A Sam’s Club store building on Milwaukee’s far northwest side will be converted to light industrial space and leased to a manufacturer.
Milwaukee landscaping company, MCR Group LLC, led by Matthew Ryan, has an option to purchase the 138,480-square-foot building at 7701 W. Calument Road from an affiliate of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which opened the store there in 1991.
The Sam’s Club store will close this summer when a new Sam’s Club opens in August at the northeast corner of North 124th Street and West Bradley Road.
MCR Group is planning to use the building as an investment property and has had a lot of interest from manufacturing companies that need a large building with high ceilings, said Sam Dickman, who is representing MCR.
MCR will not use the space for its own operations, Dickman said.
“MCR has been buying properties for the last 10 to 12 years and to my knowledge has not sold any of their properties, they do not buy and flip,” Dickman said.
The city plan commission approved rezoning for the property, known as Walton’s Calument Square, to light industrial in a 4-1 vote with J. Allen Stokes voting against the motion after hearing opposition from neighbors who said they were never contacted by MCR.
There are 13 houses adjacent to the property. Many of the homeowners voiced concern about noise and truck traffic that could be caused by an incoming manufacturer.
Dickman said traffic will likely be less heavy than it currently is with the Sam’s Club.
Plan Commission chair Patricia Najera said she hopes MCR begins communicating with the neighbors as plans for the site progresses.
“I’m voting in favor of this because it’s good for the economic development of the northwest side of Milwaukee,” Najera said.
The plan commission also approved the following Monday:
- A zoning change from downtown office to institutional to accommodate development of Marquette University’s Athletic Performance Research Center.
- A zoning change to accommodate a planned development for a mixed-use building at 1832-1840 N. Farwell Ave.
- The Riverwalk site plan for Wangard Partners development at the former Laacke & Joys site on the west side of North Water Street.
