City office backs Menard’s new storage business plan
Home improvement retailer Menard Inc. is again seeking local approval for an outdoor storage business next to Milwaukee’s dilapidated former Northridge Mall.
And, unlike the previous attempts, the proposal now has the support of Mayor Cavalier Johnson’s Department of City Development.
The retailer wants to operate the selfstorage business on the parking lot of a former Pick ’n Save supermarket, 8120 W. Brown Deer Road.
Eau Claire-based Menard, which operates a neighboring store, bought the former supermarket in 2017 and converted it into an indoor self-storage center.
The company now wants to add around 200 outdoor self-storage units to the 3-acre parking lot.
That $2 million investment would generate more revenue for Menard and create a barrier to prevent illegal dumping and truck parking on the lot, according to company representatives.
Department of City Development officials in 2022 opposed an earlier version of that proposal which called for nearly 250 storage units.
They said Menard’s plans ran counter to the type of developments they’ve been seeking for the area — which has seen few commercial projects since Northridge closed around 20 years ago.
The Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals in June voted 5-1 to reject Menard’s application for special-use permits needed under the site’s current zoning.
That led Menard to seek a rezoning for the site, with the Plan Commission in October voting to delay a decision on the company’s request.
However, Department of City Development staff now supports Menard’s latest proposal.
“The revised plans significantly increase the amount of landscaping on the site,” according to a letter to the zoning board from Sam Leichtling, city planning manager. “This will go a long way toward improving the aesthetics of the area.”
Menard reduced the number of proposed storage units to accommodate more landscaping.
Leichtling also referred to the spate of arson fires at Northridge. Several occurred this summer, with another fire in December.
“Menards is the largest active business in the area and this request to expand their operation in a manner that increases security in the area will assist in the preservation of their property and as a deterrent to fire, vandalism and abandoned vehicles,” Leichtling wrote.
The zoning board could consider the revised proposal at its Jan. 12 meeting.
The city’s 2007 master plan for Milwaukee’s far northwest side and other area plans call for creating jobs, redeveloping commercial corridors and revitalizing the Northridge site.
Self-storage centers conflict with these goals, according to a DCD report from 2022. That’s because they use a lot of space while creating few jobs and failing to spur commercial activity.
Menard representatives say the proposed storage facility would be similar to other former neighborhood retail properties that have been converted to industrial use.
Those include the former Target store, at 8501 W. Brown Deer Road, renovated into a warehouse operated by Midwest Refrigerated Services Inc.
The latest zoning board filing also says Northridge owner U.S. Black Spruce Enterprises Inc.’s neglect of the former mall has hurt Menard’s business.
“Every time the mall is on fire Menards is in the news in a negative way,” the company filing said. “No property owner or business is more negatively affected by the conditions of the neighborhood than Menards.”
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge William Sosnay in October ruled the city could proceed with efforts to demolish Northridge. But that will cost an estimated $15 million − money the city doesn’t currently have available.