Rendering of the parking structure (left) and the two office buildings (center and near right) planned by Irgens at the UWM Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa.
Milwaukee-based real estate development firm Irgens today announced plans to build two office buildings at the UWM Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa. Rendering of the 6-story office building planned by Irgens at the UWM Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa. Irgens said it plans to build a 6-story, 197,000-square-foot office building and a 2-story,
Milwaukee-based real estate development firm Irgens today announced plans to build two office buildings at the UWM Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa.
[caption id="attachment_524218" align="alignright" width="474"] Rendering of the 6-story office building planned by Irgens at the UWM Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa.[/caption]
Irgens said it plans to build a 6-story, 197,000-square-foot office building and a 2-story, 53,000-square-foot office building on the north end of the campus. No tenants have been secured yet for the buildings, according to a spokesman.
Irgens is "cautiously optimistic" that it might be able to start work this fall with the first building being ready for occupancy in mid to late Summer of 2022, said an Irgens spokesperson, who also stressed that the timeline is tied to the city’s schedule for review and approval.
The UWM Innovation Campus was developed northeast of I-41 and Watertown Plank Road on a portion of the Milwaukee County Grounds. Construction began in 2011. It was hoped the campus would become a major economic development engine attracting companies and supporting new businesses, leveraging its location near the freeway and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center and its affiliation with UW-Milwaukee. While it has attracted some development including an office building for ABB, the Echelon Apartments, a Residence Inn by Marriott hotel and the UWM Accelerator building, the UWM Innovation Campus has failed to meet the lofty expectations for its development and much of the land there remains vacant.
In 2019, Irgens indicated it planned to buy land at the Innovation Campus to build office buildings there.
The 6-story building planned by Irgens will be built along the freeway. The two-story building will incorporate architectural elements sensitive to the nearby Monarch butterfly habitat protection area, Irgens said. Both buildings will be designed to quality for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification and will incorporate pedestrian and bike path connections, the firm said.
Irgens also plans to build a 2-story parking deck at the UWM Innovation Campus. The parking deck will have a 40,000-square-foot green roof.
“We support the philosophy that environmental responsibility and good business practices go hand in hand, and our project will protect and enhance the existing green spaces in the area and create shared public spaces that will benefit the community and those who occupy these buildings,” said Tom Irgens, executive vice president of Irgens. “Our project will create quality employment opportunities in a one-of-a-kind natural environment that will be enhanced with pedestrian and bike friendly amenities.”
Irgens said the plans filed with the City of Wauwatosa focus on the north end of the UWM Innovation Campus property that the company is purchasing from the UWM Real Estate Foundation and that development efforts on the south end of the property will occur at a later date as part of a multi-phase development plan.
The two buildings planned on the north side of the campus is the first phase of Irgens’ plans there and the development on the south side of the campus will be the second phase. The first phase is expected to bring 900 jobs and the second 850 jobs to Wauwatosa, Irgens said. The two phases will add $1.8 million in annual tax revenue to the city, he said.
[caption id="attachment_165" align="aligncenter" width="770"] UW-Milwaukee Innovation Campus in Wauwatosa. (Credit: Google)[/caption]
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