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County receives update on Burns Commons and Block 9; limited ability to direct Mandel Group development
Summary
Staff told the committee the Mandel Group continues to own and maintain Burns Commons (a small park) and holds Block 9 of the former Park East corridor; the county has limited control over future development of the parcels because of the 1987 sale agreement.
Heather Bridal, contract manager in Milwaukee County Economic Development (DAS), provided the committee’s annual update on Burns Commons and Block 9 — two parcels sold to the Mandel Group as part of a larger 1987 transaction. Bridal said most properties sold in that large-scale sale have been developed; Burns Commons is a small park the Mandel Group has maintained at no cost to the county and which the company indicated could be transitioned back to county ownership in the next year or two.
Bridal said Block 9 has no specific development plan at this time. Mandel representatives last updated the board in 2019 and had previously indicated a potential high-rise residential concept that depended on city-level financial support; Bridal said that financial support did not materialize and that Mandel maintains ownership and plans to develop when market and financing conditions are favorable.
Supervisors pressed on the long timeline since the 1987 sale and expressed frustration that the county has limited leverage to require development. Bridal confirmed the county’s contractual options are limited given the age and terms of the sale agreements.
Staff attached Mandel’s annual letter to the committee report and noted the county’s ability to influence future use of the parcels is constrained by the original sale terms.
