Irgens Seeks Tax-Increment Financing for 833 E. Michigan Tower

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Irgens is pursuing $12 million in tax-increment financing for its proposed $100 million office tower in Downtown Milwaukee. The developer plans to move its corporate headquarters from the Milwaukee County Research Park in Wauwatosa to the 17-story, 357,000-square-foot structure at 833 East Michigan Street according to BizTimes.

So far, the project’s pre-committed space totals approximately 155,000 square feet, including leases to the Godfrey & Kahn law firm and two unnamed tenants. “We’re pre-leasing the building to 50 percent to get financing,” said Mark Irgens, the company’s CEO & president.

Designed by Milwaukee-based architectural firm Kahler Slater, the tower will be located on the current site of the U.S. Bank Center’s parking garage. Irgens is planning to purchase the land from U.S. Bank, which will also finance the sale. The organization could also become one of the property’s tenants, the newspaper reports. Construction could begin this year and be complete by 2015.

The tower would provide panoramic views of Lake Michigan and Downtown Milwaukee,  LEED-certified design, an outdoor terrace overlooking the lake, a fitness center, a conference center, more than 400 parking spaces, and skywalk access to US Bank Center and the US Bank parking garage. Bill Bonifas of CBRE Group Inc. is marketing the property.

Notable projects completed by Irgens include ASQ Center, 875 East Wisconsin, and GE Healthcare Research Park. Additional company offices are located in Chicago and Phoenix.

Rendering: Irgens/Kahler Slater 

City Weighs $54M TIF for Northwestern Mutual’s 1.1 MSF Tower

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Milwaukee’s zoning, neighborhoods and development committee has unanimously approved a $54 million developer-funded tax increment financing (TIF) plan for Northwestern Mutual’s proposed 1.1 million-square-foot Downtown headquarters tower.

Estimated to cost between $350 million and $400 million, according to The Business Journal, the 33-story building would replace the financial services company’s office at 800 E. Wisconsin Ave. The company expects to begin demolition of the existing building this year and start construction on the new tower by fall 2014. Upon completion in 2017, the 550-foot structure will be the largest single building in Wisconsin.

“Building now in downtown Milwaukee is the right thing for us, just as 10 years ago it was right to add capacity in Franklin,” said John E. Schlifske, the company’s chairman & CEO. “We said then and I’ll say now, we expect over the decades to continue to grow at both campuses.”

Since Northwestern Mutual unveiled the proposed project in December, its planned size has increased about 30 percent. The facility will accommodate 1,100 Milwaukee employees and provide room for expansion. Northwestern Mutual’s long-term growth plans include adding 1,900 jobs by 2030.  

Under the proposed TIF agreement, the company will finance the entire cost of the development. Once the new building begins producing tax revenue at a level exceeding that of the current East Wisconsin Ave. property, Northwestern Mutual will recover $54 million over a period of 25 years. If the company meets its employment projections, it will receive 70 percent of the tax increment, while the city will use the remaining 30 percent to fund Lakefront Gateway projects. The full Common Council is expected to review the plan on April 30, BizTimes Milwaukee reports. 

Founded in Janesville in 1857, Northwestern Mutual moved to Milwaukee years later. The company’s home office includes two campuses with four buildings and 3,000 employees in downtown Milwaukee, as well as two buildings with 2,000 employees at the Franklin campus.

Photo credits: betf.blogspot

Blue Ribbon Management Plans June Start for 73 KSF Office Building at the Brewery

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Blue Ribbon Management L.L.C. is proposing to break ground in June on a 73,100-square-foot office building at the former Pabst brewery complex near Downtown Milwaukee. JSOnline, an online service of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, reports that the company will also manage the building on behalf of its owner, Blue Ribbon Redevelopment Fund III L.L.C. of Chicago.

Estimated to cost $10 million to $12 million, Pabst Business Center (pictured above) is scheduled for completion by the end of 2014. The five-story structure will rise on a vacant site at the North 11th Street and West Juneau Avenue. Plans call for 42,000 square feet of leasable office space on three floors, plus a two-level, 68-space parking garage.

Rinka Chung Architecture Inc. of Milwaukee is designing the building, which will feature dark brown bricks and wood details.

Oregon, Wis.-based Gorman & Co. will serve as the project’s construction manager. Elsewhere at the Brewery, Gorman redeveloped the former brew house and mill house as Brew House Inn & Suites, an extended-stay hotel scheduled to open this month.

Both Pabst Business Center and Brew House Inn & Suites are being funded through the federal EB-5 program, which offers residency to foreign investors and their families in exchange for financing job-creating projects in the United States.

Also on Blue Ribbon’s drawing board is the conversion of the former Pabst bottling house between N. 9th and N. 10th streets into apartments for foreign students. The two-story, 255,000-square-foot building’s footprint would cover more than half a block, making it the largest at the Pabst complex.

The 20-acre Pabst redevelopment district is one of the greenest neighborhoods in the world. The site, which includes apartments, offices, university facilities and a hotel, was recently awarded LEED Platinum designation from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Rendering of Pabst Business Center: Rinka Chung Architecture Inc.

Angelic Bakehouse Plans Move to Cudahy; Pabst District Earns Rare LEED Platinum Award

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Angelic Bakehouse Inc. is planning to move from Waukesha this summer to a $3.4 million, 22,000-square-foot office and production facility in Cudahy, BizTimes Milwaukee reports.

Located on Layton Ave., Angelic’s new facilities will be the former site of the Iceport, a planned multiple-rink project. Construction is expected to start in April and be completed by August. Executive vice president James Marino told BizTimes Milwaukee that Angelic intends to expand from 29 to 100 employees over the next three years.

The 40-year-old bakery—known until recently as Cybros The Sprouted Bakehouse—considered building the new facility in Milwaukee and Menomonee Falls. Angelic decided that Cudahy offers better access to Chicago and points east, as well as proximity to other food manufacturers. The city’s Community Development Authority is expected to review Angelic’s development proposal later this month.

In other development news, JSOnline reports that the Pabst Brewing Co. redevelopment project in Downtown Milwaukee has received LEED platinum designation from the U.S. Green Building Council.

The 20-acre site can now claim to be one of the greenest development clusters in the world. USGBC has awarded its LEED Platinum designation to only three neighborhoods in the United States and five worldwide. On Feb. 27, Mayor Tom Barrett accepted the award during a presentation held at the Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health.

The Pabst redevelopment district includes the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Zilber School of Public Health, Cardinal Stritch University’s College of Education and Leadership, the Blue Ribbon Brewery Lofts apartment building, the Best Place pub, Brewery Point senior housing, office buildings, a parking garage, as well as a public park. The conversion of the former Pabst brew house to the Brew House Inn & Suites, an extended-stay property, is expected to be complete in April.

Photo: http://www.thebrewerymke.com

Kimpton To Plant Its First Wisconsin Flag With 158-Key Downtown Milwaukee Hotel

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

A 158-key hotel in Milwaukee’s Third Ward that would represent the first Kimpton flag in Wisconsin has passed its first regulatory hurdle. The Business Journal reports that the upscale property has won approval from a local architectural review board.

HKS Holdings L.L.C., the project’s developer, plans to build the eight-story hotel on the site of a parking lot at the northeast corner of Broadway and East Chicago Street. Milwaukee-based Kahler Slater Architects will design the project, which will include a rooftop bar, a fitness center, expansive meeting space, a ground-floor restaurant, as well as underground parking. Construction is expected to begin this fall.

Increased business travel is drawing new investment to Downtown Milwaukee’s hospitality market. Recent arrivals include the 128-key Hilton Garden Inn, which opened last fall; the 90-key Brew House Inn & Suites, scheduled for a May opening at the former Pabst brewery complex; and the 205-key Marriot hotel under construction at 323 E. Wisconsin Avenue.

“We’re seeing a growth demand for our style of boutique hotels in the market and have been attracted to Milwaukee for some time,” Kimpton Hotels & Restaurant Group CEO Mike Depatie said in a statement. “We’re thrilled to be growing our Kimpton footprint in the Midwest. Milwaukee, in particular the Third Ward and its eclectic and artistic character, fits perfectly with our hotel collection,” The San Francisco-based company operates 58 hotels and 67 restaurants across the country.

Kimpton’s parent company, Kimpton Group Holding L.L.C. recently closed on a $203 million fund which will be used to acquire or develop more than $500 million worth of hotels over the next three years.

Rendering: Kahler Slater Architects

Multi-Family Projects Gear Up in Sussex, Brookfield

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Developer Arthur Sawall plans to build five 30-unit apartment buildings and 12,000 square feet of retail space in Sussex, The Business Journal reports.

The project would rise on a 10-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Main Street and Waukesha Avenue that has sat vacant for two decades. Sawall purchased the site two years ago, according to village administrator Jeremy Smith.

Construction on the first phase is expected to begin by May. The $8 million-plus investment will include two of the three-story apartment buildings. Part of the site preparation cost could be funded through tax-increment financing. Three more buildings will be developed as existing units lease up. Once the residential component is complete, Sawall plans to break ground on two retail buildings.

In other multi-family news, a development team is proposing 132 apartments and 12 condominiums on a 27-acre parcel in Brookfield owned by former executives of the shuttered Walters Wrecking Inc. The development team also includes Jonathan Ross and Peter Ogden of Ogden & Co. Investment Partners, as well as Middleton-based Parmenter Development Inc.

According to The Business Journal, the Sutter Creek residential project will be built at the corner of South Barker Rd. and North Greenfield Ave. Phase one would include two three-story buildings totaling 89 apartments ranging in size from 812 to 1,352 square feet. The next phase would bring a 43-unit building, while the final component would add 12 condominiums in six smaller buildings. Pending final approval from the city, construction could begin by May.

Photo credits: www.village.sussex.wi.us

Whitestone Realty Eyes Spring Start for 127-Unit Senior Housing at Pabst Complex

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Milwaukee Pabst Senior Housing L.P., a venture led by Whitestone Realty Capital L.L.C., is moving forward with plans to develop a 127-unit senior housing facility on the site of the former Pabst Brewery in Downtown Milwaukee, the Business Journal reports. First proposed in 2011, the project would replace the Malt House and Malt Elevator buildings on West Juneau Ave.

Construction is expected to start by April and take 12 to 14 months. The developers plan to sell the complex to one of two nonprofit operators: United Housing and Community Services Corp. or Improved Living Foundation Inc.

Whitestone Realty is seeking $37 million in tax-exempt bonds through the Milwaukee Redevelopment Authority, Michael Zukerman, the company’s CEO, told the Business Journal. The project could also benefit from historic tax credits, he added.

In other news, the Schlitz Park office complex in downtown Milwaukee has recruited several new tenants and secured fresh commitments from existing occupants. According to BizTimes, the American Heart Association has signed a lease for 5,500 square feet of space in the RiverCenter building. The organization will relocate from 660 E. Mason St. in Milwaukee.

Yet another addition to the tenant roster at Schlitz Park is TransPerfect, which will move from 1661 N. Farwell Ave. in Milwaukee to 5,000 square feet in the Keg House building.

Additionally, iCare has expanded its lease in the RiverCenter building by 4,000 square feet, while Wisconsin DPI and Security Microlmaging Corp. Inc. have both extended their leases by five and 10 years, respectively. A Schlitz Park spokesperson reported that the 460,000-square-foot RiverCenter building is now 95 percent leased, while the 65,000-square-foot Keg House building has reached full occupancy.

Photo credits: milwaukeedailyphoto.com

Vintage Park East Warehouse Destined for M-F Makeover

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Milwaukee’s Park East Corridor could soon welcome a new residential development within the walls of a vintage building. The Business Journal
reports that Wisconsin Redevelopment LLC and Impact Seven Inc. are planning to transform a 106-year-old warehouse into a 70-unit mix of affordable and market-rate apartments.

The residential units would range in size from 900 to 1,200 square feet and will be served by 70 parking spaces. The project team is currently determining specifics of the renovation, which will employ environmentally sustainable construction practices.

Todd Hutchison, project manager for Impact Seven, told the newspaper that financing would include state affordable housing tax credits, as well as federal historic restoration credits.   The Milwaukee Planning Commission was scheduled to consider the proposal on Monday, Jan. 7.

Situated at the corner of North 4th Street and West McKinley Avenue, the four-story historic property is currently used by C. Coakley Relocation Systems and includes approximately 100,000 square feet of space.

In regional investment news, Meijer Inc. of Grand Rapids, Mich. has acquired two commercial properties in Wisconsin for a combined $35.85 million. According to the Business Journal, the company has paid $29 million for a distribution center in Pleasant Prairie and $6.85 million for 33 acres of undeveloped land in Grafton.

The 570,000-square-foot distribution center is located west of Highway 31, between Highway 50 and Highway 165. Meijer purchased the facility from Supervalu Inc. on Dec. 28 and plans a 254,000-square-foot expansion. Operations at the center are expected to begin by fall 2014.

In Grafton, the company intends to build a new store, which will be located on North Port Washington Road near Highway 60. That 191,350-square-foot facility is also scheduled to open in 2014.

Photo credits: www.destination360.com

Ramco-Gershenson Pays $10.4M for Phase 2 of Waukesha Retail Center

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

In a $10.4 million deal, Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust has acquired the second phase of The Shoppes at Fox River development in Waukesha from Opus Development Corp., the Business Journal reports.

The recently completed property features 47,000 square feet of retail space, as well as an adjoining 12.2-acre parcel. Tenants include T.J. Maxx, Ulta Salon and Cosmetics, Rue21 and Charming Charlie’s.

In Dec. 2010, Ramco-Gershenson purchased the 273,000-square-foot first phase of the asset from Opus for $23.8 million. That portion of the property is 100 percent occupied; tenants include Pick ‘n Save, Petco, Buffalo Wild Wings, Noodles & Company, Dollar Tree and Famous Footwear. Stand-alone buildings occupied by Target, Chili’s and CVS were not part of the transaction.

“We have a great relationship with Ramco-Gershenson Properties Trust and are happy to be working with them again,” said Julie Ledger, vice president and general manager for Opus Development. “The success of each of the phases of this development is a testament to the strength of this retail center and the community of Waukesha and led to Ramco-Gershenson’s desire to purchase our latest addition to the development.”

In other news, Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP has completed its move from the Honey Creek Corporate Center on Milwaukee’s west side to a new 68,000 square feet location in the US Bank Center downtown (pictured).

The public accounting and consulting firm signed the lease for the new space at 777 E. Wisconsin Ave. in February and was represented by Steve Palec of Cresa. Baker Tilly’s Milwaukee office currently employs about 225 people.

“Our move downtown has been greeted with much enthusiasm not only from our employees, but also from the community,” Bill Wertz, Baker Tilly’s Milwaukee office market leader, told BizTimes. “We’ve been overwhelmed by the warm welcome we are receiving from the US Bank building tenants and other downtown businesses.”

Photo credits: www.glasssteelandstone.com

Northwestern Mutual Unveils Plans for $300M Downtown HQ

by Adriana Pop, Associate Editor

Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance has announced plans for a $300 million, 840,000-square-foot office tower in Downtown Milwaukee. Pending city approvals, construction could be complete by 2017. The project is contingent on $48 million in tax increment financing.

The new high-rise would replace Northwestern Mutual’s 34-year-old headquarters, the 451,964-square-foot, 16-story East Building at North Cass and East Mason streets (pictured). That facility currently houses about 1,100 employees. Northwestern Mutual expects to release renderings of the proposed tower by mid-2013.

“We believe in Milwaukee. It’s been our hometown for virtually all of our 155 years,” said Northwestern Mutual chairman & CEO John Schlifske. “This will be a signature development that makes a huge statement about the attractiveness of the whole Milwaukee metro area. We are going to be here, and continue to play a vital role in this community for generations to come.”

BizTimes reports that Northwestern Mutual considered several other options, including developing a new building at its Franklin campus, or building new facilities at both its Franklin and Downtown locations. Northwestern Mutual’s decision to develop the new office tower will add capacity for up to 1,700 new positions.

“Everyone in our region benefits when top employers like Northwestern Mutual make a long-term commitment to grow in Downtown,” said Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett. “This is a once-in-a-generation chance to make an investment of this scale in Downtown Milwaukee.”

Photo credit: betf.blogspot