The site of the original Pabst Brewery may soon receive a breath of new life.

The brewery closed a decade ago after more than 150 years in operation. Since its closing, Milwaukee leaders and real estate developers have squabbled over what to do with the 1.3 million square feet of deserted buildings sitting atop 20 acres of land.

The Pabst site, located between Highway 43 and West McKinley Avenue just northeast of Marquette, is currently vacant.

Proposals have come and gone. The Milwaukee Common Council shot down the most recent and most controversial just 15 months ago.

But on Oct. 19, Milwaukee's Redevelopment Authority approved a new proposal for the site's redevelopment.

Joseph J. Zilber, a 1941 Marquette Law School graduate, bought the Pabst site for $13.4 million dollars in August. Although Brewery Project LLC, an offshoot of Zilber Ltd., will oversee the development, Zilber will remain the sole owner of the site.

"Joe will be 89 next month. His desire is to have this project be his legacy in Milwaukee," said Mike Mervis, vice president of the Brewery Project. "He was born and raised in this city and he wants to leave something behind. He has the flexibility to go after this so he's taking on the risks."

The new proposal, which could go to council vote as early as December, mixes housing, office and retail space with parking, green space and possibly hotels.

"It's like a giant jigsaw puzzle," Mervis said. "But what's great is the pieces can go anywhere."

According to Mervis, the Brewery Project will fix up the property and sell pieces to different companies and developers. The companies can make their own renovations and install whatever type of housing or retail space they wish.

"We are serving as the master developer," said Mervis. "We want others to buy pieces."

The new development is a welcome change, according to Alderman Bob Bauman of the Fourth District, which includes the Pabst site and Marquette.

"It's 21 acres of blighted space," Bauman said. "It's a symbol of industrial decline and it's been sitting for 10 years. I have no problem with bringing new life to the place."

Supporters hope the new proposal can avoid the fiasco that befell the previous project.

"I'm optimistic it will pass," said Bauman. "This proposal has less emphasis on entertainment venues and the amount of money the city has to borrow is about $12 million less."

Bauman said the redevelopment will cost the city around $29 million. The city will use a system of Tax Incremental Financing to pay for the project.

The city will borrow bonds for the city's contribution to the development. The bonds will be paid off with the taxes collected from the new housing, offices and stores built on the Pabst property.

"The development will increase the tax base of the city of Milwaukee," Bauman said. "It will increase residential living and jobs in the downtown area."

The Brewery Project is working to make sure the new neighborhood will be eco-friendly, according to Mervis.

"We may have green roofs, a windmill and even a waterfall," Mervis said. "We hope to be the first certified green neighborhood in the United States."

Bauman and Mayor Tom Barrett were two of the few officials who supported the original redevelopment proposal, a project by Wispark LLC named Pabst City.

Wispark, which is owned by WE Energies, planned to make the brewery into an entertainment super center, with music venues, theaters and restaurants.

Historic preservationists, local business owners and some aldermen opposed to the project formed a coalition to stop the proposal from passing the Common Council. The Pabst City foes stalled the council's vote for three weeks in July 2005 to talk more aldermen into rejecting the proposal.

On July 26, 2005, the opposition won. The Common Council rejected Wispark's proposal funding 9-6.

Zilber purchased the property, structural information about the old brewing buildings and environmental studies about the site.

"It's not our place to comment on the plan," said Beth Martin, spokeswoman for WE Energies. "But we're glad the property is being developed."

The next vote on the project could be as early as Nov. 8 and will be by the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee. Then the proposal goes on to the Common Council and the mayor.

If the proposal passes, Mervis said the redevelopment will be completed by 2012.

"We'll start digging the day after the mayor signs the deal," he said.