Big box computer retailer buys vacant land in Wauwatosa

Micro Center, a big-box computer and electronics retailer, has chosen Wauwatosa for its future Milwaukee-market store.

The Ohio-based retailer purchased the 5.7-acre former car dealership at 11221-333 W. Burleigh St. during an auction. The property used to be home to Dodge City and Franscona Buick, although that building was removed years ago.

Those parcels have often been called eyesores by city officials, and the retailer is an "intriguing addition to the unique and diverse shopping options we have in this community," Mayor Jill Didier said.

The company builds regional stores that carry between 30,000 and 35,000 mostly computer-related products, although there are electronics offerings as well, Mike Papai, Micro Center's vice president of marketing said. The stores also have "a knowledge bar" at which employees provide technical support by answering questions or checking out customer's computers.

Won't happen quickly

But don't expect the store to open any time soon. The company started in 1980 and has 23 stores; it doesn't roll out its stores en masse. Instead, Micro Center looks to open one or two locations per year - and some other stores are further along in development.

"We have really not determined when we might open at this point," Papai said. "We try to nail down locations pretty early. It was a good opportunity that came along, so it's a matter to slot it in our schedule and to do it right."

Papai said he feels positively about the market after analyzing data, driving in the area and talking to local officials. The proximity to Highway 45, the technology-focused environment of the Milwaukee County Research Park and medical campus, and a large number of small businesses and homes is attractive to the business as it means a large number of potential customers are located nearby.

Triangle plan sparks interest

Micro Center is just one business interested in the Burleigh Street area.

Talk of The Mayfair Collection's proposal to transform the Burleigh Triangle into the home of a large retail store that would either be new or rare to the Milwaukee market has been spreading through the development community and is making the surrounding area more attractive, Didier said.

Because there hasn't been a shovel put in the ground yet, there's a tendency for residents to think the project isn't happening. That's not so, the mayor said.

"(City Development Director) Paulette Enders and I have been working diligently to get movement on the Burleigh Triangle," she said. "We're doing a lot of work behind the scenes."

The city hired S.B. Friedman Development Advisors to analyze a request for financial assistance made by Mayfair Collection developer HSA Commercial Real Estate. A draft of the analysis looking at whether the plan meets the requirements for tax-incremental financing is due to the city any day now, Enders said.

"So far the proposal looks on task," she said.

In this case, Chicago-based HSA is looking to pay $8.7 million for infrastructure improvements to the Burleigh Triangle, 70 acres off Highway 45 and Burleigh Street. The developer would then expect to be repaid for those costs through a property tax rebate.

Enders said she expects the consultant's analysis to first be reviewed by the recently formed staff development team. If the request is deemed reasonable, she will bring it to various city committees and commissions for consideration, likely early next year.