Milwaukee-based Irgens Partners LLC is laying plans for additional development at an office building site that it recently acquired in the Milwaukee County Research Park. In August, Irgens bought the former UnitedHealthcare office building at 10701 Research Drive, Wauwatosa. At the time, the developer said it would make substantial improvements to the building. Recent filings
Milwaukee-based Irgens Partners LLC is laying plans for additional development at an office building site that it recently acquired in the Milwaukee County Research Park.
In August, Irgens bought the former UnitedHealthcare office building at 10701 Research Drive, Wauwatosa. At the time, the developer said it would make substantial improvements to the building.
Recent filings with the city reveal Irgens has grander plans for the entire 13.9-acre site.
Irgens is requesting to divide the entire property into four smaller lots. The first 6.8-acre lot would include the existing office building.
The three remaining lots would include 1.2 acres at the southeast corner of Research Drive and North Mayfair Road; 2.2 acres toward the center of the site, along Mayfair Road; and 3.7 acres at the northeast corner of West Wisconsin Avenue and Mayfair Road.
"The initial phase of the project will be the redevelopment and repositioning of the office building, reconstructing the interior to allow for multiple tenants with modern amenities and design features," states a letter to the city signed by Rob Oldenburg, Irgens' vice president of development.
Work to the existing 130,000-square-foot building will include interior improvements, a reconfigured parking area and landscaping upgrades.
The remaining parcels would be developed in one or more phases, beginning next year, according to the letter. Irgens plans to submit plans for each parcel as the individual projects progress.
Wauwatosa's Plan Commission will consider Irgens' land division request on Monday evening.
Irgens declined to comment further on its plans.
[caption id="attachment_537136" align="alignnone" width="1342"] Proposed re-division of the property at 10701 Research Drive, Wauwatosa. Credit: The Sigma Group[/caption]
The building at 10701 Research Drive was the inaugural development of Milwaukee County Research Park.
PrimeCare Health Plan Inc., which later became United Healthcare, acquired the property in 1994 and developed a regional headquarters building. The site was originally designed to accommodate another 130,000-square-foot building with a parking structure.
"As the contemplated expansion plans did not materialize, the site is underutilized, creating excess land for future development," the Irgens letter states.
United Healthcare vacated the building in June, and a few months later an Irgens affiliate bought the property for $9.5 million.
“The acquisition of this premier property is indicative of our continued belief in the strength of the Research Park and immediate area,” Tom Irgens, executive vice president of Irgens Partners, said in a statement back in August.
This isn't the only office project Irgens Partners is working on in Wauwatosa. It also plans to build two new buildings at the nearby UWM Innovation Campus.
