Plans for Von Maur Retail Complex Clear First Hurdle

Despite raising concerns about traffic and stormwater, Town of Brookfield plan commissioners granted unanimous conceptual approval Tuesday to a densely-packed retail and office complex that would be anchored by a Von Maur department store.

Commissioners praised the Marcus Corp. for following the town's master plan that calls for a mix of office, retail, hospitality and restaurants at that high-profile area north of I-94 and east of Barker Road.

"This is a lot of what we talked about years ago," Commissioner Len Smeltzer said, adding the project would be a "great asset" to the town and Waukesha County.

Commissioner Mike Schmitt said: "I love the concept. It really maximizes the space. I applaud the creativity."

Friday call for a pedestrian-friendly town square to be developed next to a Von Maur store, buttressed by two restaurants, a grocer, retail and office development.

The 150,000-square-foot Von Maur would be built along I-94 for maximum visibility. 

There would be another 230,000 square feet of retail and restaurants and 225,000 square feet of office. The plans call for a 12,200-square-foot "junior anchor" store to be built at the far northeast corner of the site.

The buildings would have underground parking under first-level retail and second-level office space.

Watching in the audience were three officials from the City of Brookfield, which has opposed the plan as a along the Blue Mound Road corridor and Brookfield Square mall.

The city and mall owner CBL & Associates Properties Inc., of Chattanooga, TN, have said they to keep it vital as the main economic driver of the corridor.

City aldermen Gary Mahkorn and Rick Owen and City Development Director Dan Ertl said after the vote that they attended to hear the project details. Mahkorn said he continues to believe Von Maur should be built at the mall. 

But Boston Store has resisted the move, exercising approval rights it has with the mall. 

And Katie Falvey, Marcus Corp.'s director of real estate, told the town plan commissioners that the "special-ness of Von Maur in the market is what drives the density" in the planned project.

Town Board Supervisor John Schatzman, who serves on the plan commission, said he was impressed with Marcus' past performance in constructing the Majestic Cinemas in the town.

Marcus closed two former theaters — West Point in the town and West Towne in the city of Waukesha — and combined the screens at the Majestic built in 2007.

Marcus' new plan would raze the shuttered West Point Cinemas, as well as an Applebees and small strip mall, to make way for the so-called Poplar Creek complex anchored by the Von Maur.

A unique aspect of the project is a plan to build underground parking into the sloping hill between the Applebees-West Point area and Menards. 

That underground parking would actually be open on the far east side, allowing westbound motorists on Blue Mound Road to perhaps see the retail buildings through the open parking deck, said Bruce Westling, president of MLG Commercial.

Westling said he believed open-air malls such as Bayshore Town Center in Glendale can be successful in colder weather climates "when it's well designed."

Marcus has sent a traffic analysis to the state Department of Transportation, which might require longer left-turn lane capacity along Blue Mound to accommodate the center's traffic, said Steve Harms, of Tri-North Builders, which would serve as general contractor.

Marcus' plans call for the center to be accessed at the existing Marcus Drive that leads into the former theater site and at Jennifer Drive in front of the Menards.

Commissioner Mike Schmitt said, "I can only imagine the amount of traffic that will be going through those two intersections."

But Falvey said the 614,000-square-foot center should not generate more traffic than the former "busy" movie theater, strip mall and Menards store.

Several commissioners asked if the plans allowed for a possible new road to be built — with a bridge over Poplar Creek — to connect east to Janacek Road, giving a third access to the complex.

No such road has been included in the plans, but there is room to add it in the design, Town Building and Zoning Administrator Gary Lake said.

Commissioner Eric Halbur said he was concerned planned ponds would not be sufficient to handle the site's storm water. 

"It would be terrible if you start paving all over and it just starts flooding the area," he said. He urged Marcus to consider adding green vegetative roofs. He also said he wanted to ensure planned trees had enough soil to thrive and not die off without replacement.

But Halbur praised the green areas in the town square or "pocket park."

Falvey said the town square would also serve as storm water filtration. Harms said green roofs were not planned but the roof designs would accommodate major storm events. He said tree planters would be used.

Commissioner Ryan Stanelle said the center's construction "timing was perfect," given that Blue Mound Road and I-94 will have been repaved before the Von Maur would open.

The Town Board may vote on the conceptual approval at its next meeting. Marcus must now seek preliminary and final site plan approvals.