Townhouses proposed for American Legion site in Shorewood

Milwaukee developer Scott Lurie is proposing a 10-unit townhouse development at the site of the North Shore American Legion Post building in Shorewood. Lurie, president of Milwaukee-based F Street Group, has filed conceptual plans for the townhouse development at 4121 N. Wilson Drive. The village's Design Review Board is scheduled to review the plans on Thursday, Feb. 13. Conceptual plans filed with the city show that the townhouses would stand three stories tall. Eight of the units would face east along Wilson Drive, while the other two would look northward from the southern end of the site. In front of the townhouses would be a so-called amenity garden, which includes a patio and putting green. A driveway would run behind the building and connect to Wilson Drive. Floor plans show that the first level of the units would contain indoor parking for up to two vehicles. F Street Group is working with Milwaukee-based design firm Rinka on the project. The second floor would contain a number of rooms, including 1.5 bathrooms and a kitchen. The lofts above would be partially open to the floor below, and would contain the bedrooms and an additional bathroom. It appears that three of the units would have a single large bedroom, and the rest would have two bedrooms. It appears at least three of the units would have third-floor outdoor balconies. Bart Griepentrog, Shorewood planning and development director, said it his understanding that Lurie is seeking approval of the conceptual designs so that the condo units can be marketed for pre-sale. Matt Rinka, principal of Rinka, said with this development, the project team aims to provide a newer and more modern-looking options for people who are looking for housing in Shorewood. Rinka said the height of the townhouses is meant to keep in scale with the surrounding neighborhood. The building was also designed in a way to maintain the site's connection to the Oak Leaf Trail on the north end. He added the project was designed to be somewhat similar to nearby residential developments, which are centered around an outdoor courtyard area. "We liked that idea, so we wanted to kind of keep that flavor going," Rinka said. Flexigon LLC, an entity registered to Lurie, purchased the building from the American Legion last spring for $625,000, according to state records. Lurie has developed a number of office and residential projects in the Milwaukee area. One such project is the 42, a mixed-use development at the former Pabst Brewery complex that includes the roughly 60,000-square-foot Factory Office Suites, the MKE Brewing Co. 9th St. Brewery, Glass + Griddle brewpub and Venue Forty-Two event space. The Factory Office Suites space was recently fully leased after Milwaukee-based Badger Mutual Insurance Co. decided to move its corporate headquarters there. Lurie is also proposing a mixed-use development in Bay View containing 230 residential units and 27,000 square feet of retail space. He recently acquired the former Assurant office building in downtown Milwaukee, which he plans to redevelop.