INFILL OFFICE BUILDING PLANNED FOR THIRD WARD LOT

THE PROPOSED OFFICE BUILDING ILLUSTRATED WILL OVERHANG THE OLD MILWAUKEE ANTIQUES CENTER [341]. VIEW IS TO THE NORTHWEST ON N. MILWAUKEE STREET BETWEEN E. BUFFALO AND E. ST.PAUL STREETS

By Michael Horne

The Milwaukee City Plan Commission will meet in Congress Assembled on Monday, October 13th, 2008 at 1:30 P.M.at 809 N. Broadway for the purpose of conducting its regular meeting [agenda pdf].
Among items on the agenda is this new proposal for the redevelopment of an existing building at 341 N. Milwaukee St. and its neighboring parking lot at 331 N. Milwaukee St. as office space. According to its statement of intent, the developer, Sixty North LLC, plans two commercial and 24 residential units for the old O. C. Hansen building, now vacant, and best known as the former site of the Milwaukee Antique Center. The Small Business Times noted on October 1st that the firm had secured an option for the site and its adjacent parking lot. Zimmerman Architectural Studio did the designs for the building and is asking for approval on behalf of the owner, about whom I couldn't find much.

PROPOSED RETAIL BUILDING THREATENS TO SUBURBANIZE RIVERWEST SITE

Another item on the agenda is virtually the antithesis of the smart, dense, urban planning exhibited by the Sixty North project.
That is a proposed 34,000 square foot retail facility planned for 3950 N. Holton St., just south of E. Capitol Drive. There, Mequon developer Lloyd P. Levin of 525 Properties, Ltd., hopes to build two utterly undistinguished buildings [pdf] surrounded by 136 parking stalls. [The city only requires 68 parking spots]. The building represents a complete reversal of the Norquist Doctrine that whenever possible, buildings should front on the street and parking should be in the rear. The design is from the Briohn Building Corporation of Brookfield. They probably don't know any better, but let's hope the commissioners, including Whitney Gould, Stephanie Bloomingdale, Michal Dawson and Larri Sue Jacquart, appropriately freak about this indignity to the northern end of the street named after the magnificent Edward Dwight Holton, the most noble man who ever trod the streets of this city. Norquist would never have let this thing get to this stage.
-- Michael Horne