Milwaukee-based developer Mandel Group is preparing to begin construction this fall on a new apartment building in the heart of Wauwatosa’s village area.
The project, known as Harlow & Hem, will replace a city-owned parking lot at the corner of Wauwatosa and Harwood avenues. Plans call for a five-story building with 157 market-rate apartment units, along with 188 private residential parking stalls and 94 free public parking spaces.
Mandel Group chief operating officer Phillip Aiello said Thursday the firm expects to close on its financing package for the project next week and anticipates breaking ground in October. However, the exact start date is contingent on the completion of a design review by We Energies.
Construction will be managed by Milwaukee-based Greenfire Management Services and is expected to wrap up by the summer of 2027, when residents would begin moving in.
The development has been in the works since 2021, when the city of Wauwatosa selected Mandel Group to redevelop the site. The original proposal included fewer units and some affordable housing, but the design has since been revised to consist entirely of market-rate apartments, mostly studios and one-bedroom units, with some two- and three-bedroom options.
During construction, 101 public parking spaces on the lot will be unavailable. Nearby alternatives include the State Street Station garage with 82 spaces, and the Red Store Lot, which offers 142 spaces just across the Harmonee Bridge.
The project will join another apartment project under construction less than a block away with Milwaukee-based Three Leaf Partners
anticipating a summer 2026 opening of its 153-unit Vista Village project.
