Johnson Controls on Thursday confirmed it is in talks with Weas Development regarding a possible expansion in Glendale.
Weas is the developer behind plans to build a new 109,000-square-foot office and research facility.
The building is planned for a 6.37-acre site at the southeast corner of North Green Bay Avenue (Highway 57) and West Civic Drive. The site is across Green Bay Avenue from Johnson Controls’ operating headquarters campus. The company is technically based in Cork, Ireland, for tax purposes.
Plans for Weas Development’s new building first came to light late last week when the agenda for the Glendale Community Development Authority was released.
An executive summary for the project says the new building would create approximately 200 new jobs.
“Johnson Controls is exploring possible expansion options in the city of Glendale where our corporate campus is located,” reads the statement from the company. “We are working with Weas Development as we investigate real estate opportunities, but do not have further details to share at this time. We continue to be committed to the Milwaukee area as we finalize plans following the sale of our downtown (Milwaukee) building and when appropriate, will communicate any developments with our employees, partners and customers.”
Glendale city administration officials plan to create a tax incremental financing district for the project that would encompass the site and would generate a $3.1 million developer incentive, as well as $945,000 in public infrastructure projects, $80,000 in interest on long-term debt, and $123,000 in administrative costs related to the creation and administration of the taxing district. So the total cost for the TIF would be about $4.25 million. The city estimates the value of the project to be $21.8 million.
If approved, construction would begin this year and be completed in 2023.
Last January, Johnson Controls announced plans to move employees from its downtown Milwaukee offices to its campus in Glendale. This brought together the company’s North American headquarters together at a single site.
Johnson Controls is a manufacturer of fire, HVAC and security equipment for buildings.
