A downtown mass timber apartment tower plan is growing. It would be among the world's tallest.
An apartment tower planned for downtown Milwaukee is nearly doubling in height, and would be among the world's tallest mass timber buildings when it opens in 2025.
But revised plans that have just been filed with the city now call for a 28-story high-rise with 296 apartments, said Nate Helbach, a managing partner at Madison-based development firm The Neutral Project LLC.
The revised plans were first reported by Urban Milwaukee.
The Neutral Project decided to expand its plans for The Edison because of the economies of scale achieved with a taller high-rise, Helbach said.
"The more stories you add, the cheaper it gets" on a per-unit cost basis, he said.
Meanwhile, demand remains strong for high-end apartments in the downtown area, Helbach said.
Other downtown apartment projects include two high-rises under construction: The Couture, opening in late 2023, and 333 N. Water, opening in summer 2024.
A revised cost estimate, and prospective rents, aren't yet ready to be disclosed, Helbach said. Revised renderings also are in the works.
The Neutral Project submitted the plans to the Department of City Development to see if any additional city approvals are needed for the expanded tower, Helbach said.
A Neutral Project affiliate, North Edison LLC, bought the project site just over a year ago for $4.1 million.
Wholesale florist Rojahn & Malaney Co. moved out, with the building's demolition to begin this month, Helbach said.
Construction work on the high-rise is to begin this fall, with The Edison to be completed by fall 2025.
The project will use an unusual construction technique known as mass timber, or cross-laminated timber. That process uses layers of wood pressed together to create columns, beams and other building frame components.
Apartments, offices and other buildings made from timber provide a lower carbon footprint than conventional construction. They also can create a more attractive atmosphere, featuring exposed wood interiors.
Downtown also is home to Ascent, a mass timber apartment tower that opened last summer at 700 E. Kilbourn Ave.
At 284 feet, Ascent is the tallest mass timber structure in the world, according to developer New Land Enterprises LLC.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee mass timber apartment tower plans expansion to 28 stories
