Bayshore Town Center: The “New” Downtown
Bayshore Town Center, now the impressive hub of a suburban Milwaukee community, represents a growing trend in urban planning and development: creating a modern-day downtown in a community that previously had no central business/retail district.
Located in Glendale, Wisconsin – a city with a 2006 estimated population of 12,811, according to the U.S. Census – Bayshore recently underwent a major transformation from an average shopping mall to a striking mixed-use development that encompasses not only retail stores, but also restaurants, office space, residential housing, and entertainment venues.
The Center re-opened its doors in November 2006, with a current retail lease rate of 85%. Sidewalks, parking meters and the Center’s architectural design lend an urban feel to this suburban development.
Bay Shore “has become Glendale’s downtown – a place to relax, to shop, to dine, to live, to work – a place to be seen, an area destination point.
- Richard Maslowski, City Administrator
What makes this town center so impressive is the scope of its expansion – and the effect it has had on the area economy. Bayshore’s property value, or tax base, is expected to reach $360 million upon the project’s completion – up from $72 million prior to construction/redevelopment, according to Maslowski.
Employment jumped from 495 prior to redevelopment, to 1,685, the current. Traffic volume has had a 65% increase from the time prior to construction.
Maslowski says, “Bayshore represents the ‘new’ Glendale – a great city with a rich past and a very bright future.”
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