124th Street Plan To Set Stage for New Development

The city’s northeast gateway — the 124th Street corridor — is targeted for a facelift under a new plan to create a cohesive commerce center that blends retail with updated light industrial areas.

The 124th Street development plan, adopted by the Common Council in July, ties together a hodge-podge of planning efforts for pocket areas within the corridor dating back more than a decade, said Jason Williams, neighborhood planner in the city’s community development department.

Among the goals of the consolidated plan is to eradicate any persisting negative perceptions of the area by building on the synergy that springs from the corridor’s proximity to new development taking place east of Brookfield’s northeastern edge in neighboring Wauwatosa and along Highway 45, Williams said.

The 124th Street corridor stretches north to the city's border with Butler at Ruby Avenue, south to its border with Elm Grove at North Avenue and is edged by Wauwatosa on the east side of 124th Street. Its western edge zigzags the length of corridor, to North 138th Street on the north end and four blocks west along 124th to Burleigh, with a western node at North Avenue.

Williams said the 124th Street corridor is a vibrant area, making up 3.8 percent of the city‘s overall tax base and nearly 10 percent of the city‘s total employment base.

“This area should be given more respect that what it has been given in the past,” Williams said.

A blend of spaces

The corridor is most visibly known for its retail offerings at North 124th Street and Capitol Drive. Less visible to passers-by is light industrial and flexible multi-tenant building space on the corridor's interior streets west of 124th Street.

These commercial segments often are overlooked, but are valued properties that allow the city to maintain a low tax rate without requiring high demands for additional city services, said Ald. Dan Sutton, one of two aldermen who represent the district.

As one of the oldest sections of the city, the 124th Street corridor is due for rejuvenation, particularly as it is the city’s northeast gateway, Sutton said.

“We need to make it more inviting,“ Sutton said. “We are in competition with every other city around us. We have to make it a destination.”

The corridor is a natural attraction for additional retail, and more could be drawn to the area as a ripple effect when a new retail development planned for Highway 45 and West Burleigh in Wauwatosa takes shape, Williams said. That development, called the , is expected to attract retailers new to the metropolitan area, like Nordstrom’s Rack and the Container Store. Developers of the project continue to work on , and expect to break ground in spring 2012.

Ald. Bill Carnell, who represents the district, said his eye will be on attracting new retail that is tailored to meet the needs of district residents and new businesses that can make creative use of industrial buildings in the area that are vacant or underutilized.

Dated corridor needs new image

A key focus of the new plan is to spruce up, brand and market a light industrial business district west of Capitol Drive between Feerick and Burleigh streets, said Tim Casey, city economic development director. The light industrial area has five entrances within the corridor, four on 124th Street -- at Feerick, Wirth and Townsend streets and at Robin Lane, and one on Burleigh at North 126th Street.

"We have the right sizes and shapes of space within that corridor," Casey said. "What we don't have is the freshest look. ... We're not projecting an image that says, 'Hey, this is a good, viable location for you to do your business.' "

"We can do those things," Casey said. "What we just need to do is improve the curb appeal of the area and some of the properties."

The timing to implement the plan now is expected to create improved business conditions that will help set the stage for new investment in the area as the nation slowly emerges from the worst recession in 70 years, Casey said.

To do so, Casey said, requires planning with an eye on the 20- to 25-year horizon while taking into account market conditions for the next three to five years.

Implementing the plan will include changing future zoning of certain properties to align with actual land use in the area, addressing stormwater management issues in targeted portions of the corridor, and creating a marketing plan to project a clear image, or brand, for the area, Williams said.

In the coming months, city staff will meet with property owners through focus groups to learn their ideas to improve the look and feel of the area and to help develop a recognizable identity, Casey said.

"When you say Gateway West Commerce Center, or Bishops Woods, or Brookfield Lakes, or Executive Drive, an image pops into people's mind," Casey said.

"We want to brand the area, give it a name, put some entrance signs up," to create a visual elements that convey the image of the area as a good location for small business, Casey said.

In addition, with the and the University of Milwaukee's planned business incubator in its just south on Highway 45, Casey and Williams said Brookfield's industrial flex space in its 124th Street corridor could lure young startups and other small businesses that outgrow their original space in Wauwatosa.    

New look to get boost with city, CDBG dollars  

Timing to implement the 124th Street corridor plan also syncs with upcoming capital improvements planned industrial streets in 2013 and 2014, Casey said. The city plans to ask business property owners for their ideas on the type of curb and street improvements best suited for the area, which is targeted for nearly $2.23 million in capital improvements between 2013 and 2014, primarily for street and stormwater management, Casey said.

The city also will receive $50,000 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding in 2012 that will be directed to eligible business to help defray costs of facade improvements for dated industrial buildings. The CDBG funding is primarily targeted for businesses north of Capitol Drive, and is restricted to properties designated as blighted, Casey said.

The northwest section of the corridor along Lisbon Road, which is home to Milwaukee Electric Tool Corp. and the Eastgate Center, is tagged as an innovation cluster area. Casey said this section could attract startup companies and other small businesses once market conditions improve and financing for commercial real estate eases.

"At the end of the day, we're all trying to work towards quality development in a very difficult economic climate," Casey said. "Our job is to help our property owners to fill their space and increase the value of their properties, and that helps us in terms of tax base."