Bay View apartment proposal unveiled
If approved, plan could add 230 housing units
An apartment development proposed for Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood would add up to 230 upscale units — if it wins Common Council approval.
Plans for the large, controversial project were unveiled at a public meeting Thursday night.
Developer Scott Lurie wants to build two six-story buildings in the 2700 block of South Kinnickinnic Avenue on either side of South Herman Street.
That project site includes several houses and duplexes, as well as a BMO Harris Bank branch, 2701 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.; a vacant lot, at 2729 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.; and a vacant commercial building, at 2737-2743 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., which last housed Bella’s Fat Cat burgers and frozen custard.
Those buildings would be demolished to make way for the new development.
Lurie’s preliminary conceptual plans call for around 220 to 230 apartments, and 27,000 square feet of street-level retail space that would be created within the two buildings.
The buildings would have enclosed parking, including some underground spaces, for the apartment residents. There also would be bike parking.
The design, by Rinka Chung Architecture, features stepped-down rear terraces to try to reduce the impact of the new buildings on single-family homes along South Herman Street and South Logan Avenue.
The idea is to create “a viable development with appropriate density to ensure long-term value for the community,” said Matt Rinka, Rinka Chung principal.
That includes architecture “that is sensitively scaled toward the adjacent residential neighborhood as well as to the denser South Kinnickinnic commercial corridor,” he said.
The project also would have “pedes-
trian-oriented experiences and opportunities for neighborhood engagement,” Rinka said.
Thursday night’s public meeting, at Bay View High School, was expected to draw a large audience — including people opposed to Lurie’s proposal.
The development would be “another eyesore that will steal the heart and soul that is Bay View,” wrote Brian Murphy, in a Facebook post urging people to attend the meeting.
However, others posting on Facebook’s Bay View Town Hall forum said they supported more development in their neighborhood.
“By bringing in more housing we are bringing more people here that will support local businesses,” wrote Karen Erickson.
The development proposal would undergo Plan Commission and Common Council review.
Other projects
Lurie, who owns F Street Group, operates several apartment buildings throughout the Milwaukee area.
His other projects include the conversion of the former Pabst Brewing Co. warehouse, in downtown Milwaukee, to The 42, which includes offices, a selfstorage center, Milwaukee Brewing Co.’s new brewery and Glass + Griddle restaurant.
Several new upscale apartment buildings, some including street-level retail space, have been developed in Bay View in recent years.
They include Dwell, which opened in 2012 at 2440 S. Kinnnickinnic Ave., and Vue, which opened last year at 2200 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Also, Stitchweld opened last year at 2151-2181 S. Robinson Ave., and construction is to begin soon on The Beacon, at 2130 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.
Meanwhile, investor Scott Genke plans to develop an apartment building, with around 36 units and streetlevel retail space, at the site of a former American Legion post, 2860 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., that’s being demolished.