Work Could Begin on New Apartment Buildings Planned Next to Milwaukee’s Vacant Midtown Walmart Site
Redevelopment shifts toward housing at long-troubled Midtown Center
Pre-construction work is moving forward on a proposal to build new apartments near the former Walmart at Midtown Center, a long-running redevelopment area on Milwaukee’s near northwest side. The project would add new housing on land adjacent to the vacant big-box store, which closed in 2016 after serving as a central-city retail anchor for more than a decade.
Midtown Center—originally developed on the former Capitol Court shopping mall site—has experienced major tenant turnover since the late 2000s, including the closure of the Lowe’s store in 2009 and Walmart in 2016. City redevelopment records describe continued efforts to stabilize and re-tenant large-format retail space in the complex, which has been shaped by public infrastructure investments and financing tools over multiple years.
What is proposed and where it would be built
The current plan calls for approximately 100 apartments on a lot next to the former Walmart building at Midtown Center. Available project descriptions characterize the apartments as affordable housing and place initial development activity within a 2026 timeframe. The apartment construction is separate from the vacant Walmart building itself, which has remained a focal point of broader reuse discussions since the retailer’s departure.
City financial documents tied to Midtown Center note that the former Walmart building was sold in 2022 to an affiliate connected to a self-storage business. Earlier redevelopment concepts for the former store space have drawn scrutiny in city planning processes, underscoring the challenges of repurposing big-box structures while maintaining a mix of uses that support neighborhood needs.
Why the site matters for housing and neighborhood services
Midtown Center sits in an area where residents have long faced limited access to convenient retail options following the Walmart closure. Housing proposals near such commercial sites are increasingly common as cities and developers seek to reuse underutilized land, reduce the number of long-vacant properties, and place new homes near transit corridors and existing services.
In the Midtown Center context, the proposed apartments also reflect a broader shift in redevelopment strategy: instead of relying exclusively on attracting another large retail tenant, plans are increasingly oriented toward adding residential density to support a more sustainable mix of businesses and services over time.
Key milestones that typically determine construction timing
Even when a project is described as starting “soon,” several concrete steps generally determine whether construction can begin:
- Final site plans and design approvals
- Financing commitments and closing conditions
- Infrastructure coordination, including utilities and access
- Building permits and contractor mobilization
Milwaukee’s Midtown Center redevelopment has included repeated efforts to reposition vacant large-format space while investing in public infrastructure and site improvements.
If the apartments proceed on schedule, they would represent one of the most significant housing additions directly adjacent to the former Walmart site since the store closed, adding new residents and potentially strengthening the long-term viability of nearby commercial space.