Mandel Group Retail, Multi-Family and Senior Housing Development Project - SE Corner of Greenfield & Moorland
A retail, multi-family, and senior housing development project is being planned for the southeast corner of Greenfield Avenue & Moorland Road. This is undeveloped property that lies between Moorland Road to the west, Greenfield Avenue to the north, WalMart to the east, and the Recreation Trail and railroad track to the south.
For more information about this project, please see the page titled Mandel Group Development Project on the city's website. This page contains the full history of the project from the city's point of view, and it provides documentation about the details of the project. These documents can answer a lot of questions citizens might have about the project, so we recommend that you review them if you are interested in what's happening in this part of the city.
Our Take
Submitted by Scott Jentsch
This parcel has been the subject of quite a few proposals over the years. It's on a high-traffic intersection that is less than a mile from I-94, so its location makes it one of the first impressions that many people get when entering New Berlin. The fact that it is undeveloped is not so much of a problem, but the fact that it is obviously prepared for development that hasn't yet happened and its proximity to similarly-vacant parcel on the southwest corner of Greenfield and Moorland makes a bad first impression.
Given the high traffic on this intersection and its proximity to a big box retailer just to the east (WalMart), this type of development makes sense. This turns a vacant lot into housing, and uses the corner for retail establishments. Let's hope they can figure out how to make the strip mall buildings look attractive and keep them occupied, because the last thing we need is a bunch of vacant storefronts at the entrance to the city.
While I'm not thrilled with the idea that wetlands will be developed, I'm glad to see that a sidepath between the Recreation Trail and Greenfield Avenue is part of the plan. This will make it possible to walk from the Recreation Trail to the businesses on the corner of Greenfield & Moorland, including restaurants, big box retailers, and grocery stores. The residents in this development will be able to take advantage of that accessibility and it improves the overall walkability on a very busy thoroughfare (with its traffic levels and speed, Moorland Road is essentially a highway). One can only hope that future city leaders will see the value in improving such accessibility in more areas around the city and make the necessary investments. That will depend on us, however. If we want it, we have to demand it.
Project Status
A public hearing was held July 10, 2023. The Plan Commission considered the proposal for this project at its August 14, 2023 meeting. To see more information about the proposal, please see Plan Commission Considers Proposal for Retail, Multi-Family and Senior Housing at Greenfield & Moorland.
At its January 9, 2024 meeting, the Common Council approved the Planned Unit Development Ordinance that "approves the rezoning from B-1/PUD, Rm-1/PUD, I-1 PUD & C-2 to B-1/PUD, Rm-1/PUD, I-1 PUD & C-2." We take this to mean that the planned development can proceed.
Image above: Page 2 of the Project Plan as of February 14, 2024, labeled "Architectural Site Layout Plan"
Last Updated: Feb 14, 2024
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