Developer Cornelius McClendon is proposing to develop an affordable, senior housing facility in the former industrial complex at 3040-3100 W. Meinecke Ave. A request to rezone the site to allow housing is pending before the Common Council.

The four-building complex was built in phases from 1900 through the 1940s according to a Wisconsin Historical Society survey. For decades it was home to the Perlick Corporation, a maker of bar and beverage fixtures as well as brewing equipment, but in 1963 the company relocated at 8300 W. Good Hope Rd. The main, four-story structure was originally constructed for use as a furniture factory. It was most recently known as the Park Industrial Center.

McClendon has sought low-income housing tax credits for the property before. His proposal for credits to create 58 affordable apartments was ruled ineligible by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority in 2019. It is not unusual for projects to initially be ruled ineligible or placed “on hold” and later be updated and resubmitted for the competitively-awarded credits. The targeting of seniors, a specific credit type, is new.

The latest plan, according to a one-page zoning application submitted to the city, calls for up to 85 units. The application says it is a $21.5 million project that also includes 4,000 square feet of commercial space.

McClendon would likely be able to leverage historic preservation tax credits as well the housing credits to support the buildings’ redevelopment. There is approximately 150,000 square feet of space between all of the buildings on the 2.1-acre property.

The complex is part of the 30th Street Industrial Corridor. Master Lock‘s Milwaukee factory is located immediately to the north of the plant. A We Energies yard, which faces W. North Ave., is to the south. Across W. Center St. from Master Lock is The Community Within The Corridor, a 197-unit redevelopment of the former Briggs & Stratton plant that is currently under construction.

McClendon, who operates McClendon Capital Group, would need to purchase the Perlick property from Walter Kennison‘s Tierra Subida Limited Partnership. OfficeSpace.com offers it for $1.1 million. The site is technically three parcels in city records, assessed for a combined $544,400.

A now-expired Loopnet property listing was a bit optimistic on the amenities the property offers: fenced lot, signage and commuter rail. The latter has been discussed informally for the adjacent railroad line, but no system operates today, nor is one expected to in the near future. A highly conceptual study for a pedestrian and bike trail in the corridor was released earlier this year.

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Weekly Recap

Civil War-Era Building Becoming Apartments

One of the oldest buildings in Walker’s Point is getting a new lease on life.

Developer Robert Chandler is redeveloping the Borger Building, 235 S. 2nd St., into apartments.

The four-story, 16,487-square-feet structure was, at least partially, constructed before the Civil War.

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Downtown Dog Park Wins $25,000 Grant

An effort to build a large downtown dog park received a boost Thursday.

PetSafe announced that the proposed park was one of the top five vote-getters in an online Bark for Your Park contest and will receive a $25,000 grant.

The park would be built on state-owned land at 103 W. Clybourn St. overlooking the Milwaukee River. Plans call for a 12,000-square-foot dog run with separated small and large dog areas and irrigated, synthetic turf. Much of the park would be built under Interstate 794.

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Leaders Celebrate New Mental Health Center

It is estimated that one in five people will experience a mental health crisis at some point in their life.

“Often one of the largest barriers to receiving support is knowing where to go,” said County Executive David Crowley at a well-attended ceremony Tuesday morning celebrating the new mental health facility being built at 1525 N. 12th. just outside of Downtown.

After more than 10 years of planning, the county and four medical partners are combining efforts and bringing help closer to those who need it. Milwaukee County’s new Mental Health Emergency Center will replace the current facility at 9455 W. Watertown Plank Rd. in suburban Wauwatosa. The facility is designed to help those needing short-term mental health care and serve as a connection point to more long-term support. It will be available to all county residents, regardless of their ability to pay.

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How The City Lost the Medical Center

The ceremony [Tuesday] celebrating the development of a new mental health center on 12th and Cherry featured speeches noting how this would improve health care in town, as Urban Milwaukee reported. Pete Carlson, president of Advocate Aurora Behavioral Health called it “the most important thing we have done with mental health in the region in 30 years.” 

There was also a comment by Mayor Tom Barrett declaring the new facility would be at the “right site.” The current facility at 9455 W. Watertown Plank Rd. in suburban Wauwatosa had been located there for decades, even though 70% of its patients came from 10 ZIP codes adjacent to the new facility now being built on the city’s West Side.

So why was the facility so far away from its patients?

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Harley-Davidson Founder’s Home For Sale

A Mediterranean Revival home with 3,821 square feet of finely crafted living space was listed for sale at $399,000 on Friday. Quite possibly constructed as a speculative home in 1916 by Prokop Schissler, as early as 1918 it was owned and occupied by William Sylvester Harley (1880-1943), who, with the three Davidson brothers, founded Milwaukee’s best known brand name. He served as Chief Engineer and Treasurer of the motorcycle manufacturer.

By 1918, Harley and his wife Anna Caroline (1882-1954) had three children — William, age 6; Ann, age 5; and John, age 3. So even if the plaster was still wet, and the copper gutters and downspouts were gleaming like a newly minted penny, the brood moved into the home at 4906 W. Washington Blvd. and settled in.

Did they ever! After William’s death, his wife remained in the home another decade. The home was then owned by daughter Ann, now Mrs. Charles Edward Kohl III. She and her husband lived there another 15 years, selling the home in 1969 to Willis L. Johnson for $32,000 after a half-century of Harley family ownership. It was then purchased by the current owners for $44,500 in July, 1974. Now it’s your turn.

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Consulting Team Announced for New Downtown Plan

The City of Milwaukee has assembled its team to chart an equitable future for Downtown.

The Department of City Development is partnering with Milwaukee Downtown, Business Improvement District #21 and a team of contractors on the effort, known as “Connec+ing MKE 2040.”

It’s an update of the 2010 Downtown Area Plan that guided the development of catalytic projects like The Hop streetcar line and set broad land-use strategies. Since that plan was created, DCD and Milwaukee Downtown report that $3.5 billion of real estate development has taken place and 4,800 new residential housing units were created.

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New Park Opens in Historic Third Ward

There is a new spot for children to be entertained and educated in the Historic Third Ward.

Gas Light Park, 111 N. Jefferson St., opened last week. The grass-covered triangular park is centered around a small playground. There is also a series of signs, known as a Born Learning Trail, that are intended to engage children and adults together in shared, educational activities.

The park’s development was led by the Historic Third Ward Association in response to the growing number of children living and visiting the neighborhood.

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