Now that it appears the former Northridge Mall, which closed in 2003, will finally be demolished, it’s time to start thinking about what should take its place.
In January, the City of Milwaukee was awarded ownership of the property, which it has sought for years. The Chinese investment group that had owned it stopped paying its property taxes, opening the door for the city to obtain the property. City officials are now moving forward with plans to tear down the former mall.
There is no shortage of ideas from Milwaukee residents and local business leaders about what should be done with the 58-acre site, located northwest of Brown Deer Road and North 76th Street on the city’s far northwest side.
City officials have already shot down one redevelopment idea. Milwaukee-based real estate firm Phoenix Investors had an agreement to purchase the former mall and wanted to redevelop it into an industrial building that it would lease to tenants. City officials objected to those plans saying the tenants would have been able to use their space for storage, which would produce few jobs. That led to Phoenix Investors dropping its plans last year.
Some criticized city officials for blocking a proposed redevelopment for the long-vacant Northridge site. But they were right to do so and instead pursue a development that would yield a significant number of family-supporting jobs. That’s what the city needs most.
Other ideas that have been suggested for the former Northridge site, once demolition is complete, run the gamut. It could support housing development, but there is plenty of other housing nearby and more under development in the area.
Retail in the area has declined significantly since the mall closed, but a small amount of retail could be appropriate.
It’s not an attractive office building location either. A mostly vacant office building nearby was recently acquired by its lender in a deed in lieu of foreclosure action.
Green space has also been suggested by some but that doesn’t provide the needed economic benefit and could be accomplished in other locations in the area. See our report on page 14 about what some real estate industry experts think could be done with the site.
An industrial space development makes the most sense for the former Northridge site. Southeastern Wisconsin has an industrial space vacancy rate of only 5.4% and appropriate sites for new industrial real estate development in the region are difficult for developers to find. But the space needs to be occupied by a tenant that will provide a large number of family-supporting jobs. A warehouse will not do.
Other uses like retail and residential could be part of the mix, but a manufacturer or industrial space user – with a significant number of employees – needs to be the anchor of the Northridge Mall site redevelopment.
