The former Northridge Mall has a new owner: the City of Milwaukee, which is preparing to demolish it after a five-year court battle.
Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Glenn Yamahiro confirmed Thursday the city’s property tax foreclosure case targeting three parcels that comprise Northridge, at West Brown Deer Road and North 76th Street.
That judgment allows the former mall’s demolition to proceed.
“We are now ready to think about what’s next,” Mayor Cavalier Johnson said at a press conference.
Johnson’s administration says the dilapidated buildings are a public health and safety hazard. They have been the site of frequent break-ins and arson fires.
The former Northridge Boston Store, which the city acquired separately in 2017 , will be the first to go. Interior demolition has already started.
The remaining mall demolition is to begin by spring. The work to make the site available for new development should be completed by fall 2025.
Meanwhile, the city will board up windows, set up fencing and hire 24/7 security to stop break-ins, Johnson told reporters.