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“People really like to be along the river or the lake” – Mandel Group Chief Operating Officer Robert Monnat

The UW-Milwaukee Real Estate Foundation (UWMREF) officially chose Mandel Group Inc.’s “Hometown” site proposal, located on North Ave. along the Milwaukee River, for a new UWM residence hall development Wednesday Oct. 1.

The decision comes nearly a month after the last of three public meetings organized by 3rd District Alderman Nik Kovac, organized to hear the opinions of the UWM community. Now, the proposal moves to the Milwaukee Common Council approval process.

“People really like to be along the river or the lake,” said Robert Monnat, Chief Operating Officer for the Mandel Group. Monnat said Mandel Group purchased the property in 2005.

The Mandel Group’s proposal faced initial opposition from the Milwaukee River Work Group (MRWG). MRWG established design criteria for the new residence hall facility in 2007, and the “Hometown” site design was modified several times to meet the guidelines.

“We don’t have 100% consensus,” said Ann Brummitt, MRWG coordinator, on the group’s support for the site. However, the Mandel Group’s final proposal is significantly more acceptable to the group than the original design.

Monnat said some of the changes made after opposition from MRWG included pulling all three sections of the new structure further away from the river, and shortening one of the wings to pull it even further from the river. He said the Mandel Group and MRWG “found common ground” with their third revised proposal.

“We had a number of issues,” said Brummitt in a telephone interview with The Post Oct. 1. “It had too big of a footprint.”

After the second revised proposal from the Mandel Group, Brummitt said MRWG still thought the building was too tall. But after further changes and the additions of a storm water runoff system and green roofs, it became more acceptable.

UWM Foundation President Dave Gilbert gave a very rough estimate of the cost for the new residence hall project. He said somewhere in the vicinity of $40 million, but clarified that he wasn’t sure.

“It’s so rough that I wouldn’t want to stand behind it,” said Gilbert of the ballpark figure. The UWM Foundation is an umbrella group for both UWMREF and the UWM Research Foundation.

The new residence hall facility, located at the “Hometown” site on North Ave. between Cambridge Ave. and the Milwaukee River, is set to open for student housing by the fall 2010 semester. The building will be constructed directly across from UWM’s RiverView Residence Hall, and will house nearly 700 UWM students.

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