Brewers Hill apartments plans to be downsized as developer seeks city OK for fewer units

A plan to develop nearly 200 higher-end apartments in Milwaukee's Brewers Hill neighborhood would be reduced by around 50 units under a new proposal.

Royal Capital Group LLC, led by developer Kevin Newell, is seeking Common Council approval to change plans the council approved in July.

The firm now wants to build 30 apartments on the south side of E. Brown St., between N. Hubbard and N. Palmer streets, according to the proposal.

Royal Capital's original proposal for the development, known as The Hills, called for two four-story buildings, totaling 84 apartments, at that location.

No other details have been filed with the Department of City Development, and Newell couldn't be reached for more information.

The Hills also would feature a 97-unit, four-story building, with a restaurant/cafe on the street level, at the southwest corner of N. Hubbard St. and E. Reservoir Ave.

Finally, the firm plans to build around nine to 12 townhouse-style apartments at the southeast corner of N. Hubbard and E. Brown streets.

A Royal Capital affiliate in January bought the development sites, totaling 2.4 acres, from three Chicago-based groups for $1.8 million, according to state real estate filings.

Newell said in January that Royal Capital plans to begin site preparation work this spring, with construction of the apartment buildings to begin in mid-summer.

He said The Hills would be completed in stages, with most of those units finished by the end of 2018.

Other Milwaukee-area apartment developments have been downsized, including projects in St. Francis and Greenfield, and either put on hold or canceled over concerns about the number of new units being completed in 2017 and 2018.

Tom Daykin can be reached attdaykin@jrn.com