Critical Eye: Bayshore Town Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin From Shopping Mall to Neighborhood Center

Bayshore Town Center, in north-suburban Milwaukee, was born in 1954 as a traditional auto-centric, sea-of-parking strip center, then reincarnated as an enclosed mall in 1974. In 2006, Steiner + Associates took it apart, turning it into a mixed-use complex. This is a very well done project that will function as a neighborhood center and over time be a valuable asset both for the developer and the surrounding community.

Steiner did more here than I’ve seen elsewhere in this type of project. They greatly intensified the complex by adding structured parking and replaced most of the enclosed retail with a new “Main Street” plan that links into the adjacent street grid at several points. They added 200,000 square feet of office and 113 apartments. There’s still some surface parking, but I suspect it will be built out as additional residential and hospitality uses when the market permits.

The plan includes ample public spaces that are actively programmed. The developer established a charitable foundation – funded by the parking meters on the development’s streets – that supports local causes. This is still a regional retail destination, but it should become a vital activity center for the surrounding communities.

With the high barrier to entry of other developers in this market, this asset should only appreciate and strengthen over time. This quality in a mall rebuild requires a big-risk developer. I wish there were more like Steiner willing to do what it takes to achieve it, and make such a significant contribution to the quality of life in their communities.