The Milwaukee Common Council recently approved the re-zoning requests for the Rivianna and The BreakWater Condominiums projects. Rivianna is the $100 million development proposed by Bob Schultz along the Milwaukee River just south of the Third Ward. The project would feature three towers, each 16 stories high, with a total of 165 condos and a 60-room boutique hotel. The project was opposed by several residents in the area who said it would be too tall and out of scale with the neighborhood. However, aldermen voted 13-1 in favor of the re-zoning, with Alderman Robert Bauman casting the only "no" vote. More information about the project is available at www.rivianna.com.

The BreakWater Condominiums is the 21-story, 104-unit condominium development that Renner Architects LLC plans to build a 1313 N. Franklin Place, on the city's east side. The former Christopher East Medical Center building on the property would be demolished to make way for BreakWater. Aldermen supported the rezoning for the project with a 14-0 vote. More information about the project is available at www.breakwater-condominiums.com

The U.S. Postal Service, which for years has been planning a new Milwaukee area processing and distribution center, has narrowed its list of possible sites to four, according to a source familiar with the negotiations. The four sites are: a site at the south end of Grandview Corporate Park south of Highway 20 and west of Interstate 94 in Mt. Pleasant owned by Wispark LLC; a site in the Mt. Pleasant Business Park at Highway 20 along the east side of I-94; the Oakwood Crossings Corporate Park in Oak Creek at Howell Avenue and Oakwood Road; and the former Van Beck Farm site at the southwest corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and College Avenue in Oak Creek and South Milwaukee. The size of the USPS facility will depend on how much land can be acquired. The facility could be as large as 850,000 or as small as 485,000, according to the source. The facility will partially replace the USPS' downtown Milwaukee facility and its facilities on 10th Street in Oak Creek.

Daniel Druml, the Milwaukee franchisee of Paul Davis Restoration, recently purchased the 9,360-square-foot building at 1023-27 N. Old World Third St. in downtown Milwaukee, from Mader's German Restaurant Inc.

The building has been occupied for years by Mader's Old World Third Street Gallery for years. That store is closing, and Druml said he is trying to obtain a new tenant.

He is also planning to make improvements to the building, although he declined to provide details. "The building will be significantly improved from what its condition currently is," he said.

Boyle Fredrickson, the largest intellectual property law firm in Wisconsin, plans to move later this month from its current downtown location at 250 E. Wisconsin Ave. to a renovated building at 840 N. Plankinton Ave. in Milwaukee. The new offices occupy a turn-of-the-century Cream City brick building on the west bank of the Milwaukee River. At 13,000 square feet, the larger space will house a staff that includes 19 intellectual property attorneys and will enable the firm to continue to grow, said firm president Andy McConnell.

"Milwaukee, and Wisconsin in general, is home to some of the most innovative manufacturers in the world," McConnell said. "We're privileged to call some of these companies clients and we’re also grateful to the city of Milwaukee for supporting us in our growth and helping us to remain downtown."

After a decades-long exodus from downtowns into the suburbs, Americans are returning to the city. Why? What are the driving motivators for people to move downtown? What are the driving motivators for developers to invest their dollars downtown? What are the driving motivators for companies to move their offices downtown? Furthermore, what types of commercial real estate development are needed in downtown Milwaukee, according to the people who live there?

The answers to all of those questions will be explored at the fifth annual Small Business Times Commercial Real Estate & Development Conference, to be held Thursday, Nov. 8, at the Italian Community Center in downtown Milwaukee.

The theme for this year's conference will be "Back to the City."

The conference will feature the companion SBT Commercial Real Estate & Development Book that will include exclusive research and snapshots of life in downtowns throughout the region, including Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, Port Washington and Sheboygan. In addition, the glossy supplement will feature the semi-annual Municipal Development Guide and the annual SBT Honor Roll of the Prime Industrial, Office and Retail Sites in the region.

The annual conference is presented by SBT in conjunction with the Robert B. Bell Real Estate Program of Marquette University and the Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin (CARW). This year's panel of expert speakers will provide insight about the rebirth of urban commercial real estate markets from a variety of perspectives. The panelists will include:

Jill Bensley, the founder and president of J.B. Research Co. of Ojai, Calif. Bensley is a consultant who provides research and analysis for commercial real estate projects such as arts, entertainment, cultural, retail, residential, industrial, office, hotel, restaurant and recreational developments across the nation. She has expertise in conceptual and business planning for new urban entertainment centers. Her recent projects include various consulting assignments for 20th Century Fox, TrizecHahn, the Irvine Company, the Koll Company, American Nevada, Gaylord Entertainment, Turner Sports and Entertainment, Sony Development, IMAX Corporation, Levy Restaurants, Dick Clark Restaurants, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Phoenix Suns, Maguire Thomas and Catellus Development. Bensley is the co-author of a recent Urban Land Institute report titled, "Revival of the American City," which examines 10 sociological factors that have created a "new American zeitgeist that is reviving urban places and turning them into thriving communities in which to live, work and play." For additional information, visit www.jbresearchco.com.

Afshin Ghazi, the founder and president of The Ghazi Company, a Charlotte, N.C.-based commercial real estate development company. The Ghazi Company is doing several high-profile, cutting-edge development projects throughout North Carolina, including the EpiCentre Complex in downtown Charlotte. The company is expanding to other markets, including Milwaukee, where the firm plans to build a $120 million mixed-use development with 200 condos, a 175-room boutique hotel and 100,000 square feet of entertainment, restaurant and retail space on a two-acre city-owned parking lot at the southwest corner of North Fourth Street and Wisconsin Avenue. The Milwaukee Common Council has granted an option on the site to Ghazi, so the company can further pursue the project and work to obtain tenants and financing for the development. For additional information, visit www.theghazicomany.com .

Tony Smith, practice leader at S. B. Friedman & Company, a specialized real estate and development advisory firm based in Chicago. The company has assisted developers, corporations, nonprofits, universities, health care institutions, economic development organizations, transit agencies, lending institutions and government agencies with development planning, finance and strategy. The firm has worked with clients throughout the country, with an emphasis on the Midwest. Earlier this year, Smith and the Friedman team completed a strategic analysis of downtown projects for the Milwaukee Department of City Development. Smith is a planner and real estate analyst with experience in downtown, corridor and transit-oriented development planning, tax increment financing analysis, real estate financial analysis and market analysis. He also has assisted clients with public-private partnership negotiations and deal structuring. For additional information, visit www.friedmanco.com.

Brian Vandewalle, founder and president of Vandewalle & Associates, a Madison consulting company that has opened an office in Milwaukee. Vandewalle has been a leading strategic urban planner, economic development advisor and development consultant to the Upper Midwest's communities and developers for more than 30 years. His particular areas of expertise lie in urban planning, urban redevelopment, and urban design. His visions of sustainable, market-driven urban design are found in the master plans of cities throughout the region. He has created various economic development and downtown revitalization and master plans for Sheboygan, La Crosse, Middleton and Cudahy, Wis., in addition to Moline and south suburban Chicago, Ill.; Lansing, Mich.; Dayton, Ohio; and Waterloo and Davenport, Iowa. He was instrumental in master planning and economic development for the Milwaukee County Grounds Research Park and Medical Center, and he has been hired to create a commercial real estate development vision for the Milwaukee 7 project. He also has been hired by the City of Milwaukee as a consultant to create its City Strategic Economic Development Plan. Vandewalle is a licensed real estate broker in Wisconsin. For additional information, visit www.vandewalle.com.

The conference will be emceed by Professor Mark Eppli, Ph.D., chair of the Robert B. Bell Real Estate Program at Marquette. Opening remarks will be provided by Richard "Rocky" Marcoux, commissioner of the Milwaukee Department of City Development, and Sandi Anderson, president of the CARW.

The annual conference is intended to provide insight for people and companies with interests in the commercial real estate industry. More than 400 people, including Realtors, developers, brokers, architects, contractors, subcontractors, environmental experts, engineers, financial experts, municipal planners, attorneys and others, attended last year's conference. The conference also will include the presentation of the Robert B. Bell Best Public Partner Award to a local government official who has been an advocate for commercial real estate development. For more information about attending the breakfast conference, contact Sarah Wilson of Small Business Times at (414) 277-8181, ext. 129, or at sarah.wilson@biztimes.com.

Company: M. A. Mortenson Company
Title: Director of operations  
Education: Bachelor of science, construction management, Colorado State University
Family: Wife, Keri
City of Residence: Hartland
Hobbies and Interests: "Any type of home improvement and working out."
What are you working on?  "A wide variety of projects across Wisconsin, and also in Ohio and Virginia. I focus on the right staffing, management and execution of all our projects regardless of size, scope or complexity. It's important that each of our customers receive the Mortenson Experience – which we believe is a better building experience."
How does the market look to you? "Great. From an operational perspective, we've never enjoyed such a strong backlog. It's a great time to be in the building business. And, innovative. It's amazing to see the tools being deployed to take building to the next level.  It’s incredibly rewarding to be part of an innovative company that embraces change and looks for better ways to deliver our services."
What was the best deal you've ever been involved in? "In 2001, I was working at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. A TWA McDonnell Douglas MD-80 had to make an emergency landing on the base due to some engine issues. The next day, one of the TWA maintenance managers said he needed to talk with me immediately. Come to find out, he wanted to rent Mortenson's crane to replace the MD-80's engine. I, along with our superintendent, worked all through a Friday night and put in the new engine. Let's just say that we weren't exactly cheap, but we made sure the job got done so that the plane avoided the scrap pile."
What was the funniest moment of your career? "I was working on the Minuteman II Missile Silo Dismantlement as part of the START II program (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) in central Missouri. During an implosion, I was with a group of people and we literally had to dive under my truck to avoid some of the debris. It wasn't at all harmful, but just funny to have to run from our own work!"

STAG Capital Partners recently purchased a 206,800-square-foot industrial building on 8.05 acres of land at 4041 N. Richards St., Glendale, from 4041 Richards LLC, for $5,854,000. STAG is a Boston-based investment group. The building is 100 percent leased. Heinn Trend, a maker of custom designed catalog binders and presentation book covers, leases 65 percent of the building and the Social Development Commission leases the other 35 percent. "We bought the property because it is 100 percent leased, and we happen to like that part of Milwaukee," said Brad Sweeney, vice president of acquisitions for STAG. In April the company bought the 270,000-square-foot Bentley World Packaging Ltd. building at 200 W. Capitol Dr., Milwaukee, in a sale-leaseback deal for $6.6 million. Sam Dickman Jr. and Ross Smith of The Dickman Company Inc. represented the buyer and seller in brokering the sale of the Glendale building.

MGM Properties LLP recently purchased the 46,713-square-foot industrial building at 4040 Cardinal Lane, Hartland, for $2.05 million from Journal Communications Printing Group. The building is the home to Lake Country Publications. Last year, Journal Communications moved Lake Country's printing operations out of the building to a facility in Waupaca. The company will lease back 9,000 square feet of office space in the building for Lake Country Publications operations. The owners of MGM, Mike and Gina White, also own Rapco Fleet Support, which plans to move into the building from the smaller building across the street. The company manufacturers and distributes replacement aircraft parts. The sale of the building was brokered, for both the buyer and seller, by Mark Smith of Judson & Associates.

Brookfield-based MLG Commercial recently hired Jon Packee as an industrial broker.

Brookfield-based R.A. Smith & Associates Inc. is conducting an economic feasibility study for the City of Brookfield. The study encompasses a four block-area for possible commercial re-development at 124th Street and Capitol Drive in Brookfield. The project is bounded by 124th  Street , Lisbon Avenue, 128th Street and Capitol Drive. The study includes conceptual site plans that reflect alternative retail uses, an economic analysis comparing design and construction costs with perceived rental income, preliminary plans for grading, traffic and utilities and an analysis of streets, utilities and other infrastructure costs.

Milwaukee-based New Land Enterprises LLP recently broke ground on its four-unit Terrace Row townhouse development on a vacant lot at the southwest corner of Kilbourn Avenue and Cass Street in downtown Milwaukee. The units will be priced between $1.25 million and $1.75 million, and will be between 3,637 and 4,100 square feet. For more information go to www.terracerow.com.

California-based Inland Commercial LLC recently hired CB Richard Ellis to handle leasing for the Granville Complex, which is the former Northridge Mall at West Brown Deer Road and North 76th Street in Milwaukee. Northridge closed in 2003 and is today mostly vacant. Pick 'n Save, Menards and Value City stores occupy a portion of the former Northridge. The 2 million square foot property has 900,000 square feet of building space. "What is needed is an illustration and a demonstration of how the very large buildings of the Granville Complex as well as the Younkers and J.C. Penny buildings can be utilized beyond just a mall use. Virtual tours and artistic/architectural renderings are some of the means intended to help reveal the great potential of the Granville Complex. The virtual tours will be 360 degree high-definition tours and are intended to provide an interactive virtual real estate tour of the Granville Complex wherein the viewer can see what the real estate looks like from the comfort of his or her computer. The artistic and architectural renderings will have 3-D, high-definition, interactive components wherein the viewer can visualize and participate in proposed tenanting concepts, layouts, and designs, said Michael Mirharooni, president of Inland Commercial LLC. "In addition to the use of innovative technology, the vision for the Granville Complex is also based on our creativity of use. The  newly-expanded, dynamic  list of potential uses  includes  traditional retail; specialty retail; business condos; clearance centers; outlets; professional offices; vocational schools; medical offices; trade schools; call centers; banking and recovery facilities; corporate headquarters; entertainment; restaurants; art-related ventures; museums; performing centers; indoor sports centers; indoor raceway; fitness and wellness centers; wholesale distribution; indoor/outdoor auto mall; light industrial; day-care facility; business incubators; research and development facility; churches; swap mall center; storage facilities; community center; government building; banquet facility; library uses; convention center; auditorium; brewery; television and movie production facility, and showroom gallerias for various trades."

The slowdown in the residential real estate market has spurred one building to offer significant discounts. Waukesha-based Westridge Builders Inc. announced that it is offering a $20,000 discount on home/lot packages in their subdivision and all of their spec homes. "This slowdown has forced us to work even harder to meet the needs of the buying public and one of those main needs is competitive pricing," said Westridge president  Carl Tomich. "It is definitely a buyer's market and we want to let everyone know that we intend our pricing to be the most aggressive in the market."

Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate Women are calling for entries from all over the state for its 7th annual Real Estate Development Showcase Awards program. For more information, call Heather Westgor at (414) 755-3365.

TIF Practice and Policy Seminar, Tuesday, July 24, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monaghan Memorial Ballroom in the Alumni Memorial Union, 1442 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, on the Marquette University campus. For more information call Jonathan Tucker at (414) 273-1815.

Second Annual Society of Office and Industrial Realtors (SIOR) Scholarship Golf Outing, Monday, July 30, 11:30 a.m., Blackwolf Run, 1111 W. Riverside Dr., Kohler. For more information call Bob Dufek at (414) 278-6814.

Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin (CARW) Golf Outing, Monday, Aug. 20,  North Shore Country Club, 3100 W. Country Club Dr., Mequon. For more information call (414) 271-2021.
 

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