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Milwaukee Marriott given approval without requirement of setback
The $50 million Marriott Hotel that is planned for downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has received approval from the Common Council that does not include a setback requirement that developers had said would kill the project, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
According to the news provider, the council voted 13-2 to approve the appeal of the setback, which had been filed by developer Jackson Street Management. The setback had been originally imposed by the Historic Preservation Commission.
The approval will reportedly allow the developers of the 10-story hotel to work towards beginning construction in the spring. According to the news source, the hotel project is being supported by business groups, who estimate it will create up to 200 hotel jobs, between 350 and 400 construction jobs as well as annual taxes of $2.26 million.
Members of the preservation commission had sought the 15-foot setback in order to prevent the hotel from having an "overwhelming" appearance in relation to bordering historic buildings.
According to the news source, the hotel project is being mostly funded through the federal EB-5 visa program. Through this program, foreign nationals can obtain U.S. green card eligibility by making an investment of $1 million (or $500,000 in some areas) in an American company or project that either maintains or creates at least 10 full-time jobs.