The Brief
- Brookfield is breaking ground on a new public market at the former Boston Store site.
- The city signed a $28 million agreement to possibly buy part of Brookfield Square Mall.
- The market is 85% leased and will feature local vendors and Wisconsin products.
BROOKFIELD, Wis. – It is being called a “seismic” change in the city of Brookfield. It all has to do with an anemic mall sitting on a massive plot of land. On Saturday, the city will break ground on the new Brookfield Public Market. It will be built on the site of the former Boston Store.
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Visit Brookfield, one of the partners behind the project, said it has already booked about 85% of the tenant space. Developers said they scouted around 45 other public markets throughout the country and solicited community feedback to come up with the ideal project. The result is a specialty market filled with local vendors and Wisconsin-made products.
While it is still full-steam-ahead for the project, Visit Brookfield said plans for exterior spaces may be altered a bit after an announcement this week. On Tuesday, the city of Brookfield announced it entered into a $28 million agreement to possibly purchase part of the Brookfield Square Mall property. Brookfield said it is not obligated to buy the site, but added it is working with potential development partners. Visit Brookfield speculated the mall could be transformed into mixed-use space.
“I think it’s definitely one of the most important corridors in the state of Wisconsin. Southeastern Wisconsin – I’m a little partial, right? I love Brookfield – but I feel like it’s that Main & Main corner. It’s very critical to massive intersections. Moorland and Bluemound Road,” said Nancy Justman, Visit Brookfield president/CEO.
Many of the retail spaces inside the mall are vacant – including an empty food court. The sale will not include the Movie Tavern and WhirlyBall sites that butt up against the mall. The public market is scheduled to open during the first quarter of 2028.…