Hotels, convention space proposed for vacant downtown block
The city of Milwaukee received its first two proposals Friday for a major expansion of the Wisconsin Center convention facility that would transform an out-of-service parking lot near the Boston Store end of the Grand Avenue mall.
One of the proposals, from Jackson Street Holdings, would cost $279.6 million and include three hotels, more than 100,000 square feet of convention space and 22,000 square feet of food and beverage outlets.
The city did not provide names or details associated with either proposal.
"They appear to be serious proposals from respected development teams," said Jeff Fleming, a city spokesman.
Information about the Jackson Street Holdings plans came from that project's development team.
Both proposals were submitted in response to a request for proposals the Department of City Development issued in June for the 2-acre site, which is south of W. Wisconsin Ave., between N. 4th and N. 5th streets.
It is a rolling request, which means it is designed to seek proposals for the redevelopment of the site continuously until there is a development agreement between the city's development authority and a developer. There will be a deadline on the last Friday of every month. Friday's deadline was the first of those.
"The city could select one of the two proposals, or more proposals could be submitted that would be considered," Fleming said.
The development team on the Jackson Street Holdings proposal includes: Arrival Partners, development director and planner; Kahler Slater, architect; and White Lodging Services, Merrillville, Ind, hotel manager.
Jackson Street Holdings' plan, which it is calling "Nexus," would have 506 rooms in three hotels atop a major expansion of the Wisconsin Center, as well as a station along the route of the city of Milwaukee’s planned streetcar line.
“We see a number of needs and desires from the city,” said Douglas Nysse of Arrival Partners. “One is the streetcar running through this site to serve this location, one is to provide additional convention and meeting space for the Wisconsin Center, and then directly part of that is the need for more hotel rooms to serve the convention center.
“We think this is a thoughtful response to what the city has been asking for,” Nysse said.
According to the project proposal: “The convention space will create room-night demand that will also be accommodated in the two existing large hotels currently connected to the Wisconsin Center. Those hotels have been awaiting additional convention space to be built. With Nexus, they will be able to build the guest room additions that they have been deliberating for decades.”
The Wisconsin Center had been considering an expansion to the north, to the site of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena. That expansion envisioned 61,000 square feet of exhibit space and 40,000 to 50,000 square feet of meeting space, according to Nysse.
But meeting planners have expressed an interest in a much bigger meeting space as opposed to exhibit space, and the Nexus development's convention space would consist of 82,000 square feet of meeting space and 21,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Arrival Partners, an affiliate of Jackson Street, has been active in development of new downtown hotels in recent years, including the Marriott Milwaukee, the Westin and the recently completed SpringHill Suites, across 4th St. from the Wisconsin Center. The success of that project “has proven there’s demand for new products, premium brands to serve the convention center, and that’s a big reason why we are confident that this project can be successful,” Nysse said.
Included with Jackson Street Holdings' proposal are “expressions of interest” from the Marriott and Starwood brands, he said.
Reported by: jsonline.com
One of the proposals, from Jackson Street Holdings, would cost $279.6 million and include three hotels, more than 100,000 square feet of convention space and 22,000 square feet of food and beverage outlets.
The city did not provide names or details associated with either proposal.
"They appear to be serious proposals from respected development teams," said Jeff Fleming, a city spokesman.
Information about the Jackson Street Holdings plans came from that project's development team.
Both proposals were submitted in response to a request for proposals the Department of City Development issued in June for the 2-acre site, which is south of W. Wisconsin Ave., between N. 4th and N. 5th streets.
It is a rolling request, which means it is designed to seek proposals for the redevelopment of the site continuously until there is a development agreement between the city's development authority and a developer. There will be a deadline on the last Friday of every month. Friday's deadline was the first of those.
"The city could select one of the two proposals, or more proposals could be submitted that would be considered," Fleming said.
The development team on the Jackson Street Holdings proposal includes: Arrival Partners, development director and planner; Kahler Slater, architect; and White Lodging Services, Merrillville, Ind, hotel manager.
Jackson Street Holdings' plan, which it is calling "Nexus," would have 506 rooms in three hotels atop a major expansion of the Wisconsin Center, as well as a station along the route of the city of Milwaukee’s planned streetcar line.
“We see a number of needs and desires from the city,” said Douglas Nysse of Arrival Partners. “One is the streetcar running through this site to serve this location, one is to provide additional convention and meeting space for the Wisconsin Center, and then directly part of that is the need for more hotel rooms to serve the convention center.
“We think this is a thoughtful response to what the city has been asking for,” Nysse said.
According to the project proposal: “The convention space will create room-night demand that will also be accommodated in the two existing large hotels currently connected to the Wisconsin Center. Those hotels have been awaiting additional convention space to be built. With Nexus, they will be able to build the guest room additions that they have been deliberating for decades.”
The Wisconsin Center had been considering an expansion to the north, to the site of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena. That expansion envisioned 61,000 square feet of exhibit space and 40,000 to 50,000 square feet of meeting space, according to Nysse.
But meeting planners have expressed an interest in a much bigger meeting space as opposed to exhibit space, and the Nexus development's convention space would consist of 82,000 square feet of meeting space and 21,000 square feet of exhibit space.
Arrival Partners, an affiliate of Jackson Street, has been active in development of new downtown hotels in recent years, including the Marriott Milwaukee, the Westin and the recently completed SpringHill Suites, across 4th St. from the Wisconsin Center. The success of that project “has proven there’s demand for new products, premium brands to serve the convention center, and that’s a big reason why we are confident that this project can be successful,” Nysse said.
Included with Jackson Street Holdings' proposal are “expressions of interest” from the Marriott and Starwood brands, he said.
Reported by: jsonline.com
