Milwaukee council approves upscale Brady Street hotel, first for east side
An 11-story, 130-room hotel planned for the corner of East Brady Street and North Farwell Avenue received unanimous backing Tuesday from the Milwaukee Common Council.
What is now a half-empty, two-story retail building at 1709-1723 N. Farwell Ave. would be transformed into the new hotel by Klein Development Inc. in a partnership with Brady Street restaurant and tavern operator Jeno Cataldo. Construction could begin this year on the hotel that would be the first on Milwaukee's east side.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson will review the file and is inclined to support it, his spokesman told the Journal Sentinel.
Ald. Jonathan Brostoff, whose district includes the planned development, celebrated Tuesday's council vote to change the site's zoning so the hotel could be built.
"This is a huge win for daytime commerce on Brady Street, and it's a huge win for pedestrian and bike safety," he told the Journal Sentinel. "Any time you can take a half-vacant, fairly dilapidated site and add to the tax base while doing something special with it like bringing hotel rooms to the east side, that's a big win for Milwaukee."
More: Brady Street upscale hotel, with 11 stories and 130 rooms, wins key Milwaukee approval.
More: Milwaukee's plan to spend $15.75 million on downtown Vel R. Phillips Plaza wins key vote
The hotel would replace the two-story Farwell Point building, which would be razed.
Klein Development and Cataldo may also build a parking structure across the street on the east side of North Farwell Avenue, between East Royall Place and Zaffiro's Pizza and Bar. Vacant lots currently occupy that space.
Council backs downtown Vel R. Phillips Plaza
The council also backed a plan to spend up to $15.75 million to build a downtown plaza dedicated to civil rights pioneer Vel Phillips.
The plaza would be built between North Phillips Avenue and North Fifth Street, south of West Wisconsin Avenue.
The funds would come from a tax incremental financing district in the Park East area.
Tax incremental financing districts defer adding the value of new developments to the property tax base until project funding is paid.
That means some of the property tax revenue generated from new commercial developments in the area would be used to fund the plaza.
The 30,000-square-foot plaza would include 2,900 square feet for food and beverage retail space, a garden, an area for farmers' markets, food trucks and other community events, an information kiosk, and a station for Milwaukee County's East-West Bus Rapid Transit line.
The city-owned site is currently a parking lot. Much of the parking lot would be preserved for possible future commercial development.
The hope is to have the plaza completed before the Republican National Convention arrives in Milwaukee in July 2024.
The financing plan would also provide $4.35 million for street, sidewalk and lighting improvements nearby and $500,000 for a program that provides financial assistance to commercial property owners for building renovations and improvements.
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee council approves upscale Brady Street hotel
