City takes control of Northridge Boston Store
Building to be converted to light industrial space
The City of Milwaukee has officially taken ownership of the former Northridge Mall Boston Store, setting the stage for its redevelopment in 2018.
PNR 2 LLC, a group led by Penzeys Spices owner William Penzey, transferred ownership of four separate parcels to the city last week, according to state real estate records posted Friday.
Those parcels, at 8919, 8933, 8955 and 8977 N. Granville Road, encompass the former Boston Store and its parking lot.
They total 13.1 acres, according to the deeds.
The Common Council and Mayor Tom Barrett this month approved a proposal for Penzey to give the property to the city for redevelopment into light industrial space.
City officials believe that could help spur more projects at the adjacent vacant mall.
The properties, including the 153,000-square-foot former department store, carry a combined value of $1 million, according to the deeds.
The building is to be converted to light industrial space, with two similar buildings developed in the parking lot. All three buildings could total around 300,000 square feet, according to the Department of City Development.
Penzey is giving the properties to the city after dropping his plan to convert the entire former mall into a new headquarters for his business, Penzeys Spices.
His plan to move Penzeys Spices’ operations from Wauwatosa and the Town of Brookfield to Northridge, on Milwaukee’s far northwest side, was seen as a key to redeveloping the mall.
However, the plan was stalled when the dead mall’s owner paid off its delinquent utility bill just days before Penzey was to acquire Northridge through a 2014 foreclosure auction. Penzey bought the separately owned Boston Store building in 2013 for $250,000.
Since then, other former retail buildings near the mall have been converted to light industrial use.
The owner of the 900,000-squarefoot mall, China-based Black Spruce Enterprise Group Inc., continues to pursue plans to create a trade mart. However, city officials say that will likely never happen.