Milwaukee could have a new tallest building under a new $700 million proposal from Madison-based The Neutral Project.
The development firm was selected by the City of Milwaukee to redevelop the Marcus Performing Arts Center (MPAC) parking structure site at 1001 N. Water St. in downtown Milwaukee, which the city released a request for proposals for in September.
Built over several phases, the development could include 750 residential units, 190,000 square feet of office space, 40,000 square feet of retail space, 300 hotel rooms, 1,100 structured parking spaces and public plazas and walkways, according to a Wednesday announcement.
The announcement says the development would include the tallest mass timber tower in the world and tallest building in Wisconsin.
An exact height or floor count was not immediately provided, but Nate Helbach, chief executive officer of The Neutral Project, hinted at a “50-story-plus” building, planned by the firm in Milwaukee, in an article published in the Madison publication “Isthmus” earlier this year. Later news reports indicate the tallest building in the project would be 55-stories and 613 feet tall, which would exceed the state’s current tallest building, the U.S. Bank Center in downtown Milwaukee, which is 601 feet tall.
“We’ve meticulously assembled a team of international design leaders paired with local specialist consultants,” said chief product officer Daniel Glaessl and Helbach of The Neutral Project. “This collaborative approach ensures we deliver an exceptional community-focused urban experience for this pivotal site in downtown Milwaukee. Our focus on vibrant urban activation aligns seamlessly with achieving internationally recognized sustainability certification Passive House and ILFI core, resulting in a low-carbon building. This project has the potential to position the Marcus Center as a groundbreaking model for sustainable development, not just in the United States, but on a global scale.”
The project was designed by Vancouver-based Michael Green Architecture. Others on the development team include the Milwaukee office of HGA, Copenhagen, Denmark-based Gehl People, Fond du Lac-based C.D. Smith and New York-based Thornton Tomasetti.
“As mayor, I have not been shy about my goal to grow our city’s population to one million Milwaukeeans,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson. “To do that, we need to be aggressive and reach for new heights. This project will help us do just that, literally aiming to set local and global records, but just as importantly add density and activity to an underutilized city-controlled parcel in downtown Milwaukee. It also represents a forward-thinking Milwaukee, open to outside investment and ideas, and I thank The Neutral Project for their confidence in Milwaukee’s future.”
The city is proposing a one-year exclusive right to negotiation (with possible extensions), subject to Common Council approval, for The Neutral Project, which gives the development team time to secure tenants, secure financing, and finalize the project plans, according to the announcement.
“We are incredibly excited about The Neutral Project’s transformative development of the Marcus Performing Arts Center parking garage,” said president and CEO of MPAC Kevin Giglinto. “This project will not only activate this section of Water Street, but will also create a vibrant, dynamic neighborhood that benefits our patrons and the entire City of Milwaukee.”
Founded in 2020, The Neutral Project recently started pile driving for a 32-floor, 381-unit mass timber apartment tower known as The Edison, located next to the existing MPAC parking garage. Construction is set to begin on that building, which was first proposed in 2021, this fall, The Neutral Project has said.
The company is also in the middle of construction on a 206-unit apartment project in Madison called Bakers Place and recently announced another Madison project with 30 apartment units.
