“Water Tech Two” Coming to Walker’s Point

Construction of Zurn’s Headquarters. Photo by Jack Fennimore.

Construction has begun on a three-story, $15 million building informally dubbed Water Tech Two, which will be the new global headquarters for Pennsylvania-based plumbing products developer Zurn Industries LLC. It is one of many buildings in the 2011-approved Reed Street Yards project, an initiative to develop the Global Water Technology Park in the 17-acre area along W. Freshwater Way in Walker’s Point.

The building, located to the west of the Global Water Center at 425 W. Freshwater Way, was approved by the City Plan Commission back in June. It is being developed by Klein Development Inc. and Fond du Lac-based C.D. Smith Construction Inc. and includes 52,000 square feet of office space. The landscaping design will have “low maintenance, 100% native plantings in accordance with LEED design guidelines,” according to the project documents. Vegetation will also “incorporate year round interest” and will be drought resistant so that a permanent irrigation system would not be necessary. It will also have a 75-vehicle parking lot that’s designed to be nonintrusive: it expands in size as it moves away from the sidewalk.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, C.D. Smith bought the 1.6 acre lot for Water Tech Two from Building 41 LLC, an affiliate of General Capital Group LLP, for $1.4 million. Zurn will then buy the building from C.D. Smith and Klein Development. Architect Troy Jacoby of Eppstein Uhen Architects is the leading the design of the building.

Zurn is owned by Rexnord Corp., a Milwaukee-based corporation which bought the company in 2007. The company produces toilet and other plumbing products for many markets in the commercial, industrial, municipal and health care industries. Rexnord relocated executives into the Global Water Center in 2013.

The City of Milwaukee pledged $1.9 million in subsidies to Zurn if they moved their headquarters and 120 workers into the building. In addition, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation awarded $2 million in tax credits to Rexnord as part of the deal to move Zurn into the building.

An 80,000 square-foot facility dubbed Water Tech One is also planned for the area. The 80,000 square foot building is being developed by General Capital Group and designed by Kahler Slater, but right now it looks like Water Tech Two may be constructed first. They may have to reverse the nicknames.

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