The Lokal restaurant project in Greenfield is now canceled, The Lowlands Group confirms

Adrienne Davis, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
·2 min read

In 2022, it was announced that Cobalt Partners teamed up with The Lowlands Group on The Lokal, a project which would bring a Café Hollander and The Feisty Loon to the northwest corner of West Layton Avenue and South 84th Street as part of the 84South development.

But now, The Lowlands Group has confirmed that the project is no longer in development.

"Since we first announced our plans to open restaurants at The Lokal in Greenfield, rising interest rates and increased construction prices combined to impact the cost of the project and our ability to move forward," Lowlands Group CEO Eric Wagner said in a statement. "We hope someday to bring a restaurant to this terrific community, and we want to thank the City of Greenfield and Cobalt Partners for their partnership and support."

A rendering shows what The Lokal would have looked like. Cobalt Partners had teamed with The Lowlands Group on the project, which planned to bring a Café Hollander (at right) and The Feisty Loon to the northwest corner of West Layton Avenue and South 84th Street in Greenfield. The Lowlands Group has confirmed the project is no longer being pursued.
A rendering shows what The Lokal would have looked like. Cobalt Partners had teamed with The Lowlands Group on the project, which planned to bring a Café Hollander (at right) and The Feisty Loon to the northwest corner of West Layton Avenue and South 84th Street in Greenfield. The Lowlands Group has confirmed the project is no longer being pursued.

Accompanying the restaurants were plans for a central outdoor event space which was to include a patio, outdoor seating for each restaurant, an outdoor stage, water feature and bar. Activities such as live music, bean bag toss, croquet and other seasonal programming were also planned.

Greenfield Mayor Michael Neitzke, who was originally unaware of any cancellations for the project, said he was disappointed by the project's cancellation.

"I’m saddened," Neitzke said. "But I get it with interest rates, construction costs, and the labor and food cost turmoil in the restaurant industry. Lowlands was wonderful to work with, and they’re always welcome in Greenfield. It was a great project."

The area on West Layton Avenue and South 84th Street had still not begun construction

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel subscriber pointed out that the area near West Layton Avenue and South 84th Street is still vacant. A photo from July 2023 on Google Maps shows the area still had not begun construction.

The still vacant area near West Layton Avenue and South 84th Street
The still vacant area near West Layton Avenue and South 84th Street

As of now, there are no plans to move the project to another location.

Contact Adrienne Davis at amdavis@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @AdriReportss.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Plans for Café Hollander and The Feisty Loon in Greenfield canceled