Dozens sound off on Northridge Mall site at town hall meeting as city weighs the future of the property

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Dozens of people who live near Milwaukee's Northridge Mall site voiced concerns and offered ideas Thursday night, June 22, at a community town hall meeting.

Alderwoman Larresa Taylor hosted the meeting to get a sense of what her constituents want from a process that is still tied up in court.

The city essentially controls what will happen to the site: a buyer wants to turn the blighted former mall into an industrial complex, but that would require a zoning change. The city could make that zoning change and clear the way for the sale, or it could go in a different direction.

Milwaukee Planning Manager Vanessa Koster said, "This, obviously, is a catalytic site due to its location, its size."

City leaders say the Northridge site is an incredible opportunity, but capitalizing on that potential could take a while.

There are a lot of moving parts: the current owner -- Black Spruce -- has been ordered to raze the site, but a judge put it on hold.

Meanwhile, another company -- Phoenix Investments -- wants to buy the property, renovate it, then turn it into an industrial site.

Patrick Dedering is the Director of Acquisition & Leasing at Phoenix Investors. He said, "We believe it was built like a bomb shelter. The bones of it are good."

But the city is interested in a multi-use zoning that would potentially allow for a residential element. Koster said, "That would allow for a variety of uses. And also the green space."

Alderwoman Taylor has a say in the zoning decision but said she's not leaning in any direction until she hears from constituents. She told us, "This is prime real estate that could really impact the entire city of Milwaukee."

Dozens of neighbors voiced concerns and asked questions at Thursday evening's town hall.

One woman asked, "What if nobody moves into it? Then we have another empty shell."

Another man shared concerns about rezoning the site for industrial use, saying, "We don't have a grocery store anymore."

Another man wondered, "How are you going to generate jobs for these people?"

Phoenix said it's confident companies will move into a redeveloped space. Dedering said, "We believe when the property is repositioned appropriately, reconditioned, we can fill it, re-tenant the entire property."

He reiterated there would be no cost to the city or community.

And Phoenix has already spent significant money to improve the property even though they don't own it yet.

Dedering told the audience Phoenix's plan to renovate is a better alternative than razing the building to the ground. He said, "We believe that what we intend to do with the property, would create additional tax bases, create jobs for the community, and begin to kind of spill over into surrounding real estate."

Right now, there are two pending court cases that could affect the outcome of the site.

And current property owner Black Spruce is appealing the raze order. Briefs are due by the end of July, then the judge will issue a ruling.