[June 1, 2026] Long-stalled Pabst Farms commercial property pivots to housing (Milwaukee Business Journal)
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The developer behind a long-vacant Pabst Farms site once envisioned for office and retail is now looking to use the site for housing.
A proposal submitted on May 7 by Harbor Bay Ventures Chief Operating Officer Brian Bell on behalf of two Harbor Bay subsidiaries — developer Pabst Farms Development Inc. and property owner Village Square Holdings LLC — calls for several hundred units of housing, with more than half the development set aside for seniors.
The site is the unfinished western half of the original Village Square development, which Pabst Farms advertises on its website as a "prime office and retail mixed-use area," anchored by a three-story, 100-suite Hilton Garden Inn, that was designed to host 13 commercial buildings.
Of the 13 planned buildings, only two were constructed, according to a letter submitted to the city by Bell: A Marshall & Ilsley Bank building — rebranded as BMO in 2011 — opened in fall 2006 followed by the 100-room Hilton Garden Inn in May 2007.
The developer says in its filing with the city that office and retail interests never materialized and aren't likely to.
The parcel lacks visibility from Interstate 94 and Highway 67, sits outside established retail corridors and faces headwinds from hybrid work's drag on the office market as well as an estimated 1 million square feet of competing commercial space elsewhere in the Pabst Farms district, according to materials submitted to the city.
Bell could not be reached for comment.
The eastern half of Village Square, which contains 72 duplex condominiums, has been largely built out, according to city staff.
The proposal for the western half calls for 232 housing units, including 152 units of senior housing, featuring cottages, independent living, a commons facility and memory care facility, along with 80 twin homes, paired single-family residences sharing a lot line, configured as 40 side-by-side buildings, according to the application.
The proposal is set to go before the Oconomowoc Plan Commission on June 3 and seeks three approvals tied to a broader shift in land use needed for the revised housing project: a comprehensive plan amendment, a rezoning request and a planned development amendment.
The housing development will occupy 21.3 acres south of Valley Road and north of Pabst Farms Circle, with the remaining 6 acres divided into three commercial lots, according to the city staff report.