City Selects Harbor District Developer

Rule Enterprises was selected by the Department of City Development as the winner of a request-for-proposals (RFP) process to develop a vacant lot in the Harbor District.

The 2.03-acre site, 200 E. Greenfield Ave., serves as part of the gateway to Komatsu Mining‘s South Harbor Campus and UW-Milwaukee’s School of Freshwater Sciences.

“The significant momentum in the Harbor District is creating exciting new opportunities for residents, businesses, and workers,” said DCD Commissioner Lafayette Crump in a statement on Tuesday announcing the selection. “Rule Enterprises is a respected development partner in the city and I am looking forward to working together to realize the full potential of Freshwater Plaza.”

DCD declined to provide additional information on what Rule is proposing for the site. The details will be made public in advance of meetings with the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee and Common Council. The two entities must authorize the land sale.

Firm leader Brandon Rule, a Milwaukee native, has developed two other buildings in Milwaukee and has a third underway. All are subsidized, affordable apartment buildings completed with partner institutions. In 2019, Rule completed SEVEN04 Place at 704 W. National Ave. In 2021, THIRTEEN31 Place was completed at 1331 W. National Ave. A third building, EIGHTEEN87 on Water, is under construction on the Lower East Side.

The RFP for the Harbor District site was issued in May, with a $1.9 million asking price.

The rectangular parcel is the last available in the Freshwater Plaza development. Immediately to its north is a Cermak grocery store and an access ramp to the Kinnickinnic River Trail. The Freshwater Plaza Apartments building, with a variety of retail tenants, is located to its west. To the northwest, a Sherwin Williams store and a site for a planned bank branch front S. 1st St. A large surface lot fills the middle of the site.

Wangard Partners, as of 2018, had proposed to develop a six-story, mixed-use building on the site with 45,000 square feet of commercial space and 76 apartments. But despite a zoning change being granted, those plans never progressed to construction. The original zoning package, created as part of the redevelopment of the Grede Foundries complex that filled the larger site, called for an office building on the now-listed parcel.

The RFP called for a developer to follow the 2018 zoning change, which called for an approximately five-story building along E. Greenfield Ave. that could taper off to the north. An all-residential building would be allowed, but the proposal requires first-floor activation. Commercial or office uses would also be allowed.

DCD said it would look favorably upon proposals that include an affordable housing component. The RFP stated: “Any housing that is proposed for the site should strive to provide a mix of units that are affordable to a range of incomes. Proposals that incorporate income/rent-restricted affordable units within the proposed development are highly encouraged, with a preference for [two bedroom] or larger units and/or units targeting low-income individuals below 50% [of area median income].” The document also said that the city could support an affordable housing proposal with a tax-incremental financing district if it was otherwise not economically viable.

A portion of the site along E. Greenfield Ave. is being reserved for a significant water feature. It would parallel the water feature in front of the Freshwater Plaza apartment building that takes rainwater and cycles it through a series of manmade ponds. Because of the water feature and a private street (S. Barclay St.), only 1.3 acres of the parcel are expected to be developable.

The site is a key Harbor District parcel. The building would be visible from S. 1st St. as well as the adjacent bike trail. It would serve as a visual anchor along E. Greenfield Ave., with the Canadian Pacific railroad bridge otherwise blocking sight lines to the UWM, Komatsu and Freshwater Plaza developments.

A copy of the RFP is available on Urban Milwaukee.

Site

2018 Plans