Apartments, food entrepreneurship center pitched for Milwaukee

Apartments, food entrepreneurship center pitched for Milwaukee

A development that combines about 90 affordable apartments with a center that provides cooking classes, urban farming and food entrepreneurship services is being proposed for a high-profile location in Riverwest.

The mixed-use project would “create a new neighborhood hub to bridge the connections among poverty, housing and health,” according to a Department of City Development report.

General Capital Group LLP and KG Development Group LLC want to develop the project in the 1100 block of East North Avenue, just west of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s RiverView Residence Hall.

The mixed-use development with 91 apartments and a food entrepreneurship center is planned for a large vacant site just west of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's RiverView Residence Hall (right).

That 1.8-acre site includes a vacant, city-owned lot at 1136-46 E. North Ave.

The Common Council’s Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee on Tuesday voted to recommend granting an exclusive right to the developers to negotiate a purchase of the city lot. It was listed for sale at $750,000, with the city receiving five other development proposals for the site.

The project’s focus would be the Riverwest Food Accelerator.

It would feature “a highly visible demonstration kitchen and education space with a focus on fresh food, cooking, nutrition education and food-oriented entrepreneurship,” the report said.