The owner of the former Northridge Mall on Milwaukee's far northwest side is appealing a judge's decision that the buildings be demolished.
The former mall buildings, located northwest of West Brown Deer Road and North 76th Street, were ordered to immediately come down by Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge William Pocan
in May. Pocan sided with the city of Milwaukee in a court battle with the mall's owners, China-based U.S. Black Spruce Enterprise Group Inc.
Black Spruce challenged in court the city's raze orders for the vacant mall buildings. City leaders
announced the raze orders in April 2019, saying that repairs needed to bring the buildings up to code far exceeded the assessed value of the property.
Pocan began hearing arguments in Black Spruce's challenge in January. Attorneys representing Black Spruce
argued the raze orders were unreasonable and arbitrary.
Pocan ultimately sided with the city, determining the orders were in fact reasonable under Wisconsin state statutes. He ordered the case be dismissed.
Mark Foley, a lawyer who represents Black Spruce, filed a notice of appeal on Wednesday. The case will next head to the Court of Appeals.
Neither Foley nor city attorneys immediately provided a comment on the appeal Wednesday.
The longtime vacant mall has deteriorated over the years, and had been a hot spot for dumping, break-ins and vandalism. Black Spruce owns three separate buildings totaling roughly 883,000 square feet located at 8221 W. Northridge Mall Road, 9009 N. Granville Station Road and 9109 N. Granville Station Road.
According to court records, the city estimates the cost to repair the three building totals at least $11.7 million, without including all expected costs such as abatement of hazardous materials. The assessed value of the 9009 building is $81,100, while the other two have little to no value.
