Germantown officials are considering putting roughly $1.5 million on the table to reel in a manufacturer eyeing about 102,000 square feet of industrial space in the village’s Germantown Gateway Corporate Park. Village leaders say the deal could finally fill long-vacant warehouse space and bring about 85 jobs to town, pulling public incentives back into the spotlight along the I‑41 corridor.
As reported by the Milwaukee Business Journal, village officials are being asked to approve a $1.5 million loan tied to a potential lease for roughly 102,000 square feet. According to the Business Journal, leaders estimate the project could create about 85 jobs and are looking at public financing as a way to help close the deal.
The site and the space
Zilber Property Group lists an available bay of roughly 102,185 square feet in its Zilber Industrial 3 building at Germantown Gateway Corporate Park, closely matching the footprint the manufacturer is said to be pursuing. The park spans about 140 acres and sits roughly a mile east of the I‑41/Holy Hill Road interchange, a spot Zilber pitches as well suited for both distribution and manufacturing. The company has been steadily building and leasing multiple industrial shells in Germantown over the past several years.
Officials say the deal could spur local jobs
Village officials told the Milwaukee Business Journal that the proposed loan is designed to make the lease more attractive for both the tenant and the landlord, while pulling underused industrial property more firmly back onto the tax rolls. They said they expect new employment opportunities and broader development activity in the industrial park if the lease is finalized.
How the financing fits regional strategy
Local economic development groups frequently lean on impact and attraction loan programs to plug financing gaps for projects that promise jobs, and Washington County partners have used similar tools to recruit manufacturers. The county’s EDWC describes loan and attraction funds as instruments to support business recruitment and retention, a model village leaders pointed to while weighing whether public money should help back a private lease. EDWC
What comes next
Any loan would need approval from the village board and would be locked in with terms meant to protect taxpayers before a dollar is released. If the deal clears that hurdle, the manufacturer and landlord are expected to move ahead with lease negotiations and any required build‑out or fit‑up work inside the space.
