Sam Diamantopoulos, the owner of The Forum restaurant in Greenfield and Eviva Café in Franksville, plans to convert a former budget cinema in Muskego into an entertainment complex. The 15,782-square-foot building at S67 W19491 Tans Drive has been vacant since the four-screen Muskego Movie-Plex closed in 2002.
Last year, Diamantopoulos, who is also the owner of Diamond D Development LLC, purchased the property, located at the southeast corner of Racine Avenue and Tans Drive, for about $1.2 million. He is spending about $800,000 to convert the building into the Muskego Gateway Centre Entertainment Complex.
Despite the property’s unkempt exterior appearance, the building is only about six years old and was in "real good condition" when he acquired it, Diamantopoulos said.
"The building was just sitting there," he said. "It was an eyesore."
The complex will probably have a grand opening in the first week of July, with a soft opening about a month before that, Diamantopoulos said.
The complex will have a restaurant, an Internet café, an arcade, pool tables, dart boards, a gift shop, an upscale sports bar, indoor and outdoor volleyball courts, an outdoor basketball court, an outdoor children’s bike riding area and two outdoor beer gardens. One of the beer gardens will be a 45-foot by 45-foot Tiki bar.
The restaurant’s menu will include pizza, burgers, sandwiches and fried fish.
The target market for the entertainment complex is families, Diamantopoulos said. He hopes to provide something everyone in a family can enjoy doing and plans to offer volleyball, billiards, darts and dodgeball leagues.
"Mom and dad can come and have something to eat and something to drink and the children can also have something to do," Diamantopoulos said.
The Muskego area is a great location for this venture because it has plenty of middle- and upper middle-class families that fit the target market, Diamantopoulos said. However, he is hoping to attract customers from all over the metro area.
"This is a destination spot," Diamantopoulos said. "We want to draw Milwaukee." Diamatopoulos also plans to build 60 condominiums in several two-story buildings on a separate 10-acre property, which is just southeast of the six-acre former Muskego Movie-Plex property. The condos will be priced from $300,000 and up. He plans to begin construction on the condos in the spring of 2007.
Milwaukee
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for its garage and vehicle maintenance facility at 1311 N. 6th St. The property is located at the northwest corner of Sixth Street and McKinley Avenue, just outside of the Park East freeway corridor in downtown Milwaukee. The 1.8-acre property has a two-story, 67,500-square-foot brick building and a 33,000-square-foot parking lot. The Journal Sentinel’s RFP says the minimum sale price it is seeking for the property is $1.8 million. However, according to city records, the property is assessed at $663,700. The proposals are due June 30. To obtain a copy of the RFP visit: www.jsonline.com/garagerfp.
Kenosha
A local group of investors, called Harbor View Development, plans to open a franchise of Bob Chinn’s Crab House, a popular seafood restaurant in Wheeling, Ill., at 5500 6th Ave. in downtown Kenosha. "We want it to be just like the Bob Chinn’s in Wheeling," said Deno Roumanidakis, director of operations for Bob Cinn’s. "(Kenosha) is close enough for us to be able to help them out. We want them to be successful." The Kenosha restaurant will occupy the entire two-story, 15,000-square-foot building, which was once occupied by a Sears department store. The restaurant will have seating for almost 600 people and will have a banquet room, a conference room, a large bar and a fresh fish market, said Harbor View Development president Michael Winter. Harbor View bought the 85-year-old building for $510,000, and is spending about $2.5 million to renovate the building for the restaurant. The restaurant is expected to be open by Labor Day. Winter said the revitalization of downtown Kenosha convinced he and his partners to open the Bob Chinn’s franchise there. Bob Chinn’s is one of the most successful independent restaurants in the nation and many of its customers live in the Kenosha area, Winter said. "They have a very strong following in Wisconsin," he said. "We are (also) hoping to attract the Milwaukee market to come down and try us out."
Brown Deer-based Bank Mutual plans to build a 3,363-square-foot branch on an outlot in Indian Trail Plaza, located west of Green Bay Road and north of 67th Street. The new 300,000-square-foot shopping center is anchored by a Lowe’s store. Bank Mutual has $3.5 billion in assets with 74 locations in Wisconsin and one in Minnesota, but this will be its first location in Kenosha County.
TCF Bank plans to build a 4,580-square-foot branch at 1815 63rd St. The bank will occupy one of two outlots in front of a Pick ‘n Save store that is under construction on the Uptown Brass site, a former brownfield that was the site of an American Brass factory that closed about seven years ago. Wayzata, Minnesota-based TCF has 453 banking locations in six states, including Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Colorado and Indiana. TCF already has five locations in Kenosha County.
Yum! Brands Inc. plans to rebuild a Long John Silver’s restaurant that was damaged by fire last year. The rebuilt 2,625-square-foot building will be a combined Long John Silver’s and A&W restaurant.
Oak Creek
Guardian Credit Union plans to build a two-story building at 7801 S. Howell Ave. The credit union will open a branch in part of the building and the rest will be leased out to office tenants. Guardian Credit Union has 33,000 members, more than $180 million in assets and locations in Racine, South Milwaukee, West Allis, West Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls.
Hartland
Mary Kay Heidger wants to open a nine-hole indoor miniature golf course in a vacant 1,635-square-foot retail space at 523 Cottonwood Ave. The project still must be approved by village officials.
Milwaukee Street Traders recently opened Café Extraordinar in a 1,000-square-foot space at 1125 James Drive. Milwaukee Street Traders also has a café in Delafield at 523 Milwaukee St.
Elm Grove
Peter Zhang plans to open Kyoto, a Japanese restaurant, in a 3,000-square-foot space at 12900 Bluemound Road. Zhang also owns the Kyoto restaurant in Greenfield.
Waukesha
Blue Fuel Marketing, a promotional products distributor and marketing agency, recently moved from 250 Regency Court in Brookfield to 2100 Pewaukee Road, Suite C, in Waukesha. The new location has 3,300 square feet of office space and 3,700 square feet of warehouse space. The previous location had 1,300 square feet of office space and the company leased 1,000 square feet of warehouse space at a separate location, which was about a five minute drive from its office. The company uses the warehouse space to store apparel and promotional materials for its clients. Blue Fuel manages online merchandise stores and provides marketing services. "With a larger facility, consolidated operations and easier access to the interstate, ultimately, we can provide products to our expanding client base more quickly," said vice president Karen Tooley.
Sheboygan
Milwaukee developer Paul Weise plans to build 63 condominiums in three, four-story buildings that will be constructed along the north side of the Sheboygan River, directly across from the South Pier District, a peninsula that is being redeveloped and has attracted several businesses including the Blue Harbor Resort & Conference Center. Weise’s development will replace a blighted green industrial building that city officials have been hoping to see removed for years. The condos, which will be called Marina Vista Condominiums, will cost between $300,000 and $400,000. The project will include a new portion of the city’s riverwalk.
Lake Geneva
Geneva Cabinet Company, a custom cabinet company, recently opened a store at 201 Geneva National Avenue South. The store’s showroom has cabinet designs and accessories displayed in its showroom. Each display features industry names including Wood-Mode, Brookhaven, Medallion, Cole & Taylor, Kohler, Native Trails, Newport Bass, Corian, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Zodiaq.
Andrew Weiland is the managing editor of Small Business Times. Send news about
commercial real estate to andrew.weiland@biztimes.com or by calling him at (414) 277-8181 ext. 120. News can also be sent to Andrew Weiland, Small Business Times, 1123 N. Water St., Milwaukee, WI, 53202.
Leases
Apex Commercial
Robert Half International Inc. leased 6,112 square feet of space at 411 E. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, from Triple Net Properties Realty Inc.
Milwaukee Eye Care Associates S.C. leased 4,000 square feet of space at 500 W. Brown Deer Road, Bayside, from Mallory Properties.
Mary Cunningham/Kathleen Hunt-Abene leased 1,550 square feet of space at 807 Genesee St., Delafield, from Lang Campus LLC.
Trillium Construction leased 1,448 square feet of space at W2225 N665 Eastmound Dr., Waukesha, from Eastmound Business Center LLP.
Mid-American Real Estate
TCF National Bank leased 0.86 acres at Holt Plaza, located at the corner of Holt and Chase avenues in Milwaukee, from MSSD Inc.
Petsmart leased 20,072 square feet of space at 5005 S. 74th St., Greenfield, from BR of Wisconsin.
National Sign & Design Inc. leased 1,320 square feet of space at 11108 W. National Ave., West Allis, from National Plaza LLC.
America’s Mattress leased 2,983 square feet of space at I-43 and Highway 50 in Delavan from Delavan Retail II.
NAI MLG Commercial
Biker’s Outlet LLC leased 2,940 square feet of space at 16900-17052 W. Victor Road, New Berlin, from Anchor Management Services X LLC.
Walter Waukesha leased 40,620 square feet of space in the Ridgeview Business Center at N22 W23855 Ridgeview Parkway, Pewaukee, from Ridgeview Business Center II.
J.R. Rodgers & Associates Inc. leased 3,139
square feet of office space at Summit Place,
6737 W. Washington St., West Allis, from Whitnall Summit Company.
Ogden & Company
Heartland Label Printers Inc. leased 2,500 square feet of office/warehouse space at 2005-2075 W. Mill Road, Glendale, from Glendale-Mill Road Property LLC.
Polacheck Company
2nd Wind Exercise Inc. leased 3,454 square feet of space at 805 N. Mayfair Road, Wauwatosa, from Promenade LLC.
Caribou Coffee leased 1,600 square feet of space at the southwest corner of Capitol Drive and 124th Street in Brookfield from DDR.
Appleton Angels Christian Preschool LLC leased 6,152 square feet of space at 9045 N. Deerwood Dr., Brown Deer, from Brown Deer-WI Two LLC.
Potbelly Sandwich Works LLC leased 1,650 square feet of space at Bayshore Town Center in Glendale from Bayshore Town Center LLC.
Wild Boar Development Inc. d.b.a. Dinner by Design leased 1,700 square feet of space at 8201 S. Howell Ave., Oak Creek, from Demco Wisconsin I LLC.
Scott R. Halloin & Associates S.C. leased 3,256 square feet of space at 839 N. Jefferson St., Milwaukee.
Sales
Apex Commercial
Dillett Property Management LLC purchased 14,400 square feet of industrial space at 21625 Dorall Road, Brookfield, from Douglas K. Behrens.
NAI MLG Commercial
DeRosa Corporation purchased 6,500 square feet of retail space at 20371 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield, from B&G Realty Inc.
Polacheck Company
St. Thane LLC purchased 65,840 square feet at 2500 S. 162nd St., New Berlin, from Ehlert Tool Co., c/o Michael Polsky.
107th Street LLC purchased 19,800 square feet at 10700 W. Brown Deer Road, Milwaukee, from William Forrester Jr.
Great Bison LLC purchased 5.4 acres at 10344 N. Cedarburg Road, Mequon, from Jean Ann & Oscar Schober Marital Trust.
New Construction
The Bentley Company, Milwaukee, recently began construction on the St. Ann Center for Intergenerational Care project in St. Francis. The 10,000-square-foot project will be an addition to the existing building at 2801 E. Morgan Ave. The project will include a 5,000-square-foot respite area on the second floor. The respite area will include nine units to house clients for 24-hour care.
Total Team Construction LLC, Brookfield, recently completed construction for the Franklin Little League Pavilion at 8900 S. 76th St., Franklin.
MEDC Loans
Brelic Gear Company Inc., 2715 S. Gladstone Place, Milwaukee, received a $146,400 MEDC loan and $219,000 in additional financing from M&I Bank. The company plans to purchase a Koepfer Model 200 CNC hobbing machine to replace six old hobbing machines.
Singson & Montano LLC, 535 N. 27th St., Milwaukee, received a $174,000 MEDC loan and $261,000 in additional financing from U.S. Bank. Violetta Singson and Sandra (Montano) Yamat, both medical doctors, plan to purchase the building at 535 N. 27th St., and an adjacent parking lot, to operate a medical clinic. Singson and Yamat own Pediatric and Adult Medicine Associates, which they plan to move into the building from space they are leasing at 5810 W. Capitol Drive. The building was owned by Neighborhood Housing Services, a non-profit, which has closed.
Bloom Consultants LLC, 10001 Innovation Dr., Suite 200, Milwaukee, received a $1.5 million SBA loan and $2.8 million in additional financing from Community Bank and Trust.
S&M Foods LLC d.b.a. Hinnawi Meat & Deli, 4735 W. Center St., Milwaukee, received a $176,000 MEDC loan and $264,000 in additional financing from Legacy Bank. S&M Foods is purchasing Hinnawi Meat & Deli.
First Edge Solutions Inc., 300 N. Jefferson St., Milwaukee, received a $410,000 MEDC loan and $568,000 in additional financing from Tri City National Bank. First Edge will use the funds to purchase a new printer.
