The Ozaukee County commercial real estate market will expand its residential and retail bases significantly in 2005.
In addition to high-profile commercial development in Grafton, where plans include a proposed Costco store, and projects in Saukville, Fredonia, Port Washington, Cedarburg, municipal officials are encouraging commercial and residential development on the outskirts of each community.
Developments with a total of 950 residential units are proposed on the east, north and west sides of Port Washington. Those projects will include renovated roadways meant to feed a new commercial area, said Randy Tetzlaff, planning and development director of the City of Port Washington.
Historic Cedarburg recently approved plans for a Stone Creek Coffee shop for the downtown area, and the Cedarburg Common Council has begun plans for a business park along Highway 60, said Kristine Hage, director of the Cedarburg Chamber of Commerce.
The council has established a timeline and is in the process of annexing land three miles west of Interstate 43 on Highway 60, Hage said.
The City of Mequon and Village of Thiensville Town Center project expects to complete a streetscape plan in June, said Linda Oakes of the Mequon-Thiensville Chamber of Commerce. The Town Center will be a civic campus area for Mequon and enhance the downtown area for Thiensville, Oakes said. Two condominium developments are expected to be completed by the end of the year. The additional housing will help attract retail development, Oakes said.
The Village of Fredonia is undertaking two large residential developments that will include commercial development.
JBJ Development of Germantown has proposed a 240-acre residential development called Cobblestone Village that will be located east of Highway 57 and north of County Highway A in Fredonia, said Doris Dommer, deputy clerk treasurer for the village.
Cobblestone Village will boast 70 acres of commercial development. Annexation and preliminary plans for Cobblestone Village have been approved by the plan commission, and JBJ plans to begin building late this year, Dommer said.
MasterCraft Builders of Kenosha are still in the early stages in approval for a proposed Village Green Heights residential development in Fredonia, said Nancy Washburn, development coordinator for MasterCraft Builders. The 168-acre property will be located north of the existing Emerald Hills subdivision west of Highway 57 and south of Willow Valley Road. MasterCraft plans to have 16 acres of commercial development on the northeast corner of the site. MasterCraft is waiting for the land to be annexed into the village and into the sewer service area of Fredonia.
"We know where we are going. It is just a matter of how long it will take for some processes," Washburn said. "We hope to break ground late this year or early next year."
The development plan includes multi-family components, four-unit condominium buildings and a small amount of duplex lots, Washburn said. The residences will be predominantly single family.
The Village of Saukville also is expecting to change the look of its downtown, increase its population and create an entertainment district that will begin with the opening of a Marcus Theatres Cinema in March, said Brian Biernat, community development director for the village.
The 12-screen cinema will attract consumers and commercial development to the area, and Saukville is currently targeting full-service restaurants. The village plans to draw boutiques and niche retail to the downtown area once a bridge replacement by the state is completed in the next 18 months, Biernat said.
"We will have a lot more to talk about at the end of 2005," Biernat said. "Once things are established and developers have the visual of the Marcus Theatres Cinema, plans will be drawn up and land will be acquired."
In the coming months, Biernat hopes the commission will resolve issues concerning a proposed 80-acre, $34 million development in the North Market Street tax incremental finance (TIF) district called Heritage Crossings.
A.N. Ansay & Associates proposed a project that includes two business parks, a commercial real estate development and a condominium development more than one year ago, but the project has been delayed because of wetland considerations and evaluations by the Department of Natural Resources.
The Dekora Woods Business Park is geographically the largest in Ozaukee County, Biernat said, and is nearly sold out. The village may soon begin discussions with the community development authority regarding an expansion. The 572-acre property currently only has two pieces totaling 29 acres left to sell.
Four businesses finished construction in 2004, and two built expansions in the park. Badger Case has a 10,000-square-foot facility at 600 N. Dekora Woods Blvd.; DSI Marketing Inc. has a 23,100-square-foot facility at 541 N. Dekora Woods Blvd.; Matrix Packaging has a 36,000-square-foot facility at 650 N. Dekora Woods Blvd.; and Calibre, Inc. has a 36,000 square-foot facility at 651 N. Dekora Woods Blvd.
Alliance Packaging Group Inc. completed a 6,400-square-foot addition at its current location at 420 W. Technology Way, and Excel Tool & Die completed a 4,000-square-foot addition to its current location at 403 N. Progress Drive.
"Saukville has been riding a real nice wave over the last two years, which has been counter-intuitive to what has happened to the economy at large," Biernat said.
February 4, 2005, Small Business Times, Milwaukee, WI
