A proposal to convert a south side Milwaukee building built in 1856 into a restaurant and event space has won Plan Commission approval.
Cafe India operator
Rakesh Rehan has plans to buy the city-owned property at 3774 S. 27th St., formerly the Wildenberg Hotel, and renovate the two-story, 4,400-square-foot building into a sit-down restaurant. He also plans to construct a one-story 14,400-square-foot rear addition to house a commercial kitchen and banquet hall.
The restaurant would have seating for around 100 patrons, with additional seating for 20 to 24 people on an outdoor patio. The banquet hall would host events with capacity for up to 600 guests.
Rehan, who operates restaurants at 601 S. 1st St. and 2201 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., has been turning away business due to lack of space, according to Thomas Stachowiak of Stack Design Group, the architect for the project. Stachowiak gave a presentation to Milwaukee's Plan Commission on Monday.
Rehan's renovation plans for the existing building received approval from the Historic Preservation Commission earlier this month.
The proposal also includes plans for two new commercial buildings, with a total of 7,200 square feet of space, on the property's northern edge, creating a plaza between the restaurant and retail spaces. The vision is for the additional commercial buildings to be tenanted by users like an ice cream shop and cafe, Stachowiak told the Plan Commission.
The Plan Commission's approval came after an objection from
Brian Randall, an attorney with Amundsen Davis, who represents the owners of South Town Center, a strip mall that borders the Wildenberg site to the north.
Randall said that Rehan's proposed 100-space parking lot is not large enough for the amount of patrons expected at the location, and that patrons might use South Town Center's parking lot for overflow parking. He asked the commission to include a condition requiring Rehan to reach an agreement with neighboring property owners to provide additional parking spaces.
The commission passed the item without the condition. Stachowiak told commission members that Rehan would pursue an agreement with South Town Center to use its parking lot.
