Mandel Group has released updated plans for its Market at Six Points development in West Allis and could begin construction on the $65 million project this fall.
A series of five buildings will be adjacent to the popular West Allis farmers market on National Avenue. Milwaukee-based Mandel Group is in negotiations with food-related tenants who will create a “food-centric” cluster of businesses to compliment the market, said Ian Martin, vice president of development for Mandel Group.
Mandel and West Allis are working on finalizing the details of the land purchase and financing package and the first buildings are expected to be complete in spring 2018, Martin said.
“Given the way we’ve designed the buildings and the site, every retail space is either an end-cap or a prominent suite right on line with the entries,” Martin said. “We can accommodate four outdoor eating/drinking terraces. The cluster of several restaurants at this location is to the benefit of each individual venue.”
Mandel’s project, which includes nearly 50,000 square feet of retail, was selected by city officials in February as the winning bid in a request for proposals process for the site in the city’s Six Points neighborhood.
Tenants will include a 23,430-square-foot specialty grocer, two restaurants of 6,250 square feet and 4,500 square feet, 14,530-square feet of companion food-focused retail and a tavern.
Mandel is also planning to build a 2,495-square-foot free-standing, triangular-shaped roofed kiosk at the corner of 65th and National that can be used year round. The kiosk is intended to activate the block year-round with coffee, beverages and breakfast/lunch/dinner light food fare.
“This will fully integrate the Farmers Market into the neighborhood around it,” Martin said. “The building acts as a gateway to mark the Farmers Market and create a strong impression for the overall development along National Avenue.”
Martin said most of the buildings are being designed with the historic fabric of the surrounding neighborhood in mind, but the building that will house the specialty grocer and adjoining retailers will be more modern.
“We want that building to be unique, modern, memorable, and a bit disruptive,” Martin said. “It’s a building that is intended to be remembered, that will mark the entire project as unique.”
Phase two of The Market at Six Points, which will include more than 200 market-rate apartments in two three- to four-story structures and a two-story, 30,300-square-foot office building on vacant land between West National and West Greenfield avenues, east of South 66th Street (Six Points Crossing), will begin in early 2017.
Mandel is expected to release further details on that aspect of the redevelopment plan later this summer.
