassers. It is a deteriorating building that drags down the surrounding neighborhood. I look forward to finally solving the safety and blight issues associated with this property.”
Johnson’s office did not respond to request for comment on the status of the city’s redevelopment plans.
The Department of City Development has said it wants to see the Northridge site redeveloped into new light industrial uses, which would create jobs and bring activity to the area. Other retail spaces in the area, like a former Target store, have already been converted to light industrial uses.
At a press conference Friday, Johnson said the city is open to uses other than industrial, but declined to discuss the plans or vision further until court proceedings have been finalized.
The city wants to have the building torn down to make way for those plans and is hopeful the $15 million will cover the costs, a representative from the the Milwaukee Redevelopment Authority said at the press conference.
The city has a pending request before Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge William Sosnay to take control of the property from China-based Black Spruce, which has owned it since 2008.
Black Spruce is challenging the city’s raze order and Sosnay’s affirmation of that order in state appeals court.
This spring, Milwaukee-based Phoenix Investors emerged as a possible buyer of the property, and planned to convert the building into a storage facility. However, the real estate firm terminated its agreement to purchase the mall by summer after city officials said they wouldn’t support its plans to convert the building into a storage facility.
