Photo credit: Engberg Anderson
Mixed-use retail, residential and civic projects are becoming the future of suburban development, creating walkable neighborhoods reminiscent of traditional Downtown communities. Mequon’s Spur 16 (6300 Mequon Road) will feature, in addition to townhomes and apartments, a public market with some of Milwaukee’s most renowned restaurants, a St. Paul Fish Company location and a summer farmers’ market, along with a concert series and movie nights.
Shaffer Development, LLC, was awarded the project because they submitted a proposal that included repurposing three original buildings on the site, says Jenni Vetter, Shaffer’s director of operations. The 10,000-square-foot, 1930s-era building that will be the Mequon Public Market was formerly a Department of Public Works (DPW) building. The project is also Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified.
The three original buildings are on the south end of Spur 16, near West Mequon Road and the Interurban Trail. One will be the additional location for St. Paul Fish Company; the middle DPW building will be the Mequon Public Market; and the third building will be a wellness center occupied by Yama Yoga and Mequon Club Pilates. Vetter says the Mequon Public Market and St. Paul Fish Company are expected to open during the first quarter of 2019.
Despite having similar names and signage, the Mequon Public Market is not affiliated with the Milwaukee Public Market. The former has 10 restaurants on the first floor and a 3,700-square-foot mezzanine that runs the perimeter of the north and east sides of building. The mezzanine will have seating and a test kitchen for workshops and cooking classes. It can also be rented for events. Confirmed Mequon Public Market vendors include Beans & Barley, Screaming Tuna, Anodyne Coffee, Purple Door Ice Cream, Café Corazon, Bavette La Boucherie and Happy Dough Lucky. On Friday, Jan. 4, Shaffer Development announced that Milwaukee-based Bowls would also open a second location at the Mequon Public Market.
When choosing vendors, Vetter says she approached those she thought were Milwaukee’s standout restaurants and food artisans. She credits securing St. Paul Fish Company—one of the first businesses to sign on to Spur 16—as influential in getting other vendors. “That helped give validity to the subsequent restaurants that signed on,” Vetter explains. “He [owner Tim Collins] is a great businessman with a phenomenal reputation, and when we were able to tell others that we had St. Paul Fish, it definitely helped validate where this project was going.” St. Paul Fish’s 5,000-square-foot stand-alone building will feature an oyster bar, a retail component and a sit-down restaurant.
Vetter noted the uniqueness of Spur 16 attracted restaurateurs who might not have otherwise considered an additional location in the suburbs. Beans & Barley, an East Side staple since the 1970s, had no intentions of expanding, but co-owner Polly Kaplan said they were introduced to the Spur 16 development through friends at Anodyne Coffee and decided to meet with Vetter and Cindy Shaffer, owner of Shaffer Development.
“We were really excited about what they were doing,” Kaplan says. “We never saw the suburbs as a good fit, because we so enjoy the neighborhood and community vibe we have on [Milwaukee’s] East Side. What they were planning really had a community feel. We loved that it was a group of independently owned and locally operated businesses. The fact that it would be in a LEED-certified, repurposed building on the bike trail sealed the deal. We are excited to share a space with so many like-minded businesses.”
Spur 16 will host a summer farmers’ market with local fresh produce vendors, an outdoor concert series and art fairs—attractions that Vetter sees as making Spur 16 a hub for the Mequon/North Shore communities to come together to eat, drink and interact.
For more information, visit spur16.com.
