Redevelopment plans for the former Everbrite site in South Milwaukee have grown significantly, with the developer adding more than 200 apartment units and introducing a $70 million tower.

Menomonee Falls-based Continental Properties first presented a redevelopment proposal for the 315 Marion Ave. site in September. Greenfield-based Everbrite, a visual branding company specializing in signage and LED lighting, closed its South Milwaukee facility in 2020, and the property was later cleared.

Continental is now proposing roughly 585 residential units at the site, up from the 384-unit, garden-style apartment concept introduced earlier this year.

Under the updated Authentix Lakeshore proposal, the number of low-rise apartment buildings would be reduced, while new housing types, such as single-family homes, duplexes and a 225-unit high-rise, would be added. A “high-rise” tower, estimated to cost about $70 million, would be located on the western portion of the site. Overall, the project is expected to be worth about $130 million when fully built.

Continental revised its plans after feedback from the South Milwaukee Plan Commission in September, when commissioners said the initial design did not offer enough housing variety or density. In response, the developer increased the project’s overall density to approximately 27 dwelling units per acre across 22 developable acres.

If approved, construction would begin with a first phase that includes five two-story stacked-flat buildings with 24 units each, along with six three-story garden-style buildings containing 36 units apiece. That initial phase is projected to take about three years to complete.

City planning staff said that the revised proposal now meets the city’s density objectives. However, a staff report raised concerns that the layout still “resembles conventional urban sprawl rather than a true neighborhood” and does not provide meaningful public access to the lakefront.

In materials submitted to the city, Continental said it does not plan to include features such as a pier, beach or direct shoreline access. The developer cited fluctuating lake levels, steep bluff conditions, permitting challenges overseen by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission and overall cost as limiting factors. Instead, the plan includes a publicly accessible clubhouse near the lake.

The South Milwaukee Plan Commission is scheduled to consider the revised plans at its meeting Tuesday evening.