Market Reports

Like many other Midwestern markets, Milwaukee is experiencing a mixed bag in retail. While headlines have been dominated primarily by closures, there has also been an abundance of new activity in the market. While it’s taken its hits, the retail market has fought back and retail vacancy has actually decreased slightly to 4.4 percent in the first quarter, according to CoStar Group. Rents are edging up and Class A space is difficult to find. The inventory of Class B and C space is more robust. Due to low demand, landlords are not enjoying much negotiating leverage. Market turbulence On the surface, multiple big box closings that have occurred in metro Milwaukee this year paint a gloomy picture of the retail marketplace. Grocery, wholesale, apparel, toys, restaurants and other categories of retailers have closed fairly rapidly. These include Pick ‘n Save (Kroger) in Cudahy, Sendik’s in West Milwaukee, Sam’s Club in West Allis, Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us in Brookfield and iPic Theater at Bayshore Town Center in Glendale. Another ominous cloud is the Bon-Ton bankruptcy and the closure of seven area Boston Store locations, including the company’s clearance center and furniture gallery in metro Milwaukee. Compound that with …

Milwaukee-area communities have woken up and embraced tax-increment financing (TIF) as a way to stimulate retail and commercial development. Unlike our neighboring state of Illinois, Wisconsin is not afforded the same luxury of allowing retail sales taxes to flow to municipalities, which allows for greater financial flexibility and helps offset the cost of infrastructure and municipal services as a result of retail development. Wisconsin municipalities do not impose local sales or use taxes on purchases of goods and services. Based on a 5.6 percent tax rate for average Wisconsin communities, 5 percent flows to the state, 0.5 percent flows to the county and 0.1 percent would flow to a specially created district, such as a stadium or entertainment venue. TIF allows cities or villages to finance commercial development in a designated area, called a tax incremental district (TID), to promote a tax base expansion and economic development. The property taxes within the TID are placed in a special fund and are used to pay for improvements within the district. When the property values rise within the TID, the taxes paid on the increased value can be used to pay back public project costs, which otherwise can’t occur. Developers eye mixed-use …

The Milwaukee-area apartment market wasn’t the only real estate sector to benefit from continued job growth and household formation in 2016. The optimistic employment outlook, together with an influx of millennials who, according to Gallup, are spending more on nonessentials, has benefitted the local retail market as well. It’s a trend that we expect to continue in 2017. Filling a retail void A market that historically has been largely underserved in terms of new retail development has essentially reversed its standing, with approximately 1.6 million square feet delivered in the last two years alone, according to CoStar Group. A more diversified economy less susceptible to the highs and lows of other markets, taken together with Milwaukee’s public-private partnerships and lower real estate taxes compared with neighboring states, has created a pro-development environment that appeals to retailers and developers alike. Known for its older stock of shopping centers, the region has seen a surge in redevelopment activity, particularly in the suburbs, where previously underutilized assets are being rebranded and reimagined. In November 2016, HSA Commercial acquired the 217,346-square-foot Brookfield Fashion Center in Brookfield, just west of Brookfield Square Mall. Built in 1986, the center houses stalwart tenants that have been retained …