By Ray Balfanz, Outlook Management Group What does Milwaukee bring to mind? Beer? Cheese? TV’s “Happy Days?” Perhaps the city chosen as the site for the 2020 Democratic National Convention? Yes, that’s us — being recognized and happy about it. But since I began penning this piece in March, we’ve experienced a world of change in the realities of group gatherings: we can hardly have 10 people in a group now, let alone thousands of delegates filling our new Fiserv Forum. It’s anybody’s guess how long the multi-trillion-dollar brick-and-mortar retail industry will be effectively shuttered and how the industry will have changed when it’s over. So without a crystal ball, I’m sharing Milwaukee’s story of how our retail developments have kept relevant for our consumers, while hoping for the best possible outcome once we’re on the other side of this coronavirus pandemic. “A great place on a great lake” our tourism slogan once proclaimed — and indeed it is. Milwaukee is a largely undiscovered gem with excellent quality of life and endless spots at which to spend your hard-earned cash: a prolific culinary scene, first-rate arts offerings and vibrant retail. From the reimagined Drexel Town Square, to redeveloped Bayshore, to …
Wisconsin
MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS. — The Boulder Group has arranged the $28 million sale of a 103,611-square-foot property net leased to Pick ‘n Save in Menomonee Falls within metro Milwaukee. Constructed in 2011, the single-tenant building is located on Appleton Avenue. There are approximately 11 years remaining on the lease, which is guaranteed by Kroger. Randy Blankstein and Jimmy Goodman of Boulder represented the seller, a Midwest-based real estate company. A West Coast-based real estate investment company purchased the asset. Roundy’s, now a subsidiary of Kroger, owns Pick ‘n Save.
NEW BERLIN, WIS. — Associated Bank has provided a $10.5 million loan to WRP New Berlin II for the construction of a 192,800-square-foot warehouse in New Berlin, a suburb of Milwaukee. The project will be located at the intersection of West Small and Moorland roads. Completion is slated for fall 2021. The borrower is a fund managed by Lake Forest, Ill.-based Westminster Capital. Ted Notz of Associated Bank managed the loan and closing.
BRISTOL, WIS. — HSA Commercial Real Estate, in partnership with Washington Capital Management, has broken ground on the first phase of the 68-acre Bristol Highlands Commerce Center in Bristol near I-94 and the Wisconsin-Illinois border. The first two speculative buildings are slated for completion in the fourth quarter. One is a 157,656-square-foot warehouse with 31 truck docks, and the other is a 472,216-square-foot distribution center with 72 truck docks. Jeff Hoffman and Chad Vande Zande of Cushman & Wakefield | Boerke, along with Eric Fischer of Cushman & Wakefield in Chicago, are marketing the facilities for lease. Premier Design + Build Group is the general contractor, Partners in Design Architects is the architect and Pinnacle Engineering is the civil engineer.
WEST ALLIS, WIS. — The annual Wisconsin State Fair, scheduled to take place Aug. 6-16 in West Allis, has been cancelled due to COVID-19. The fair is the largest event in the state, drawing more than 1 million people each year. The financial implications associated with hosting a fair with significantly reduced attendance and implementing safety measures could be detrimental to the future of State Fair Park, according to the board of directors. Previously purchased admission tickets can be used for the 2021 Wisconsin State Fair, which is scheduled to take place Aug. 5-15. Refunds are available through June 30.
MADISON, WIS. — Associated Bank has structured a $23.6 million financing package for the construction of a new affordable housing development in Madison that will serve veterans and their families. The financing included a $13.4 million construction loan and $9.4 million of low-income housing tax credit equity. The bank also sponsored a $750,000 affordable housing project grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank system. Bryan Schreiter of Associated Bank managed the loan and closing. The development, named Valor on Washington, will be situated at 1322 E. Washington Ave. Gorman & Co. is the developer, general contractor and property manager. Construction is underway with completion slated for September 2021. The 59-unit, six-story project will include 12 supportive housing units reserved for those making no more than 30 percent of the area median income. Lutheran Social Services will provide supportive services for these units. Dryhootch, a nonprofit dedicated to safe housing for veterans, will also provide a variety of services for residents.
MENOMONEE FALLS, WIS. — Kohl’s Corp. (NYSE: KSS) has reported a 43.5 percent decrease in its first-quarter net sales. The company’s fiscal first quarter ended May 2. The Menomonee Falls-based retailer has reopened about 50 percent of its stores across the country after stay-at-home orders have been lifted from COVID-19. Kohl’s says it has decreased planned capital expenditures by approximately $500 million as part of its financial response to COVID-19. The company operates roughly 1,160 stores across the U.S.
NEW LONDON, WIS. — KW Commercial has brokered the sale of Wolf River Plaza in New London, about 40 miles west of Green Bay. Anchored by Family Dollar, the 52,280-square-foot retail center is home to a mix of regional and national tenants. Matthew Klein and Anthony Passanante of KW represented the buyer, Sunnyside Retail Partners LLC. The seller and sales price were undisclosed.
The southeastern Wisconsin industrial real estate market had a banner year in 2019 and remains strong. According to Catalyst, the industrial market in southeastern Wisconsin had a vacancy rate of approximately 4 percent at the end of 2019 and that rate has moved down slightly to 3.9 percent during the first quarter of 2020. This rate is well below the historical vacancy rate in southeastern Wisconsin, which averages between 7 and 9 percent. Several submarkets are significantly lower than the southeastern Wisconsin average: Racine, where the massive Foxconn project is underway, has a 3.8 percent vacancy rate; the large Waukesha submarket, which has nearly 83 million square feet of inventory, has a vacancy rate of 1.9 percent; and the Sheboygan submarket, which has about 27 million square feet of industrial space, has an astonishing 0.1 percent vacancy rate. These extraordinarily low vacancy rates suggest that demand for industrial space in southeastern Wisconsin remains very robust and that, particularly in certain submarkets, supply has not been able to keep up with demand. While lease rates have remained fairly steady throughout the last year, upward pressure on such rates continues to build. Nevertheless, there are some signs of the market taking a …
GERMANTOWN, WIS. — Zilber Property Group will develop a fourth industrial building within Germantown Gateway Corporate Park in Germantown, about 20 miles north of Milwaukee. The 146,000-square-foot speculative building will feature a clear height of 30 feet. It will be the third speculative building within Zilber’s park, which is anchored by a 706,000-square-foot build-to-suit for Briggs & Stratton Corp. Once Zilber Industrial 4 is completed, the park will span more than 1.2 million square feet.