The former Kmart store at the West Allis Towne Center could be getting two new retail tenants and a mural on its southern wall, facing Greenfield Avenue, under plans filed with the city.
The 86,000-square-foot retail building, located at 6900 W. Greenfield Ave., was redeveloped in 2018 by New York-based RPT Realty Inc. (then Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust), and 50,000 square feet is now occupied by Hobby Lobby.
RPT has filed new building plans to make improvements to the remaining portion of the space, south of Hobby Lobby. The space would be occupied by two unnamed national tenants, a cosmetic retailer and a shoe retailer. One retailer would have roughly 12,500 square feet, while the other would have about 10,500 square feet. A common loading area behind the two retail spaces would total roughly 12,300 square feet.
Plans also call for a mural on the southern wall, near the northeast corner of West Greenfield Avenue and South 70th Street.
Project site, landscaping and architectural plans are on the agenda for Wednesday’s Plan Commission meeting.
Representatives of RPT did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
City staffers note in a report the proposed mural would complement the pedestrian plaza at that end of the building, which RPT created as part of the Hobby Lobby improvements. The plaza, a converted outdoor garden storage area, already includes walkways, public art and accent lighting along Greenfield Avenue.
“Staff feels the location is ideal for an artistic feature as South 70 Street and West Greenfield Avenue is one of the busiest in terms of pedestrian and public transit use,” the report states.
The mural’s design hasn’t been finalized.
The city is in the beginnings of a mural program with Milwaukee-based Wallpapered City. As part of that arrangement, the city is seeking willing property owners to incorporate public art on their buildings. RPT indicated it is willing to participate in the program, according to the staff report.
The shopping center is located in a part of town that is seeing a number of significant redevelopment projects. Immediately north along 70th Street is the Allis Yards project and to the east is The Market at Six Points master-planned community.
Image: West Allis city documents[/caption]