Greendale mall site setting up for $100 million mixed-use redevelopment

In a first step toward construction, plans to replace the former Boston Store at Southridge Mall in Greendale with a multi-phase, mixed-use apartment complex gained early approval.

The village of Greendale Plan Commission on Wednesday unanimously approved a general development plan to raze the store and build four buildings in multiple phases at 5300 S. 76th St., which is on the west side of the Southridge Mall.

The development plan will go to the Village Board on June 17, said Mike Hawes, the village manager of Greendale. Depending on approvals, construction could start in late 2025, the project architect said.

KTGY shared master plan details on the $100 million development, which is expected to be completed in eight years as the developer builds based on demand. However, the village will still have to work through development restrictions near Southridge, and the developer will deal with building codes during demolition.

The master plan includes 1,137,000 square feet of building space with new roads and a green space in the center of the development, plans showed. The project will feature 739 units and will aim to create a “pedestrian oriented, mixed-use extension of the village,” architects added.

Project amenities include a pool, fitness center, club lounge, dog spa, golf simulator, package room and co-working space, officials added.

In June 2024, Barrett Lo shared renderings for multiple mid-rise structures and said the project will include 20,000 square feet of retail space. Plans shared on Wednesday showed a map with four buildings built over four phases, with the first building starting in the west.

The developer will need to remove the Boston Store, relocate utilities and create infrastructure for the building pad locations, the project architect said. However, the end of Boston Store is the exterior wall of the Southridge Mall and sits on a property line. The developer will have to figure out building codes as it moves forward with construction, the architect added.

The infrastructure realignment and demolition will take four to five months, the architect said. Building construction will start in late 2025 and the first building will take 14-16 months to complete, they added.

In the meantime, a market study for Greendale will determine the demand for rental units, the architect said. Phases where new buildings are built are based on when the first building has a stable tenant occupancy, which will create demand for a second building and so on, the architect added.

“Barrett Lo Visionary Development is grateful for the vision and continued partnership of the village of Greendale as we work together to transform the nearly 15-acre site of the abandoned Boston Store at Wisconsin’s largest shopping mall into a destination that generates significant new tax base and value for the community,” said Rick Barrett, principal of BLVD.

“This project will bring new, high-quality residential options, attract modern retail amenities and add more than $100 million in additional tax base for the people of Greendale. We see last night’s positive and unanimous vote from the Planning Commission as the creation of a launching pad for this project, and we look forward to next steps,” he added.

The first phase will introduce around 230 units, early plans showed. The second phase will have 175 units, 155 units in the third phase and 115 units in the fourth phase, plans showed.

The village of Greendale bought the nearly 15-acre Boston Store parcel for $3.3 million. The store has been vacant since 2018 after owner Bon-Ton Stores filed for bankruptcy.

The village has worked to free up restrictions around Southridge Mall’s redevelopment, which needs approval from mall property owners. In 2022, the village started a tax increment district to fund $10.6 million in project costs.