Plan to develop light industrial buildings at former Glendale rail yard gets state grant

A plan to develop light industrial buildings at a former Glendale rail yard is proceeding with financing help from a state grant.

Earthbound Development LLC plans to develop the buildings, totaling more than 375,000 square feet, on a vacant site north and west of Home Depot, 4155 N. Port Washington Road, said Rachel Reiss, city administrator.

Earthbound, operated by Brian Monroe and Nancy Neumann, is expected to soon submit to city officials plans for its first building, totaling 60,000 square feet, Reiss said Monday.

A $435,000 idle sites redevelopment grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. will help finance that first phase, according to a WEDC statement.

That work will include building a new city street to connect Earthbound's site with North Port Washington Road, Reiss said.

The 27-acre development site has been vacant for decades, and is on both sides of I-43.

Construction of the first phase is expected to be completed late next year, according to WEDC.

“This project will see the construction of new industrial and office spaces, which will play a key role in jump-starting redevelopment efforts in Glendale,” Mark R. Hogan, secretary and chief executive officer of WEDC, said in a statement.

Earthbound's other projects include the 2007 conversion of Glendale's former Becker Foods buildings into the Beerline Crossing office and light industrial complex.

That includes space, at 4160 N. Port Washington Road, that is leased to the state Department of Corrections.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.