Milwaukee City Wire

The City of Milwaukee has hit yet another roadblock in its ongoing drive to rid the city of the long-shuttered Northridge Mall.

UrbanMilwaukee.com reports the Chinese ownership group, U.S. Black Spruce Enterprise Group, is now appealing a recent circuit court ruling upholding the city’s 2019 raze order for the property, which also came with a $109,000 fine for failing to secure the property that was due Oct. 31.

“Black Spruce is ordered that they immediately commence the process of razing the properties,” Judge William Sosnay said in rendering his ruling. He later declared the buildings a “public nuisance,” striking down a restraining order that blocked the orders from being enforced while also declaring Black Spruce in contempt.

The mall was first abandoned in 2003 before being acquired by the current owners five years later, with the new owners originally promoting plans for an Asian marketplace. With those plans never getting off the ground, the 900,000 square foot property has languished over the last several years, ultimately falling into complete disrepair. The city launched a condemnation case in 2019 and only recently won.

A Milwaukee Police Department representative said the department has received 75 calls for service this year, along with spending $16,000 on public safety expenses. In addition, Fire Chief Aaron Lipski testified during the trial that the Milwaukee Fire Department answered at least four calls at the building this summer, with two reaching “second alarm” status.

Before then, security at the facility was touted as having improved a bit after a maintenance worker was killed in July 2019 by a high-voltage transformer. A civil case is still open related to the incident.