Plans filed for 200-unit Bay View apartment development, with Ald. Zielinski vowing to fight project

Plans to build a 200-unit Bay View apartment development have been filed with city officials — with the neighborhood's Common Council member vowing to fight the project.

Scott Lurie, of F Street Group LLC, wants to develop two five-story buildings in the 2700 block of South Kinnickinnic Avenue on either side of South Herman Street.

The buildings would total about 200 upscale apartments, and around 27,000 square feet of street-level commercial space.

Lurie scaled back those plans from his original proposal, which called for a pair of six-story buildings with 230 units.

Nearby residents, and Ald. Tony Zielinski, still oppose the project.

They say it would be too large for their neighborhood, which mainly has one- and two-story houses, and would create too much traffic.

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Other Bay View residents support the proposal.

They say the development would bring more customers for neighborhood businesses, and raise property values as well as property tax revenue for the city.

Lurie said Wednesday that F Street Group filed its plans with the Department of City Development.

"Despite a few loud voices who are opposed to any change, we have received support from many indicating a desire to see our development move forward," Lurie said.

Lurie said the proposal was changed in response to concerns about its size and density.

Along with reduced building heights, the revised proposal includes an increased green buffer between the apartments and single-family homes on the west side of South Herman Street, and increased setbacks of the development’s upper levels from neighboring single-family homes.

He also said some of the parcels to be developed have been vacant for several years.

That includes a building, at 2737-2743 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., that last housed Bella's Fat Cat burgers and frozen custard.

Zielinski, in a Facebook post, said he "will work diligently to oppose the zoning change" requested by Lurie. That change needs Common Council approval.

"We had great success blocking (other) development in our residential areas and we have been prudent with pushing development on (Kinnickinnic Avenue)," Zielinski wrote.

"We needed to do that so that we looked reasonable and therefore had the efficacy to have some influence on how much development takes place and where it is located.

"Hopefully, that will allow us to block this 200 plus housing development on (Kinnickinnic Avenue)," Zielinski wrote. "The city is looking at expanding the tax base without deference to the negative impact it would have on our quality of life."

Lurie hopes to break ground on the first building, east of South Herman Street, this fall. That building would include a new home for BMO Harris Bank in its first-floor commercial space.

The second building would be developed in a future phase.

Several new upscale apartment buildings, some including street-level retail space, have been developed in Bay View in recent years.

They include Dwell, which opened in 2012 at 2440 S. Kinnnickinnic Ave., and Vue, which opened in 2017 at 2200 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

Also, Stitchweld opened in 2017 at 2151-2181 S. Robinson Ave., and construction is beginning on The Beacon, at 2130 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.

Meanwhile, investor Scott Genke plans to develop an apartment building, with around 36 units and street-level retail space, at the site of a former American Legion post, 2860 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., which was recently demolished.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.