South Milwaukee craft brewery project dropped

$200,000 grant to fund community development

A proposal to build a South Milwaukee mixed-use development, anchored by a craft brewery, has been dropped.

However, a new grant will help fund other community development projects, including ongoing work to revitalize South Milwaukee’s downtown.

Milwaukee architectural and development firm Vetter Denk had proposed a $6.6 million mixed-used development in September 2016 for a vacant lot at the northeast corner of 11th and Madison avenues.

That downtown project would have featured a craft brewery, a three-story, 24-unit apartment building, additional store and restaurant space, and an outdoor courtyard.

The public courtyard would have hosted events, including entertainment offered as part of the adjacent South Milwaukee Downtown Market.

Mayor Erik Brooks in 2016 called the proposal “a game-changer” for downtown. Vetter Denk had negotiated with city officials for project financing assistance.

But Vetter Denk’s proposal is dead. Brooks said the firm’s purchase option for the city-owned lot expired in December.

“In the end, the financials didn’t work, both for the developers and the city,” Brooks wrote in a recent post at his South Milwaukee Blog.

“No matter how exciting a potential development is, we will always invest taxpayer dollars wisely and make sure that any risk we take is reasonable,” Brooks wrote.

Vetter Denk co-owner John Vetter couldn’t be immediately reached Monday for more information.

Meanwhile, the Bucyrus Foundation, part of the Greater Milwaukee Foundation, has awarded a $200,000 grant for economic development activities in South Milwaukee.

South Milwaukee will use $50,000 for its program that provides matching grants to downtown property and business owners for remodeling projects. That program has already funded three projects, and several more are in the

pipeline.

The downtown district is defined by the city’s comprehensive plan as centered on Milwaukee Ave., between 7th and 14th avenues, and on 10th Ave., between roughly Rawson and Marquette avenues.

Another $75,000 will be used to develop a master plan for downtown’s former Bucyrus campus, currently home to Caterpillar Inc.’s local operations.

Caterpillar is closing down all operations south of Rawson Ave. and consolidating them north of Rawson Ave., at 1100 Milwaukee Ave.

The city also will use $75,000 to fund its newly created economic development director position.

“South Milwaukee is at a crossroads, and the choices we make today will shape the redevelopment future of the city,” Brooks said in a statement. “These funds mean Bucyrus will help shape that future.”