City will sell wall next to Bay View building where Stone Creek vacated

A city-owned wall attached to a Bay View building is to be sold to the building owner to help him shore up the structure — which Stone Creek Coffee recently vacated due to safety issues.

That's under a new proposal to be reviewed by the Milwaukee Common Council.

It centers on a building at 2266 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. That's where Stone Creek operated a cafe for 18 years before closing on Dec. 5.

Stone Creek announced in November plans to close. The local coffeehouse group said it had recently remodeled the cafe but was moving out because of a dispute with building owner 2266 KK LLC.

Stone Creek, in its announcement, said the building's south exterior wall posed "a safety risk" for its customers and employees.

That wall was left over from a building at 2270 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. that was demolished in 1968, according to a new Department of City Development report.

The vacant parcel at that address was deeded to the city in 1970 for use as green space. The demolished building's wall, which is located on the city-owned lot, was left in place to benefit the adjacent building, the report said.

In 2003, the city leased the green space to Stone Creek, which added landscaping as well as seating for its patrons while maintaining public access.

Also, Stone Creek created direct access to the green space with doors and a canopy constructed through the privately-owned building and the attached city-owned wall.

However, the wall has deteriorated. Stone Creek asked the city to repair the wall because it's located on the city parcel.

But the City Attorney's Office in 2010 said Stone Creek and the building owner are responsible for the wall because it was left in place for their benefit, according to the DCD report.

So, Stone Creek made repairs to the wall.

Meanwhile, the two-story, 2,800square-foot building was sold in March for $400,000 to 2266 KK, led by Bay View developer Scott Genke.

However, the earlier repairs apparently weren't enough to solve the structural problem — leading to Stone Creek's departure.

Department of Neighborhood Services records show a Nov. 12 advisory order violation at the building because its south facade is "in imminent risk of collapse."

Genke now plans to demolish and rebuild the wall, the report said.

He wants to buy two feet of city property where the wall is located to clear up property line issues. That sale would be for $1.

Also, Genke is seeking a six-foot access easement next to the building and a new lease for the city-owned parcel.

The 25-year lease initially would be $50 per month and increase by $25 per month every five years. It would require Genke to maintain improvements and landscaping, and allow continued public access.

The easement "will be granted for good and valuable consideration," said the report, which didn't specify those terms.

The lease would help Genke attract a "quality tenant," the report said.

The Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee is to review the proposal at its Tuesday meeting.

MIKE DE SISTI / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL A structural issue in the former Stone Creek Coffee’s south wall led the Bay View cafe to shut down in December, citing “a safety risk” for its customers and employees.