"I feel like it's that Main & Main corner," Visit Brookfield President and CEO Nancy Justman told FOX6 about Moorland and Bluemound roads. "It's very critical to massive intersections." In the same report, the station described the mall at that corner as "anemic," with many of its retail spaces vacant and an empty food court.
Two decisions in one October week will shape what that corner becomes. On Tuesday, October 6, 2026, the Brookfield Common Council approved an agreement that gives the city the right to buy part of Brookfield Square. Four days later, on Saturday, October 10, the city and Visit Brookfield scheduled the groundbreaking for the Brookfield Public Market on the former Boston Store site.
The property map behind the first decision matters most if you still drive to Brookfield Square for a movie, a burger, or an oil change. The city drew its line around the enclosed mall and its open land. It left out the entertainment block that took over the former Sears space.
What the $28 Million Actually Covers
The Freeman described the parcels in and out of the agreement:
- Inside the option: the J.C. Penney and Firestone parcels, vacant land that includes a park-like wetlands area, and the main portion of the mall, which includes the area around Cooper's Hawk.
- Outside the option: the Chick-fil-A and U.S. Bank lease parcels, the theater property, and the former Sears property.
FOX6 added that the sale would not include the Movie Tavern and WhirlyBall sites that sit against the mall.
That outside list lines up closely with the parts of the property that already work. The mall's own description places WhirlyBall, Movie Tavern, OrangeTheory, and Club Champion in the space that used to be Sears. Marcus Theatres is selling tickets and listing showtimes for Movie Tavern Brookfield. WhirlyBall's Brookfield location at 185 S. Moorland Road posts weekly public hours and online booking for WhirlyBall, bowling, LaserTag, Hyperbowling, and its restaurant and bar. Chick-fil-A at 1 N. Moorland Road lists dine-in, carryout, curbside, and drive-through service from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
So the entertainment and quick-service edge of Brookfield Square stays with its current owners. The city's option covers the enclosed core, its largest remaining department store, and the open land around it. Most of the uncertainty sits there.
An Option to Buy, With a Short Clock
The city's press release from the mayor is explicit about what the council approved and what it did not:
The agreement gives the City the ability to buy this property but does not obligate the City to buy it.
The release says the city will do its due diligence during a review period and will work with potential development partners to decide whether a redevelopment plan is workable. It will buy only if that review supports it, and any financing would need further action by the Common Council. The Freeman reports that the city has 60 days for due diligence and can extend that by 30 days. Neither source says what date starts that clock.
City Attorney Jenna Merten told The Freeman the city is "working on finding possible developers and talking with them to see if there's going to be a redevelopment there during this due diligence period." The paper also reported that the city has not decided what it would ultimately do with the property. No developer has been named publicly. On October 11, Milwaukee Business Journal editor-in-chief Tim Gibbons discussed the deal on WTMJ's weekend business segment. WTMJ's summary describes it as a deal the city is exploring that "could spur redevelopment," not a completed purchase.
In practical terms, nothing inside the option area changes hands this fall unless the review leads to a purchase and the council votes on financing. As of today, JCPenney's store locator shows the Brookfield store at 95 N. Moorland Road as open, with posted hours. Firestone at the same address is taking service appointments.
The Public Market Is the Piece Already Moving
At the north end of the property, a separate project is further along. The Daily Reporter, carrying Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting by Bridget Fogarty, reported the plans:
- A two-story, year-round public venue at 95 N. Moorland Road
- About a dozen vendor stalls for local retailers and food businesses
- A bar and event space
- Outdoor seating with a plaza for community events
- A local grocer as anchor tenant, not yet named
The site's history explains part of the pull. Boston Store closed in 2018 after nearly 60 years, and the building sat empty until the development firm Irgens bought it in 2021. Visit Brookfield plans to buy about 2 acres from Irgens for the market and was approved to fund it with at least $14 million in tax incremental financing. The Common Council approved that financing in September 2025. Opponents on the council had pointed to the city's budget gap as a reason not to go ahead.
FOX6 reports that Visit Brookfield has booked about 85% of the tenant space. The developers studied about 45 public markets around the country and asked for community feedback, and they settled on a specialty market built around local vendors and Wisconsin-made products. Wisconsin artists, makers, and artisans who want to sell at the market can fill out an interest form online.
Reports give two opening targets. The Freeman printed late fall 2027. FOX6 says the first quarter of 2028. Either way, the market is at least a full year out.
The groundbreaking date was chosen on purpose. City and Visit Brookfield officials broke ground on the nearby Brookfield Conference Center on October 10, 2018. "Eight years later, we're carrying on the tradition as we break ground on Brookfield's next big gathering place," Justman said on Visit Brookfield's website, as quoted by the Daily Reporter.
How the Two Projects Connect
The market and the city's option are separate deals, but they touch. FOX6 reported that the market is still "full-steam-ahead," while Visit Brookfield said plans for its exterior spaces may change a bit after the city announced the option. Visit Brookfield also speculated that the mall itself could become mixed-use space.
That speculation follows a pattern already on this property. The 2018 conference center groundbreaking now stands at 325 S. Moorland Road as more than 40,000 square feet of event space with an attached 168-room Hilton Garden Inn. Its public calendar lists a Commercial Real Estate and Development Conference on November 18, 2026, and an adults' holiday party on December 5, 2026. Across the property, Sears became WhirlyBall, Movie Tavern, OrangeTheory, and Club Champion. Boston Store is becoming a public market. The city's option covers the largest section of the property that has not yet been redeveloped.
The food court has been losing tenants for a while. In December 2025, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Shri Foods was moving from the Brookfield Square food court to Capitol Drive in Pewaukee, the latest in a series of food court departures.
What You Can Still Do There This Fall
The restaurant ring is still the busiest part of Brookfield Square. The mall's restaurant overview names Uncle Julio's, Cooper's Hawk, Bravo, Bar Louie, Wasabi Lounge, Red Robin, Fleming's, and Lou Malnati's. Its tenant directory also lists Barnes & Noble, Ethan Allen, and H&M among the retailers. Cooper's Hawk sits inside the area covered by the option, so it is the restaurant most directly tied to whatever the city decides. Nothing in the reporting suggests a change to its operations.
Another newcomer is close by. The Milwaukee Business Journal reports that Bloom Restaurant & Cafe is targeting a November opening on a surplus parking lot at the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel, as part of a larger redevelopment there.
For now, a Friday night at Brookfield Square looks the same as it did last month: dinner on the ring road, a movie at Movie Tavern, a game of WhirlyBall, and a stop at JCPenney on the way out. The city is studying the enclosed mall between those places, and any purchase would still need a completed due-diligence review and a separate Common Council vote on financing.
Selling a home near Moorland Road while the mall question is still open? At Blue Violet Group, we follow projects like the public market and the city's option closely so we can show buyers what is approved, what is only proposed, and what is already open. Request a free home valuation, and we'll walk you through how we would present your home to buyers asking about the corner of Moorland and Bluemound.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
