Milwaukee’s newest trendy neighborhood is likely to become one of its best, and almost certainly its greenest.  The Brewery, an environmentally sensitive restoration and adaptation of historic structures among the decaying wreckage of the former Pabst Brewing Company, is already home to striking residential lofts, a great beer hall, a range of offices, Cardinal Stritch University City Center, and a small urban park.  Soon it will add a senior living facility and the School of Public Health of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.  Look for more residential and commercial presence, including a boutique hotel, retail and restaurants, over time.

As you can see by the image above, before construction the site was pretty much a disaster.  This has been a major undertaking by any measure.

When NRDC, the Congress for the New Urbanism and the US Green Building Council began taking applications from developers to participate in the pilot program for LEED for Neighborhood Development, The Brewery was one of three among the 200-plus applicants that immediately caught my eye as projects with exceptional potential.  (The other two were New York City’s Melrose Commons and Victoria, BC’s Dockside Green.)  The development plan for The Brewery has now earned a platinum rating under LEED-ND, one of only a few projects to do so.

Here’s why I got excited:  the seven-block, 20-acre project involved the restoration and adaptive reuse of an amazing 26 structures listed on the National Register of Historic Places, surely making it one of the most ambitious historic preservation projects in the country.  It also involved extensive brownfield cleanup; had a great location within walking distance of Milwaukee’s downtown; planned aggressive use of green infrastructure to manage stormwater; planned to set aside some apartments for qualifying low-income families; and included standards for high-performing green buildings.  The Brewery was also strongly supported by the city government in what has been the largest public-private partnership in Milwaukee’s history.

That master plan is now coming to fruition.  The master developer was the late Joseph Zilber, who had built a large portfolio of development both in downtown Milwaukee and in Hawaii.  (His philanthropic portfolio was impressive, too, including a $50 million fund to improve Milwaukee’s low-income neighborhoods.)  A number of the individual buildings within The Brewery site are now being developed by Gorman & Company.

When the site is fully built out, it is expected to include at least 300 homes and some 1.3 million square feet of office and retail property.  My friends in Milwaukee call The Brewery “a great, great project” and say “the more I see at the old Pabst site, the more I like.”  One of them also reports that the old Pabst headquarters building “was used as a setting for one of Charles Bronson’s last movies, Family of Cops 3 (which was mostly filmed in Toronto, but used the Pabst Brewery for some key scenes).”

I can’t wait to see it for myself.  In the meantime, check out the plans and before and after images accompanying this post.  Here’s also a neat music video that was filmed entirely within the Best Place Tavern at The Brewery:

For those of you whose video tastes lean more toward the explicitly environmental, here’s another one, of the bioswales incorporated into the site to filter stormwater.  One of the things I like best about green infrastructure is the way it introduces bits of literally green nature into otherwise hardscape urban sites:

Guest post by Kaid Benfield

Kaid Benfield Director, Sustainable Communities, NRDC; co-founder, LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system; co-founder, Smart Growth America coalition; author, Once There Were Greenfields (NRDC 1999), Solving Sprawl (Island Press 2001), Smart Growth In a Changing World (APA Planners Press 2007), Green Community (APA Planners Press 2009); voted one of the “top urban thinkers” in poll on Planetizen.com and named one of “the most influential people in sustainable planning and development” by the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

It’s not that easy being green
Having to spend each day the color of the leaves
When I think it could be nicer being red, or yellow or gold
Or something much more colorful like that

-Kermit the Frog

Bein’ green might not be that easy for Kemit, but for some development projects it seems all to easy “bein’ green.” In fact it seems easy to be Silver, Gold, or even Platinum, “Green,” or in this case LEED certified.

LEED certification takes into account a number of green practices and technologies. These might include the re-use of materials, utilizing renewable energy sources, the use of energy efficient windows and lighting, weatherization, grey water systems, and numerous other items all of which are a great step towards being green. But missing from LEED certification seems to be a key component of actually bein’ green.

Transportation.  A site can fail any true measure of bein’ “green” if it requires automobile use to access or is for the express purpose of serving the automobile.  Be it the emissions, heavy metals and toxins auto’s spread, oil consumption, storm water impacts due to land use demanded by automobile use, the automobile brings with it negative environmental impacts that need to be taken into account.

A not so green, “green” development is a planned “net-zero” sub division being developed in suburban Chicago. In fact this project, Prairie Ridge Estates, is being developed on farmland forty miles from Chicago. Starting with location, it will require automobile use simply to access the homes. Additionally, as a single-use, single-family subdivision it will require automobile use to get work, for grocery shopping, to access entertainment options, essentially to do any activity outside of the home it will encourage additional vehicular trips. Although the community is being billed as ‘net zero’ in regards to energy use, in truth that’s only if you leave out half of the equation.

Here in Milwaukee, the recently completed parking garage at The Brewery project received LEED Gold Certification, because it used LED lighting and recycled building debris allowing it to receive enough points to meet the standard. No question, it is good the project used these methods and incorporated energy efficient features, but the the purpose of a parking garage should disqualify, or at least severely handicap it, in its ability to receive LEED certification. The building’s primary use is to support, essentially encourage, automobile use, an inherently anti-green function. The LEED standards are a start and a step in the right direction, but it needs continual refinement and improvement if it wants to truly be green.

So we should ask if the Park East Freeway spur was worth keeping or is the long-term benefit more worthwhile than the long-term costs.  One of the big concerns regarding the removal of the Park East Freeway spur was that congestion would increase, but the numbers show that traffic delays peaked after the removal and have settled back to 2001 levels, the last full year of regular operation of the freeway spur.  Access to downtown Milwaukee has actually been improved, because the new street level boulevard allows drivers to turn on to more streets than the freeway spur allowed.  Simply, looking at it from a cost point of view, the freeway spur’s repair costs at the time of its removal were estimated at $100 million, clearly this is significantly more expensive to maintain than a street level boulevard.  From a tax base point of view, the freeway limited development of property, not just under it, but near it, and although it has yet to develop, the potential is at least there, and some neighboring properties have added to the tax base.

The big complaint in regards to the Park East is that development has been slow to take hold in the area.  Unfortunately, there is truth to this, but looking at the edges of the Park East corridor it is clear investment is starting to take hold.  Developments such as the North End, the Flatiron, the Aloft, the Brewery, and the soon to break ground Moderne are a direct result of removing the Park East Freeway spur.  These would of been undesirable sites to develop, because of limited access, a perceived disconnect from downtown, and the blighting influence of locating in the shadow of a concrete ramp.  Finally, Milwaukee has already proven it can fill-in underutilized land. The Park East Freeway was supposed to extend to the lakefront and the land was cleared for it, but the freeway never happened and the land sat vacant for years (east of the spur that was built).  That land now contains a long stretch of residential apartments, a Pick ‘n’ Save, and fits in the neighborhood fairly well.  It’s unfortunate that this land was ever cleared, but it shows Milwaukee can reclaim once underutilized land and can do it again.

There is no question that there are a number of factors that have slowed development in the Park East.  The lot sizes that Milwaukee County is attempting to sell are too large, which limits the number of developers able to participate and forces the scale of the development to a point that requires very significant financing.  It’s also possible Milwaukee County’s PERC regulations have limited the number of developers interested in developing within the Park East.  Further, these regulations may have played a role in developers requesting TIF’s from the City of Milwaukee to finance projects, though the existence of a direct relationship isn’t clear.  The problem that has come up more than once is developers having to deal with two levels of government with differing goals.  A clear example of this is RSC & Associates’ Park East Square proposal.  Milwaukee County closed on the land sale, despite RSC & Associates lack of financing, fluctuating plans, and continued attempts to gain City of Milwaukee financing for the project.

The opportunity lost had Milwaukee not removed the Park East Freeway spur was simply too great to miss out on, but it does seem it’s time for Milwaukee County to get out of the way and allow the City of Milwaukee to control the land in order to expedite development.

Wangard Properties (Proposed)

The most recently announced of any of the projects.  Tom Daykin reported yesterday that Wangard Properties intends to build an apartment building next to the Highbridge Condominiums (developed by New Land Enterprises) on N. Water St/E. Kane St.  The proposed building would likely include no more than 88 units.

Latitude Apartments (Under Construction)

Originally a project of New Land Enterprises, the Latitude Apartments won full zoning approval from the Milwaukee Common Council in December 2008 and was sold to Dermond Property Investments for $2.1 million in January 2009.  The project is located at the intersection of Kenilworth Ave and Farwell Ave just across from the Kenilworth Square Apartments.  Construction is in full swing now.  When finished the $13 million project will feature 90 units, and 7,500 square feet of street-level retail.  The units are broken down into 71 one-bedroom units and 19 studios.  Units range in size from 650 to 1,000 square feet.  The project includes 90 underground parking spaces, with 13 reserved for retail tenants.  Direct access to the Oak Leaf Trail is a unique aspect of the project.

Jackson Square Apartments (Under Construction)

Under construction in the Third Ward is Robert Joseph’s 81-unit Jackson Square Apartments.  When finished the project will feature 100+ underground parking stalls, and 9,000 square feet of retail space.  Rents will range from $800 to $1,600 with units split between one and two bedrooms.

Corcoran Lofts (Under Construction)

The Corcoran Lofts are under construction on Corcoran Avenue in the Third Ward and are on pace to open in the spring of 2010.  A Mandel Group development, the six-story development will include 76 units and 3,400 square feet of retail space.  The building will connect to Mandel’s 138-unit Gaslight Lofts, which will allow Corcoran residents to take advantage of Gaslight Lofts amenities such as the fitness center.  It will also allow the operating staff at the Gaslight Lofts to serve the new building. Rents will range from about $900 to $1,500.  The first two floors of the building are largely all parking, with the apartments being confined to the upper four floors. Urban Milwaukee has extensively photographed the development of this project, visible in our Friday Photos feature.

• Official Website

The North End ONE (Open)

ONE, the first building in the “neighborhood by design” development has been a resounding success in terms of apartment occupancy so far.  Having opened in the late spring of this year, the 83-unit Mandel Group development is within a couple units of being completely leased.  On a positive note for Milwaukee, Richard Lincoln of the Mandel Group estimates that 75% of the residents have moved to the building from outside of the city.  Mandel has a letter of intent for 3,000 of the 12,000 square feet of first floor retail space.  The next building built in the North End is likely to feature apartments as opposed to condos as well.  Mandel hopes to break ground on that building in 2010. Urban Milwaukee took a tour of the building while construction was finishing.

• Official Website

Bridgeview (Open)

A former warehouse turned apartment building by Lighthouse Development, the 55-unit Bridgeview is part of the South Water Works development just south of the Third Ward in Walker’s Point.  One and two-bedroom units with prices ranging from $900 to $1,800.  The five-story building that was once home to Pittsburgh Plate Glass (PPG) is 85% leased and over 75% occupied. Urban Milwaukee took a tour of the building when it was under construction.

• Official Website

Blue Ribbon Lofts (Open)

The former Pabst Brewing Keg House is now home to 95 units by way of Gorman and Company Inc.  A big piece of the conversion of the Pabst Brewing Complex into The Brewery.  Targeted towards the creative class, the building features a music studio, artists’ workspaces and galleries, a fully equipped business center and conference rooms, a theater/presentation space and a fitness center.  Of the 95 units, 69 are available under affordable rent tax credits thanks to tax credits from WHEDA to support the project’s development.  The total project cost was $16.2 million.

• Official Website

To see for yourself we’ve provided a photo gallery, but better yet stop at The Brewery and enjoy this new public space.

I considered the idea back in June as a way to beautify the area between the Pabst redevelopment and the Palomar in the short term, and there are a lot of really good reasons not to do it.

First and the most obvious, is who is going to pay for it?  Not Milwaukee County, they’re struggling to pay for the parks they have and it would be a shame to see Pere Marquette, MacArthur Square, and Cathedral Square deprived of funding to build a couple new parks.

Second, who would use the park?  Scratch your head a few more times and realize the answer is likely no one.  We need residents in the area, not underused park land.

Third, try to name a temporary park. I can’t. By placing a huge amount of green space in an urban area, you’re facing a substantial risk of never getting it back to develop.  There was quite a battle to develop an abandoned gas station into a dorm, the brownfield of brownfields on the East Side.  The city and county would have a monster of a battle on their hands, imagine the headline “Developer Trying to Turn Park into Condos”.  Despite that the parkland would go unused, the not-in-my-backyard crowd would presumably show up in full force to oppose any development, despite their backyards being miles away.

Finally, one must consider the highest and best use of the land, and the reason it’s available in the first place.  It should be developed and we need to do everything we can to get it back to taxable, privately-owned property or public uses that could be catalytic to attracting more development to the surrounding area.  Creating a temporary park on it isn’t going to encourage development.  Anything done with the Park East land should be to encourage development.  Nothing to move it backward (temporary parking lots), nothing to move it sideways (parks), only to move it forward to what the original plan called for.

The solution?  Smaller lots.  The parcel was simply too big to develop.  Bigger parcel, bigger developer, bigger plans, bigger loans.  The small parcels are already being developed in the corridor, in good markets (the Flatiron), and in bad markets with a little public help (the Aloft Hotel).

Currently land sales in Milwaukee, be it those executed by the state, county, or city, don’t allow for speculation and restrict developer freedom with the current purchase options/request for proposal process.  The process currently in place is designed to protect the interests of the city and to attempt to create a level playing field for developers.  It succeeds, sort of.

The current request for proposal (RFP) process involving publicly-held land works by announcing a request for development proposals, judging the replies, and granting a time-limited purchase option for the land to the winning party.  The system is not without flaws.  Submitting the proposals is burdensome for developers and requires a clear picture for the use of all of the land in the parcel before ownership is even granted.  If a developer wins the option to purchase the land, there is very little control on their execution of the proposal.  The option contracts also are often structured as such that the time component is virtually meaningless as they are frequently extended to avoid having to restart the process.  The final large problem is that the process is slow and does not allow a market to form around the land as it would for private land.

The Changes

Applying more market principles to the RFP process might speed the transition from public and vacant to private and developed for publicly-held parcels.

The first of such adjustments should be to allow speculators into the market.  With the current process, developers are effectively the only parties that can buy parcels with a requirement that a proposal be submitted first.  By regulating the use of land with zoning the desired use can be created flexibly after the sale of the land.  Zoning codes would need to become more detailed to include explicit minimums (and potentially maximums) along with use types to ensure that any development of the land benefits the area around it.

The second of such adjustments should be to make the public land more closely mimic the properties or private property before it is developed.  Currently the RFP process requires land to frequently be bought as a single parcel, with no flexibility to sell portions to others.  Speculators should be able to obtain a contract for a plot of land at auction and have the ability to parcel it out to others to develop.  Parceling of large blocks of land could be done after the contract was obtained, not before as is currently required.

The third adjustment to the RFP process should be to enhance the time-limited option contracts currently created.  Allowing speculators into the market has the danger of creating parcels that remain undeveloped for years, and a safe guard is needed.  To encourage the ultimate goal of getting the land developed, contracts should be granted with yearly fees that grow annually.

A per square foot cost can be assigned to the land, so if a specular wishes to sell or develop a portion of a parcel they may.  When the land is ultimately developed, the portion used should be paid for in full, instead of just the option cost.  However, the amount paid on the option could be applied towards the cost of the land.  This would allow higher option prices to be charged, while further enticing development the longer a parcel is held (coupled with the higher option costs each year).  The price paid on the option will be able to exceed the actual cost of the land, encouraging the land to be developed or to let the contract lapse.

If a contract owner wishes to exit their obligations of the growing annual payments, they can simply sell their contract to another party or notify the land-holding agency that they wish to release their remaining contract options.  This would allow partial development (to corresponding zoning codes) of a parcel, while not forcing other portions to remain undeveloped.  To prevent the building of a structure by a developer and the failure to build any landscaping on small portions of the land remaining (which would then be released back to the government unit undeveloped), the contract would have to stipulate a minimum divided parcel size.

The Intended Effects

How would this change Milwaukee as it is now?  In the past ten years the largest example of the RFP process has been the reclaimed land from the former Park East Freeway spur.  While small border parcels are being infilled, almost all of the land that has come under the ownership of the county has remained undeveloped.  Why?  Simply the lots are too big.

By allowing speculators to buy the land at auction without proposals (but with strict zoning codes) and affording them the flexibility to sell smaller parcels, much of the land may have been developed already. Furthermore, the escalating annual payments would have begun to push developers like RSC & Associates off their block of land, opening it up to the market again.

Developers like Robert Ruvin, who win RFP option contracts, then struggle (or fail) to actually develop the land would be given options to reasonably scale back their projects by using less land (at less cost).

The state of Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) will soon begin selling the parcels used during construction of the Marquette Interchange.  Allowing them to use a more market-based approach would allow them to sell options on the land to private interests, begin to see a revenue stream immediately, and have private interests searching for developers.

If you’re questioning the possibly that such a plan allowing subdividing would work, look no further than the former Pabst Brewery.  The Brewery Project stewarded by Joseph Zilber has successfully parceled off buildings that will create an entirely new neighborhood.

Original plans for the Palomar project involved the redevelopment of the Sydney Hih building as part of a new Kimpton Hotel. Over time these plans have changed and now Gatehouse Capitol and Ruvin Development intend to demolish the buildings to a develop new a 22-story building.

Milwaukee resident, David Somerscales, nominated the Sydney Hih building for an interim historic designation that would last 180 days and would give time to determine if this building should be permanently protected. An extended presentation was giving connecting the building to a Dr. Nicholas Senn. Dr. Senn had been a fairly well known doctor who made many medical advances in the late 1800′s. This was relevant because one of the criteria for the nomination of a building is connection with a historical figure. Additionally it was presented that during the 1970′s it became the home to the counter culture, prompting Alderman Bauman to remark that it’s “almost an iconic building of the counter culture”.

There was some questioning regarding the motivations behind the people supporting this historic designation because of their potential ties to the union, UNITE HERE, which is currently negotiating with the developer to insure union workers are employed in the hotel once it is completed. This came to light as Alderman Bauman questioned the occupation of many speakers and he made his feelings clear stating that “I’m also concerned this is another example of the historic preservation process being abused”. Despite that belief and efforts by the development team to show how this building doesn’t qualify for protection, Alderman Bauman went on to say that “it may be moot what the motivation is” indicating his belief that the Sydney Hih building might be a good candidate for historic preservation regardless of motives. This item was held and will be brought back up and the next Historic Preservation Commission meeting.

The Brewery project was requesting a change in the material for a pedestrian walk way that runs along a pocket park and behind some buildings. Mike Mervis, assistant to Zilber Chairman Joseph Zilber, was proposing the project use a colored and scored concrete instead of the salvaged pavers as originally planned. Alderman Bauman was upset over this downgrading and suggested that if a trade-off is to be made that the park should be cut back on as once the sidewalks are paved it isn’t likely they’ll ever be redone with the pavers. Alderman Bauman went on to suggest that “the park can be enhanced incrementally over time”. The meeting became pretty heated when Mike Mervis fired back that “I’m not willing to cut the quality of the park”. It was suggested that the developer at least use the pavers along the park section and not all of the pathway which finally found agreement by both parties.

New Land Enterprises was scheduled to present minor changes to the parking structure of its proposed 26-story tower located behind the Goll Mansion. The changes included using a colored concrete behind the green-screen and adjusting the pattern of the green-screen to mimic that of windows to provide some articulation and so that during the winter the building would appear better than concrete block. Despite that these changes had been worked out with city staff, no action was taken on this item because the meeting had ended abruptly as there was no longer a quorum of commission members.

Zilber and his company, Towne Realty, are to-date doing a phenomenal job of assembling a group of developers to build a diverse, mixed-use neighborhood.  This should ensure that the neighborhood is not only a functional part of the city, but safe 24 hours a day for pedestrians.

If you’ve ever walked around Schlitz Park at night, you’ll immediately notice this is something that has yet to be achieved (that project is far from complete though, so all hope is not lost).

It’s genuinely exciting to see someone as rich and powerful as Joseph Zilber not only committed to rebuilding a Milwaukee landmark, but not turning it into a single-use silo.  He could have probably attracted a corporate tenant to occupy a large portion of the complex and made a killing building a complex for them that was largely unusable by the rest of the city.  Instead of building a silo, Zilber is artfully constructing a new neighborhood that will not only connect with the neighborhoods around it, but encourage them to grow.

With all the positive I have just spoken, I do have a few concerns over the number of buildings being torn down.  Certainly some of them had to go (large windowless structures built cheaply by Pabst), but a few of them from the outside appeared to be buildings worthy of saving.  It’s especially sad when they’re being replaced for surface parking.  A wonderful neighborhood of cream city brick buildings should not be poisoned with the ugliness of a surface parking lot.

I’ve been taking pictures over the past couple of years, and decided I should start to examine before and after shots to get a real look at what progress is being made.

Image #1 – Building 10 (former Boiler House), Building 14 (former R&D lab) and Building 15 (former grain silos)

Notes:

• The first photo is from November 20th, 2006, the second is from May 8th, 2008.
• There is a building missing in the second image.  That building is building 11, the former dry house built in 1894.  It’s one that I think was unfortunate was removed.  It will be replaced with a surface parking lot, which I think is a shame.  According to The Daily Reporter it had a collapsed roof and floor damage that would have cost at least $250,000 to being considering repair.  I would have been okay with it coming down, it’s just upsetting it’s becoming a parking lot.
• Alderman Bauman originally opposed eliminating the building if it was replaced with a surface parking lot.  He stayed true to his word and was the only alderman to vote against it (voting in both committee and in the Common Council).  It’s a shame they couldn’t get a constraint to get green space built there.
• Obviously the smokestack is gone from the former boiler house (building 22 built in 1948).  The building didn’t have the historical look of many of the buildings around it, wasn’t made of cream city brick, and adds a ton of value to the buildings around it by exposing them to natural light for the first time in years.  They saved the brick from the smokestack that contained the legendary “PABST” white letters, but the rest of that building won’t be missed.

Image #2 – Building 1 (former Tank Storage building 902 W. Juneau Ave), Building 4 (former Stock House, 1217 N. 9th Street) and Building 8 (former barrel storage house, 1233 N. 9th Street)

Notes:

• The first photo is from March 12th, 2008, the second from May 8th, 2008.
• These buildings are part of a group of six (three are behind these) being removed to create space for the parking structure.  Zilber and company were originally going to save the facades to create a shell for the parking structure, but the buildings weren’t in good enough shape to safely complete that (according to reports).
• They were demolished partially because they were not in the condition to be used for any other uses (outside of a parking garage shell).   While I would agree with this for most of the buildings in this group, Building 4 and Building 8 appear to have enough windows to be useful.  Perhaps they were the most structurally damaged, or the sides attached to other buildings were going to be able to be remade.
• What I wish would have happened (considering my limited knowledge of the situation and guesstimate of economic costs), would be that they would have demolished the four other buildings and kept buildings 4 and 8.  They could have used the extra cream city brick from other demolitions to rebuild the sides of buildings 4 and 8.  I’m guessing this was not economically or physically feasible.
• This is the largest group of buildings destroyed for the project and unfortunately a big part of what gives the complex it’s industrial feel.  I really hope the parking garage looks great.

Image #3 – Building 10 (former Boiler House) and Building 15 (former grain silos)

Notes:

• The first photo is from March 12th, 2008, the second from May 8th, 2008.
• Restoration work is clearly well underway with Building #10.  The promises of Albion Group Architects moving in by the end of 2008 by Boiler House, LLC building (Charles Trainer and Max Dermond) seem pretty reasonable at this point.
• Good to see the cream city brick being cleaned up (this is visible on the Gorman Company’s Blue Ribbon Loft Apartments just around the corner in building 9 too).  This is really going to change the view of the area from a distance.
• The billboard on the grain silos is sad to see.  I’m perfectly okay with it, if it is a temporary thing until the project is completed.  It would be sad to see it there long-term because I think it really damages the industrial feel of the area and cheapens the feel of the area.

Overall, everything going on at “The Brewery” is really exciting.  Sure, some buildings are coming down that will be missed, but it’s worth it to see the rest of the complex restored.  Zilber should be applauded for making this project happen, as should Alderman Robert Bauman for planting this idea in Zilber.

Long-term this redevelopment is going to create an area that respects and honors Milwaukee’s brew city image and integrates that history into Milwaukee’s growing urban cityscape.  I’m especially happy to see a lot of architect Otto Strack’s work preserved as it is a true Milwaukee treasure.

In ten years when construction is long-since finished (hopefully here and at Schlitz Park), the cream city brick so dominant in the build
ings around downtown Milwaukee will be one of the things that sets the Cream City apart from the rest of the cities of the Fresh Coast that are becoming increasingly homogenous as globalization accelerates.

Milwaukee County intends to issue a request for proposals (RFP) for a Park East corridor plot of land on the western end of the reclaimed land, near the former Pabst brewery.

With developments finally getting off the ground on formerly RFP’ed plots on the eastern end of the corridor, and redevelopment moving full speed ahead at The Brewery it seems logical to move forward at this time and put another plot up for sale. The proposed plot is the one east of 6th Street, north of West Winnebago Street, and south of McKinley Avenue.

On the flip side, Robert Ruvin had a harder time securing a loan for his development inbetween 3rd and 4th Streets after the market began to turn. Construction hasn’t even started there yet, and a demo unit is in the works to begin condo sales starting in April.

Is it therefore logical to put the chance of another development on the market and potentially damage development going on on other parcels? Yes, well it would be great if the county could let every development get to 100% before triggering another I think it’s important to continue to grease the wheels for other developments to get off the ground.

Plus, in all reality by the time the county put out the RFP, it’s going to be at least two years before construction even breaks ground. That will give other developments plenty of time to sell units..

The worst thing that could happen is the current credit crunch could toward around, and for the downtown area to be caught with a lack of available units and development going on. If people want to move downtown, and it appears they do, the county and city should continue to encourage developers to get projects off the ground that produce urban infill and add to the strength of downtown. They’ve done a good job of that so far, and I hope they don’t pull this sale in the event of a market downturn.

I expect that further development in the corridor is only going to accelerate the pace of sales and leasing of space, and increase the amount of developers wanting to put up buildings. It’s hard to sell someone on living next to a bunch of gravel lots, but it’s going to be ease to sell them on living amongst a lot of new, pedestrian-friendly developments within walking distance of the city’s best assets.

Jim Haertel, president of Brew City Redevelopment Group LLC, is excited to finally see his dream coming to fruition. Haertel, who I’ve mentioned before owns a group of former Pabst brewery office buildings that are part of the complex that Joseph Zilber is redeveloping.

Haertel is a name many in Milwaukee may remember as one of the leaders behind the original plans to turn the brewery in PabstCity, a nightlife and entertainment district. That plan ultimately died as a result of the Common Council not giving Wispark public money to develop the area, because of concerns of its long-term viability. Haertel was promised the Blue Ribbon Hall office buildings as part of the deal with his financing partner Wispark LLC.

He was given the buildings by Wispark upon their sale of the complex to Zilber and his Brewery Project LLC, and just recently in December settled a lawsuit with Wispark. Terms of the settlement weren’t released, and I haven’t heard rumor of what they might be.

Development is moving at a fast pace at the complex now (pictures coming soon). Fulfilling Haertel’s dream for the site, Blue Ribbon Hall and the surrounding office buildings will turn into the Museum of Beer and Brewing and Hofbrauhaus Milwaukee. Construction will begin next year, and everything will open in February of 2010.

The reason for the delay? Haertel wants to wait for construction across Juneau Avenue to finish. The buildings just across the street (former keg houses) are being removed and replaced with a parking garage (more on that later).

Personally, I’m excited about the long-term prospects for this area. I really think overall there are a lot of really good things going on over at The Brewery.  Early developments such as the Hofbrauhaus are going to set a great tone for the surrounding area developments still to come.

Loyal readers, I apologize on not keeping you up-to-date with the latest in white flight trends… that being the development of Pabst Farms. The last time I reported on Pabst Farms, they (Pabst Farms Development Inc) were announcing that a new developer, Developers Diversified Realty, to create the sprawl mall.

Developers Diversified Realty announced their plans almost two months ago (yes, I’m playing catch up).

What did it include? Nothing special. Everything is focused around the interstate. They’re touting an "attractive entrance" as a giant sign that reads "Pabst Farms Oconomowoc" when you get off the interstate, and some landscaped, unnatural grass.

It’s really a shame that the use of the Pabst name here will taint the image of the real development happening at the old Pabst brewery on the edge of urban Milwaukee.