Madison developer plans to break ground this spring on MKE’s third mass-timber tower

After closing on a land purchase, a Madison developer plans to break ground this spring on a $60 million apartment project that will provide Milwaukee with a third tower built with mass timber.

The Neutral Project recently bought a 0.6-acre site for the project from the florist Rojahn & Malaney for $4.12 million in a sale brokered by the Barry Co., according to state records. The purchase paves the way for the developer to begin construction this spring on the 15-story building, called The Edison, which will have 194 apartments and 13,000 square feet of commercial space on its first floor.

Nate Helbach, managing partner for the developer, said Wednesday that the project team is drafting construction documents after recently completing the project designs. Plans to demolish a longstanding warehouse at the site could get underway this spring, and a groundbreaking for the project could come shortly after. City officials signed off on plans for the project last year.

The new apartment tower would be the third in Milwaukee built with mass timber instead of  traditional construction methods. New Land Enterprises is now building its 25-story Ascent tower, the largest building in the world to rely on mass timber. And the 60-unit Timber Lofts apartments was completed last year in Milwaukee’s Walker’s Point neighborhood.

The Neutral Project is also pursuing plans for a 15-story mass timber apartment structure at Madison’s former Gardner Baking Co. building, 849 E. Washington Ave.

Helbach said he and others are seeking to have the Edison project certified as a Passive House structure, a rigorous energy-efficiency standard.

Madison-based Kraus-Anderson Construction is the general contractor on the project. The developer is also working with Vancouver-based Michael Green Architecture, which specializes in mass-timber projects, and Angus-Young Architecture. RDH Building Science, also of Canada, is serving as a consultant. Follow @natebeck9