• Student housing is proposed near MATC and Bradley Center
• Development aimed at Milwaukee-area students, including those at Marquette
• Project will also include retail, parking and classroom spaces
• Planners hope to add to growing development in area

Students looking to live in downtown Milwaukee but close to Marquette's campus could get a new housing option if a deal is approved by the county.

Plans are underway for a $75 million mixed-use development at the corner of North Sixth and West State streets that would include student housing. A seven-story apartment tower would be geared toward students at Milwaukee Area Technical College, Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said Steven Stewart, president and CEO of New Vision Development Co., which is planning the project.

The proposed development is located on county-owned land. The Milwaukee County Board Economic and Community Development Committee voted 7-0 last week in favor of New Vision's proposal to purchase the 1.89-acre space. The full County Board of Supervisors will decide Thursday whether to support the $3.1 million sale.

Plans call for an apartment building on the north side of the space to house about 450 students. Approximately 50,000 square feet of retail space, likely to include restaurants and shopping, would be located on the first floor. Parking for about 600 vehicles would be located on the south side of the site, Stewart said.

If approved by the board and signed by County Executive Scott Walker, New Vision would have a nine-month option to firm up plans for the space and secure financing for the project, said Milwaukee County Supervisor Marina Dimitrijevic of the 4th District, which includes the development's site.

"Its strength is that it's so diverse and multi-use-retail, housing and parking," Dimitrijevic said. "It seems like a nice mix that will suit all those needs."

Though the project is located near MATC, developers hope to appeal to Marquette students who want to be in an urban atmosphere and don't want to live right on campus, Stewart said.

Currently, MATC does not provide housing for students, many of whom are commuters. Through the college's student services division, MATC directs students desiring housing to area apartments, said MATC spokesman Jim Gribble.

But an increase in the number of students wanting to stay close to campus has heightened the demand for housing, Gribble said.

Stewart said the timing is right for his project in the area with high enrollment at MATC, the development of the former Pabst Brewery and the expansion of the Bradley Center and Old World Third Street areas.

New Vision plans to work with the city to make the development fit with other developments in the area, Stewart said.

"We feel that along with other developments going on in the area, we'll all synergize to create an atmosphere that is conducive and used by the citizens of Milwaukee," he said.

MATC would not own the proposed housing complex, but could lease space from the owners of the development. Stewart said a second building on the site would include 58,000 square feet of classroom space for MATC.

MATC currently has a 30-year, long-term leasing agreement with Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin. The college rents out 6,000 square feet of classroom space there, Gribble said.

It's too early to say whether the district board of MATC would sign an agreement to lease space at the proposed development because members haven't yet been briefed on the project in its current early stages, Gribble said.

"Without knowing everything that's going into the project, I am hopeful that we would want it to happen and be a partner in it," Gribble said.

New Vision plans to sign a final development agreement and begin construction in November. The project is expected to last between 18 and 24 months, Stewart said.