JOBS: Johnson Controls hiring hundreds, West Allis welcomes them

WEST ALLIS (WITI) -- Hundreds of jobs could soon be coming to West Allis! Both the city and Johnson Controls confirm a partnership that could benefit businesses already in the area.

There is plenty of open office space at Renaissance Place on 60th and Pierce.

West Allis officials say they're happy to welcome Johnson Controls -- which will occupy most of the top floor.

There are plenty of unknowns at this time -- including exactly how many jobs will be added, and what kind of work the employees will do.

Johnson Controls confirms to FOX6 News it will rent out a sizable portion of the Renaissance Place Office Park.

While the company won't go into any further detail than that, Denise Lockwood with the Milwaukee Business Journal says she recently spoke with the company's CEO.

"Basically, he was talking about the potential for some expansion in the Milwaukee area. However, they didn`t have any specifics about who exactly is going where and from where," Lockwood said.

Johnson Controls recently entered into a joint venture with Hitachi -- while also buying Texas-based Air Distribution Technologies.

"They make industrial HVAC components and they just acquired them a few weeks ago and they`re supposed to finalize that sometime around July," Lockwood said.

It isn't clear which employees will work out of the West Allis office, but the city's Director of Development says it's a huge boost for the Renaissance Place Office Park.

As part of the expansion, developers will build a 570-space parking garage.

"We need that because there`s scarce parking over here already, so we do need more parking," Bianca Bennett, who works in the Renaissance Place Office Park said.

The Milwaukee Business Journal reports that as many as 800 Johnson Controls employees will be based in West Allis.

It's a number that's encouraging to neighbors.

"It`s been kind of abandoned for a long time so something else to add here, especially one that will add a lot of jobs, will be good for everybody," neighbor Sonny Fausel said.

The city's Director of Development says construction on the new parking garage will begin soon.

U.S. Bank and Wheaton Franciscan already have offices in this park, so West Allis officials hope the addition of another large employer will only spur more growth.