Mandel Group Inc. is moving forward with its $60 million mixed-use project on the east side of West Allis, which will include 177 apartments and 50,000 square feet of food-centered retail, anchored by an international market.
The project, The Market at Six Points, has been in the works since Milwaukee-based Mandel was selected by city officials as the winning bid in a request for proposal to redevelop the city’s Six Points neighborhood in February 2016.
The neighborhood has been eyed for nearly 20 years by the city as a prime area for revitalization.
Until last month, when Aurora Health Care announced it would build a $9 million, 30,000-square-foot clinic at the corner of West Greenfield Avenue and South 66th Street, the project appeared to be stalled.
But Robert Monnat, partner and chief operating officer of The Mandel Group, said the Aurora deal needed to be inked before the rest of the development could move forward.
In late August, Mandel Group submitted plans to the City of West Allis for the apartments. Together, the medical clinic and the apartment development make up $50 million of the project.
“North of National Avenue, there will be widespread construction activity by the end of the year,” Monnat said. “The start is imminent on both projects.”
The apartments, which will be built in two C-shaped buildings surrounding a courtyard, will be adjacent to Aurora’s new clinic, at South 66th Street and West National Avenue.
The floor plans have been created with West Allis residents in mind and will not be found in any other Mandel Group properties, Monnat said.
One style, called the “perfect roommate unit,” is a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment that is identical on both sides, so neither renter pays more or gets less private space. It is priced so each person pays $800 per month.
One-bedroom units are priced at $999 – a price point that is difficult to find downtown, Monnat said.
“This is something that has not been done before,” Monnat said. “It is a specifically tailored development with our level of quality, that is incredibly high but at a price point that reflects the buying habits of the residents in West Allis.”
A 3,000-square-foot amenities space includes a club room, game room, full fitness center and possibly a pool in the courtyard.
“That area becomes a third space for residents to go to socialize, use as a convenience, use to get a workout in, and create a sense of community,” Monnat said.
The city will review the apartment proposal at the end of September.
Meanwhile, Ian Martin, vice president of development for Mandel Group, has been meeting with dozens of potential food-focused retailers for the 50,000 square feet of space available at six locations.
The spaces range in size from 2,450 square feet to 7,300 square feet and each includes an outdoor patio space. This does not include the 23,000- to 40,000-square-foot grocery store.
Martin describes the process like a baseball game. He said he is in the seventh inning with some tenants and in the first and second with others.
“For Aurora or an apartment developer, looking 24 months out is business as usual, but for most people in the restaurant business, outside of the big national chains, you tend to grow organically, so it is a bit of a time challenge,” Martin said. “We’re also cautious about who we talk to. The idea is to cultivate a lineup of people who fit the big picture.”
Mandel Group was attracted to the site because of the renowned West Allis Farmers Market. Ideally, the developer would like to sign local restaurant owners who fit with the neighborhood it’s creating. Mandel Group is talking to developers and operators of brew pubs and owners of small but well-regarded restaurants in the area.
Mandel Group has letters of intent with two local operators and is in negotiations with a grocery store tenant that would anchor the development with an international market.
“When we first started, we wanted to get the grocery set and fill it out after, but we had a couple of false runs down the aisle with a few different tenants,” Monnat said. “We want the complete food shopping experience where someone comes to the farmers market and then lingers around, shops the international market and has an experience that is convenient and unique.”
