A new multi-tenant commercial building could bring three new businesses, including two restaurants, to the final lot available for development at Drexel Town Square in Oak Creek.
The building is proposed for 7935 S. Main St. in Oak Creek. The approximately 1-acre property is currently home to the Drexel Town Square monument sign but that will be moved about 90 feet to the west.
The moving of the sign along with site and architectural plans for the project were approved June 24 by the city’s Plan Commission. The approval of the plans is valid for 12 months if a building permit is not issued.
The 8,735-square-foot building could house three tenants ― including two tenants with patio space which Oak Creek Senior Planner Todd Roehl said must be surrounded with some type of perimeter fencing or wall.
One tenant could have 3,575 square feet of space, the second 2,525 square feet, and the third, westmost tenant would have 2,525 square feet and a pick-up window, according to the plans submitted by Sean Phelan of Phelan Development and Eric Gebhardt of Milwaukee-based architectural firm Rinka.
Two of the tenant spaces will be restaurants and the third is a potential veterinary clinic, Phelan told the commission.
Is it a drive-through?
Both Phelan and Gebhardt emphasized during their presentation to the commission that the pick-up window was not a drive-through because no cash changes hands and customers are notified via an app that their order is ready. Phelan said its purpose is “purely pickup.”
“It sure looks like a drive-through to me,” Commissioner Fred Siepert said, replying to Phelan.
Commissioner Don Oldani also took issue with the wording, saying it’s a window people drive up to and retrieve their order without getting out of their car.
“To say it’s not a drive-through really isn’t true,” Oldani said. “You’re driving through. End of story.”
After saying he did like the proposal overall, Oldani joked he was “just glad it’s not a bank.”
Multiple commissioners laughed.
Synthetic turf for dogs to ‘do their business’ in the parking lot
The project also includes 47 to 50 new parking spaces that will link to the existing lot to the west of the property.
A portion of the new parking lot could include a “doggy potty area” with synthetic turf on the southeast corner.
“It’s really noble of you to put it in there, but who’s going to clean it up?” Mayor Dan Bukiewicz asked.
Phelan said the area will be properly drained and there were ongoing lease negotiations with one of the potential tenants to maintain it.
Contact Erik S. Hanley at erik.hanley@jrn.com. Like his Facebook page, The Redheadliner, and follow him on X @Redheadliner.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 3 new businesses, including a pair of restaurants, eyed for Oak Creek’s Drexel Town Square
Reporting by Erik S. Hanley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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