This is great news for Franklin. The Milwaukee Business Journal is reporting that Bear Development wants to expand in Franklin.
S.R. Mills of Bear Development is one of the up and coming rising stars in the development world in Wisconsin, especially in the southeastern corner of the state.
From the newspaper:
Bear Development is advancing plans for a new business park and nearby subdivision in the southwest corner of Franklin.
The dual projects are planned south of Ryan and Loomis roads. The area is one of three Franklin officials identified in late 2014 where new, larger scale development is being encouraged with potential city financing help. Bear Development was at the table then, and bought about 164 acres in the area in summer 2016.
“We’d like to move it forward very quickly,” Bear Development president S.R. Mills said Tuesday. “We’re hoping we can get a late summer, early fall start.”
The Kenosha-based developer submitted plans to the city this month for about 50 acres of new office and light industrial buildings. Mills said a manufacturer is in talks to fill a new building on about 30 acres. He declined to identify the manufacturer because the project is not yet finalized.
The remaining 20 acres would be for relatively smaller users, filling a niche the company sees in the market for companies seeking business park land for smaller projects.
“It’s your 10,000- to 30,000-square-foot user,” Mills said. “I could also see potentially a building with multiple users.”
Those industrial buildings would line Loomis Road on the western end of Bear’s property. Plans show room for about eight buildings there.
The other component of the project is a more than 30-acre subdivision that would be built along 112th Street on the east side of Bear’s property. A 47-acre green space and wetlands area would separate the business park from the houses. The subdivision would have about 76 home lots averaging about 1,400 square feet apiece.
Meetings are coming soon at the city level to discuss.
City of Franklin officials, don’t screw this up.
This Just In... From Franklin, WI 