Bucks cut size of building in new entertainment complex
Large beer kettles also eliminated from design
A key commercial building in the entertainment complex outside the new Milwaukee Bucks arena will be smaller and have only two levels available for tenants, according to updated plans filed with the city.
Also, the Bucks eliminated several floor-to-ceiling beer kettles that had been planned for the building. The kettles were a strong visual component in the previous design and signaled that a craft brewery would be part of the development.
The brew kettles shown in the previous renderings were generally for aesthetics, said Bucks Senior Vice President Alex Lasry. It’s likely that the building will have a local craft brewery theme but it remains to be seen whether or not beer is actually brewed on the site, he said.
The building in question will be erected just east of the $524 million arena, along W. Juneau Ave. next to the Moderne high-rise apartment and condos.
The Bucks cut the number of levels available for lease in the entertainment complex from four to two, said Marc Farha, executive vice president of Icon Venue Group, who represents the Bucks’ owners for the arena project.
That means, he said, that “it’s more likely that we will have two tenants.” The Bucks say no decisions have been made on leases.
The filing with the city says: “The number of anticipated tenants has been reduced from 4 to 2.”
The changes come as the Bucks have gotten off to a slower-than-expected start in the creation of the entertainment block complex.
While the new arena is expected to open in the fall of 2018, the entertainment complex isn’t to be completed until the spring of 2019.
Site preparation work is now underway, and construction of the three commercial buildings will begin in the near future, the Bucks have said. No changes were announced to the two smaller buildings on the south end of the entertainment block.
The Bucks have also reset their strategy to find a naming partner for the new arena after local prospects didn’t come through. The team had hoped to have a partner by now for the naming rights — a deal that could be worth up to $200 million over 20 years.
The revised entertainment complex building — the largest of the three — will be 10 feet shorter than shown in previous plans filed with the city in 2016. Ceilings will be somewhat higher than shown in the earlier plans.
The changes were made after the Bucks received input from local real estate developer Blair Williams, who advised that it would be difficult to find commercial tenants for the third and fourth levels included in the original plans.
The Bucks have not set a time frame for an announcement of tenants, spokesman Barry Baum said.
The new plans also call for a the structure to be slightly smaller at the ground level.
“The proposed modifications result not only in a stronger building design, but also improve the experience of pedestrian circulation around the building and in the adjacent public plaza and sidewalks,” the Bucks said in a report to the city detailing the changes.
The updated building design bears strong resemblance to that shown in earlier drawings, with a heavy emphasis on glass framed by steel.
Farha said the building will give the Bucks development a strong presence on the north side of the two-block portion of N. 4th St. that the city agreed to close to allow creation of the entertainment block.
“The building’s architectural character and features have been maintained, but their configuration has been refined,” the report to the city says.
Farha said the new design was an improvement.
“Sometimes the second and third renditions are even better. And I think that’s the case here,” he said.
The Bucks say the entertainment block is a key element to the success of the arena project and plan to stage outdoor concerts and other events there throughout the year.
The Common Council is expected to vote Tuesday on the team’s plan for a beer garden that will connect the entertainment block with N. Old World 3rd St.
The latest proposed update also will need council approval. It is scheduled to be reviewed by the Plan Commission on Dec. 4.