What used to be a ghostly Boston Store at the north end of Brookfield Square is inching toward a second act. Months after demolition crews finished clearing the old anchor, developers say they could start site work on the former department store parcel as soon as the fourth quarter. In place of the long-empty retail giant, the plan calls for a mix of uses - a two-story public market, medical office space and new shops - all aimed at bringing everyday foot traffic back to the mall instead of the occasional weekend rush.
According to the Milwaukee Business Journal, Irgens Partners is targeting Q4 for initial work on the roughly 16-acre site. The outlet reports that developers are pitching the combination of healthcare and market-style retail as a way to generate steady daytime visits, not just destination mall trips. That timetable still depends on final permits and how the public financing package shakes out.
What’s planned
Developer filings describe a compact cluster of buildings anchored by a two-story public market positioned next to a medical office building, with additional retail and upgraded plaza areas rounding out the site. As outlined by Irgens, the concept emphasizes walkable connections into the interior of Brookfield Square while reworking parking fields and utilities across the approximately 16-acre parcel. Renderings submitted to city staff show smaller storefronts and landscaped open spaces replacing the single, hulking department store footprint.
Public market and operations
Visit Brookfield, the city’s tourism and events arm, is slated to own and operate the public market and take the lead on vendor curation, events and programming meant to keep the building busy in every season. In a June 2025 update, Visit Brookfield described the market as a roughly 12-stall, two-story venue with event space and outdoor seating. The group pitches it as both a neighborhood gathering place and a tourism draw that can feed nearby hotels and the Brookfield Conference Center with a steadier stream of activity.
Funding, TIFs and public help
City staff documents for the tax increment districts and public assistance request show Visit Brookfield seeking about $14.94 million for the market itself, while Irgens is asking for roughly $4.51 million for site and amenity improvements. Together, that is a combined public request of around $19.45 million. The draft plans note that an amendment to Tax Increment District No. 8 could free up roughly $11.5 million to put toward the project, while a new TID No. 9 is projected to generate about $8.05 million in incremental tax revenue. Those figures and the broader financing analysis are laid out in the City of Brookfield staff report used in the review process.
What’s already happened
Irgens bought the Boston Store parcel in 2021 and has already taken the messy parts of the job off the to-do list. Interior abatement and exterior demolition moved ahead last year to clear the long-vacant structure. As The Daily Reporter noted, the developer secured demolition permits and crews stripped the building down to make way for new infrastructure. The result is a cleared site ready for utility work and the phased construction sequence Irgens lays out in its proposals.
Local impact and next steps
City of Brookfield analysis included in the draft TID materials projects about 1,096 jobs across the public market, medical offices and retail once the site is fully built out, a key metric staff used in recommending public assistance. The Plan Commission has backed creating TID No. 9 and amending TID No. 8, but those moves still need Common Council approval and final development agreements before any money is paid out. If the permits, council votes and financing line up, developers say site prep could begin in Q4, with construction rolling out in phases starting with utility and plaza work.
Legal and financing steps to watch
The milestones to keep an eye on now are the final Common Council votes, the signing of development agreements that spell out grant terms and performance benchmarks, and the formal vendor selection process for the public market. Because taxpayer-backed subsidies are on the table, the project will continue through public hearings and the usual municipal review steps before any funds are released. For Brookfield residents, how quickly those approvals move will be the real test of whether the Q4 start date is realistic.
