Hotel proposed for West Milwaukee site near Miller Park

Tom Daykin | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

A 108-room hotel is being pitched for a West Milwaukee site near Miller Park, the Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center and other business generators.

The four-story hotel, the brand name of which isn't yet being disclosed, would be developed on what is now a former Joy Global Inc. parking lot.

That 2.1-acre site, 4304 W. Scott St., is south of W. National Ave. and about one block east of Miller Park Way.

The hotel would be part of a national chain that already has Milwaukee-area locations, said Kurt Ritzka, board chair of the West Milwaukee Community Development Authority. It would include a swimming pool and might also feature a meeting room, he said.

The hotel's prospective developer, whom Ritzka wouldn't name, is seeking village funds to pay for road work and other public improvements. That amount is being negotiated, Ritzka said Thursday.

The developer also has plans to build a separate sit-down restaurant on the site, Ritzka said. The entire investment would total around $8 million, he said.

A hotel at that location would fit the village's long-term plans, Ritzka said.

Its customers would likely include employees of Komatsu Mining Corp., he said.

Komatsu operates a manufacturing operation just across the street, at 4400 W. National Ave., and frequently brings outside employees there for training, Ritzka said. Komatsu was formerly known as Joy Global.

Also, the nearby Zablocki Medical Center and Miller Park would likely attract travelers to the motel, he said.

The authority's board this week discussed the hotel plans, and board members said they would support the project, Ritzka said. Any specific plans and financing assistance would need Village Board approval.

The authority's board in May expressed opposition to plans for a four-story, 123-room WoodSpring Suites extended-stay hotel at 1101 S. 41st St.

That parcel, the former Milwaukee Boiler factory site, is just north of a Walmart store at 4140 W. Greenfield Ave. and about one-half block south of W. National Ave.

Authority board members believe that site would be better suited for retail use, Ritzka said. Also, there is a concern that WoodSpring's low weekly rates could attract transients, according to board meeting minutes.

WoodSpring has faced similar concerns with hotels proposed for other Milwaukee-area communities. The Wichita, Kan.-based chain says its hotels are well-operated, and it plans to pursue developments at the West Milwaukee site and in Milwaukee at 1701 W. Layton Ave.

Tom Daykin can be reached at tdaykin@jrn.com