Meet The East Sider

A new apartment building near UW-Milwaukee has quickly taken shape.

When we last profiled the five-story, 55-unit building in January it was barely one story out of the ground. Now the distinctive setbacks of the building, located at the northeast corner of N. Oakland Ave. and E. Locust St., are clearly visible and the first bricks of the cream facade have been installed.

The project also has a new name, The East Sider, replacing the generic 2900 Apartments label it has in city documents. Long-time Milwaukeeans are certain to a doubletake, confusing it for the bar of the same name that closed in late 2017, but the undergraduate and graduate students residing in the new building aren’t likely to suffer that same problem.

The building is being developed by a partnership of Michael Klein‘s firm Klein Development, Jeno Cataldo and Millennial Partners. Design work is led by Striegel-Agacki Studio and Peridot Construction Management is leading the building’s construction.

With the name comes a leasing website touting the building’s studio, one bedroom and two bedroom layouts as well as a clubroom with rooftop deck, quartz countertops, in-unit washer and dryer, hard surface floors and stainless steel appliances.

The apartments at 2900 N. Oakland Ave. will rent from $900 to $1,800 per month according to Cataldo’s 2017 testimony before a city committee. Parking will be available for $125 to $150 per month. The first-floor of the new building will include 10,000 square feet of commercial space.

The building is scheduled to open in August, just in time for the next school year.

The project, which required a zoning variance for the number of units, was approved by the Common Council in November 2017 following a contentious Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee meeting. A handful of area residents vehemently opposed the project, but Alderman Nik Kovac ultimately voted in favor of the project.

Speaking in support of the project at the committee meeting, Kovac said he doesn’t anticipate the project will trigger a wave of development in the area. While he supports the development of the surface parking lot at the northwest corner of N. Oakland Ave. and E. Locust St. (and across the street from the proposed 2900 Apartments), Kovac said other large projects for the area would likely to run into opposition because they would require tearing down historic buildings. The alderman said the majority of attendees at a neighborhood meeting supported the project.

The project replaces a 4,596-square-foot building that most recently was occupied by a two-story Cousins Subs sandwich shop. “Better bread, better subs” fans won’t have to fret about losing Cousins long-term. The company intends to reopen a store on the first floor of the new building.

Photos

Renderings

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