Brookfield conference center cost to be $18M

It would be tied to new 170-room hotel

Brookfield’s proposed cityowned conference center, tied to a new hotel, would cost around $18 million to develop, according to a newly disclosed report.

That project would be financed through the city’s hotel room tax and property taxes from a fivestory, 170-room Hilton Garden Inn to be built next to the conference center.

Construction on both projects is expected to begin this fall, said Dan Ertl, Brookfield’s community development director. The hotel and conference center would take about 14 to 16 months to complete, he said Monday.

City officials have long wanted to build a facility that would host small to medium business conferences and other events.

Both the one-story, 44,000square-foot conference center and Hilton Garden Inn are planned for a site occupied by the former Sears Automotive Center and its parking lot.

The auto center is just south of Brookfield Square mall’s former Sears department store, which closed in March.

Middleton-based North Central Group plans to develop the Hilton Garden Inn and operate the cityowned conference center.

A new proposal pending before the Common Council would create a tax incremental financing district to pay for the city’s $6 million cost of buying land for the conference center, and for new sidewalks and other public improvements tied to that project, Ertl said.

That city cash would come from property tax revenue generated by the Hilton Garden Inn. The hotel is expected to be valued at $12 million to $14 million, according to a new city report.

A separate proposal pending before the Common Council calls for hiring Kahler Slater as the city’s architect.

That proposal, which the council is to review at its Tuesday meeting, says Kahler Slater would be paid $1.19 million, or 6.6% of the conference center’s total project costs.

That equals just over $18 million, which the city would provide

through its hotel room tax.

In a separate project, mall operator CBL & Associates Inc. plans to demolish most of the Sears department store.

In its place will be a 41,000-squarefoot BistroPlex, operated by Marcus Corp. It will offer in-theater dining in all eight auditoriums and a stand-alone bar and lounge.

Also, Chicago-based WhirlyBall will operate a 45,000-square-foot restaurant and entertainment center.

The two-story building will feature game courts where teams of players in bumper cars use hand-held scoops to pass a ball to one another as they try to score by hitting a basketball-like target. The Brookfield Square WhirlyBall also will have laser tag and bowling.

Finally, Sears will continue to have a presence with an 18,000-square-foot store that will likely sell only mattresses and appliances — a new concept for the troubled retailer. Also, a small portion of the Sears building is to be retained for three new tenants.

The Common Council in December approved spending up to $8.75 million to help Chattanooga, Tenn.-based CBL & Associates redevelop the former Sears department store site. Those funds will be provided through property taxes generated by BistroPlex, WhirlyBall and other new developments, valued at $22 million.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com.