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Mayfair apartments, new retail proposed
Wauwatosa has proposed building 900 apartments and adding retail to the site of the vacant Mayfair Mall Boston Store, purchased last year.
WAUWATOSA, Wis. - The former Mayfair Mall Boston Store location is getting a makeover, and people could have the chance to live right next door.
The site has been vacant since 2019, and the city of Wauwatosa purchased it late last year. Leaders not only want to bring retail back to the space, but also more housing options for the community.
"I don’t really see how feasible it is. Like it just seems kind of unnecessary," said Wauwatosa resident Xander Clemente.
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Clemente said he’s a frequent Mayfair Mall shopper. He was a bit skeptical when he heard new housing may be popping up on the property.
"Why would you want to live in one of the busiest malls in the state?" he said.
Vacant Boston Store site at Mayfair Mall, Wauwatosa
The city said it purchased the property for $4 million through cash reserves. The plan is to put a new retailer in the Boston Store space and build over 900 housing units around it. The taxes that come out of the new development, leaders said, will reimburse the city.
"I think for shoppers it could be a little more complicated as well as for the tenants," said Clemente.
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The city believes the project will help with a housing deficit in the area, saying the vacancy rate for multifamily housing is at about 2% right now. According to the city’s project plan, it’s going to cost almost $60 million to complete.
"I understand that people want to congregate into these areas, but I think putting housing right here next to the mall is just going to worsen the traffic," resident Cole Richards said. "It's growing so fast, I think we need to work on infrastructure first."
Vacant Boston Store site at Mayfair Mall, Wauwatosa
The city said the development will ultimately impact things like infrastructure. With the the property turning into a tax incremental financing district, investors of the property are on the hook for those costs.
"We have outside money coming in, investing in our city," said Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride. "That outside money pays for the better roads and better sidewalks and better water mains."
The development will take some time to get rolling; the city guesses it’ll take between five and 10 years to complete. Thursday, the first of three phases begins with a public meeting to discuss the finances going into the project.