Latest news with #BostonStore
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Greendale to vote on $100 million Southridge Mall redevelopment
The future of the former Boston Store at Southridge Mall could soon be decided, as the Village of Greendale Board is set to vote June 17 on a proposed redevelopment plan for the long-vacant site. Barrett Lo Visionary Development seeks to transform the property, 5300 S. 76th St., into a mixed-use residential and retail complex. Current plans call for 739 market-rate apartment units, about 20,000 square feet of retail space and a 15,000-square-foot public green space at the center of the development. No low-income units are proposed. According to the Village of Greendale, the project is expected to generate approximately $100.2 million in new land and improvement value. The former Boston Store site has sat vacant since 2018. Initial discussions to redevelop the property began on Oct. 16, 2020, during a public meeting. The village officially purchased the property on May 18, 2021. On June 4, the Greendale Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval of the general development plan. Village Manager Mike Hawes said a few remaining issues are still being resolved, including the process for demolishing the Boston Store building and constructing a new exterior mall wall. 'We're still working through some of the remaining restrictions-related issues,' Hawes said. 'But we expect those to be resolved by the time the developer has secured all the zoning approvals they need.' According to planning documents, the project would be completed in phases and be designed to integrate with the existing Southridge Mall layout. Features include wide sidewalks, double-height retail spaces, and a pedestrian-friendly streetscape centered around the village green. The development would be accessed via the mall's ring road and is not expected to disrupt current traffic patterns or infrastructure. The project could revamp Southridge Mall after the mall had gone under financial troubles following the loss of two anchor stores to the property. Adrienne Davis is a south suburban reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Got any tips or stories to share? Contact Adrienne at amdavis@ Follow her on X at @AdriReportss. This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: The Boston Store Redevelopment Project will push forward in Greendale
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A two-story public market is proposed for the former Boston Store site at Brookfield Square
A two-story public market is in the works for Brookfield's former Boston Store site on the north end of Brookfield Square mall. Irgens development firm is working with Visit Brookfield and the city to create the Brookfield Public Market as a major tenant of its current development plan for the 16-acre site it owns at 15875 W. Bluemound Road. Irgens purchased the property in 2021 and has since razed the site. The Boston Store closed in 2018 after nearly 60 years. The plan would rely on approval and creation of a new tax incremental financing district, as well as the expansion of an existing TIF district, according to Dan Ertl, director of community development for the City of Brookfield. The Milwaukee Business Journal first reported the concept, which was shared at a city meeting June 11. The market would include at least 12 food and retail vendors, a bar, space for private events and public seating. An "independent, iconic grocer and a Milwaukee-area cultural group" are in talks to become a major tenant of the space, Tom Irgens, executive vice president of Irgens, said in a news release from the developer. Visit Brookfield would purchase about 2 acres of the property from Irgens to become owner and operator of the public market and gathering space, according to the release. Feedback from a feasibility study and tours of public markets around the country over the past year cemented that a public market is exactly the venue needed for the space, Nancy Justman, CEO of Visit Brookfield, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "We heard loud and clear that (residents) are looking for a community gathering space," Justman said. Residents had also voiced in surveys that they're looking for more locally-owned options, she said. The public market could serve as an incubator for smaller operators, like those with food trucks, to have a home base, according to Justman. The public market will need to go through a number of public meetings to gain city approval and secure tax incremental financing. First the plans must be submitted to the city for review and approval by various city committees and the Brookfield Common Council, and a Joint Review Board. Irgens also must make a formal request for tax incremental financing. A TIF district would create a revenue stream to help pay for the market and improvements to aging water utilities, according to Dan Ertl, Brookfield's director of community development. The public market could give Brookfield Square the economic jolt needed, he said. "For our taxpayer, it means it will maintain, and over time increase, the commercial tax base to help offset the tax burden for residents, Ertl told the Journal Sentinel. "It's really prime land that deserves some really interesting businesses," City of Brookfield Mayor Steve Ponto said. "We're trying to come up with a proposal that doesn't encounter significant opposition from the mall itself, yet offers the kinds of things that will be attractive to residents of not just Brookfield but the surrounding area," Ponto said. After purchasing the site in 2021, Irgens shared plans for a hotel, apartment building and office buildings. But the initial concept was met with resistance and challenges, including the aging watermain utilities. The new plans, announced in early 2025, include a two-story medical office building called Bluemound Medical Commons. Bridget Fogarty covers Brookfield, Wauwatosa and Elm Grove for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. She can be contacted at bfogarty@ This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Public market with food, retail and a bar eyed for Brookfield Square
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Reflecting on the stellar career of legendary Erie DJ Mojo McKay
Erie has lost another radio legend. Longtime morning radio DJ Mojo McKay has died. He was the longtime morning man on Rocket 105. For decades, much of Erie woke up to Mojo McKay on Rocket. He had a vast knowledge of rock and roll and he was popular because of his whacky sense of humor, poking fun a most anything, his energetic style and his knowledge of Erie history and politics. He was also known to have fun with live in-studio guests. 'He invited me onto the rocket morning show, and I immediately became a friend of the show, and he had me back a few other times, and he couldn't have been more of a gracious guy,' said Meteorologist and guest Craig Flint. Longtime radio DJ Joe Lang was a Boston Store studio colleague of McKay's for many years. He said McKay shook the local radio market, which at the time was full of what Lang called gentleman DJs. 'They were like 'good morning, 6:35, it's cloudy' but then Mojo came in and it went boom. He did all these wacky stunts, did these things on the air. Everyone knows his story. He proposed to his wife on the air, so it was something we had never seen in Erie before,' Lang recalled. And Lang said McKay was just as popular off the air. 'In a market like this, you can transcend radio. You see them at restaurants, bars, out buying clothes and stuff like that, and when you do, they would always stop and talk. You never wanted to go anywhere with Mojo because you'd never get there,' he continued. Mojo McKay's career ended last August when he was furloughed by iHeart Media in a nationwide layoff. His many radio fans, and those who knew him best, even guests on his show, knew McKay had the talent to work anywhere in the country. But he remained an ambassador for Erie. 'You know a lot of people aspire to move on to these bigger markets, and Moj was like, no, I'm good here, I'm good here,' Lang went on to say. Mojo McKay, whose real name is Michael Sroka, was a native of Olean, NY, and came to the area to attend Edinboro University. He was 62. He is survived by his son, Jack, and a sister, Carol. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
