A new downtown condo high-rise, a failed apartment high-rise, and a proposed data center – which supporters say isn’t a data center – will be among the biggest Milwaukee development stories for the second half of 2026.
In January, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel took a look ahead at major development stories for 2026.
With the year’s second half about to begin, here’s what to know about some of the bigger stories we’ll be covering.
New tower would feature condos, not rentals
New Land Enterprises LLC on June 22 announced plans for a new downtown residential high-rise. But this project features condos – the first such development since the housing bubble burst around 20 years ago.
The 25-story, 226-unit development, known as Zenith, is proposed for a gravel lot, 701 E. Kilbourn Ave., and an adjacent parking lot.
That location is just across Kilbourn Avenue from New Land’s Ascent, a 25-story, 259-unit apartment tower which opened in 2022.
Ascent is among three apartment high-rises as well as other large, higher-end downtown rental housing developments that have opened in recent years. Meanwhile, only a couple dozen condos have been built throughout Milwaukee over roughly the past 15 years.
“We’ve been talking about condo development for a really, really long time,” Tim Gokhman, New Land managing partner, told the Journal Sentinel.
The firm delayed pursuing condo plans because prospective sale prices weren’t rising fast enough compared to escalating construction costs, Gokhman said. That’s changed in recent years, he said, and New Land is launching a campaign to sell Zenith’s units while also seeking city zoning approval this summer.
New Land hopes to begin construction in about a year.
Failed apartment tower subject of lawsuit
Madison-based Neutral in September stopped construction on its Edison project, a 31-story, 357-unit apartment building, 1005 N. Edison St., after facing a $25 million cost gap.
With just the foundation work completed, the project’s general contractor, Fond du Lac-based C.D. Smith Construction Inc., in November dismantled the construction site’s crane – removing it and other equipment.
A foreclosure suit was filed in March by C.D. Smith. That could result in the general contractor obtaining ownership of the project site to help satisfy $11.3 million in unpaid bills the firm says it’s owed.
C.D. Smith’s lawsuit characterized the project as abandoned, and said Neutral hasn’t shown it can raise enough money to complete the building.
Neutral responded by saying C.D. Smith is required by contract to submit the dispute to an arbitration process before suing, according to court documents.
A hearing on the case is scheduled for June 29 before Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Glenn Yamahiro.
Meanwhile, Neutral executives have discussed with potential partners the possibility of developing at the site workforce housing for middle-income renters, city Development Commissioner Lafayette Crump said in April.
Data center controversy at former Walmart
The owner of Midtown Center’s former Walmart, which closed in 2016, in May proposed redeveloping the building with self-storage units, the relocated Capitol Branch Library, other commercial/community space – and a high-performance computing facility.
But a scheduled Plan Commission review was postponed after word spread that the computer facility was a data center.
That led to comparisons to hyperscale data centers in such communities as Port Washington – even though the Midtown facility would be 19,000 square feet vs. millions of square feet at the hyperscale data centers.
Council Bluffs, Iowa-based Affordable Family Storage, which now operates the building, 5825 W. Hope Ave., on June 17 submitted a more detailed proposal to the Plan Commission.
The updated document includes information about the low amount of noise and energy projected for what it calls “computational research space.”
The commission is to review the proposal after a third project open house on June 27.
“There is concern [about the development plan], but it’s concern based on a lot of untruths,” said Trent Overhue, Affordable Family Storage co-owner.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Bluesky, X and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: What to know about 3 big Milwaukee development stories in 2026
Reporting by Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
