The vacant Mayfair Boston Store could become a new type of Dick's Sporting Goods store
A new retail anchor for Mayfair Mall's former Boston Store could be finalized "any day now," according to Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride ― and it appears it will be a new type of Dick's Sporting Goods store.
Lawyers for the city of Wauwatosa, Barrett Lo Visionary Development and Brookfield Properties are discussing final details of a deal to bring a store to the vacant property, McBride said. Brookfield Properties owns Mayfair Mall, Wauwatosa owns the Boston Store property and Barrett Lo is the developer of a $400 million apartment community that will bring around 900 units to Mayfair and is financed by $58 million in Wauwatosa tax increment financing.
While developers and the City of Wauwatosa wouldn't confirm Tuesday the retail store that is planned for the former Boston Store property, McBride's mayoral campaign website said otherwise Monday.
The vacant property "will be redeveloped and occupied by Dick's World of Sports," a sentence on the "Fiscal Strength" page of McBride's mayoral campaign for reelection website read Monday.
The store name was removed from McBride's website after the Journal Sentinel spoke with McBride Monday. It now says "another 'anchor tenant'" will replace the former Boston Store.
McBride said Monday he didn't know the name of the store was listed on his campaign website and attributed its mention to the Milwaukee Business Journal, which reported in August that Dick's Sporting Goods was in talks to bring one of its newer House of Sport concepts to Mayfair.
Dick's House of Sport is meant to be "more than a store," offering retail and interactive spaces to test out gear and practice sports, according to its website. Batting cages for softball, lacrosse and baseball, rock-climbing walls, golf simulators fill 12 House of Sport locations throughout the country, which are typically at least 100,000 square feet.
Some stores have a turf field with a track attached to the store that can be used for leagues, open practice or clinics that can be converted into an ice rink in the winter.
McBride declined to confirm House of Sport would take over the former Boston Store, but when asked about the franchise, he told the Journal Sentinel Monday "it'll actually contribute to the entertainment value of Wauwatosa and Mayfair."
The Mayfair Mall property would be home to the first House of Sport location in Wisconsin, and its opening could impact the Dick's Sporting Goods store at the Mayfair Collection, 11500 W. Burleigh St.
Dick's Sporting Goods plans to open 75 to 100 House of Sport stores by 2027, according to a 2023 press release from the sporting goods franchise. A representative for Dick's Sporting Goods did not immediately return a request for comment.
Wauwatosa Communications Manager Eva Ennamorato said the retail store coming to the Boston Store Property has not been confirmed yet and the developers are still working on an agreement.
Residents can expect a housing developer to present plans for the apartment to the Wauwatosa Design Review Board, which reviews and approves the exterior design and aesthetic aspects of building projects, this year, Ennamorato said.
Wauwatosa officials approved the apartment's financing by $58 million in Wauwatosa tax incremental financing funds last year, and the first phase of construction, which will create 463 units, is expected to begin by mid-2025. Barrett Lo estimates the entire development, which will be completed in three phases, will take 10 to 12 years to complete.
Barrett Lo Visionary and Brookfield Properties did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Bridget Fogarty can be emailed at bfogarty@gannett.com.
Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, X and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Large sports-focused business could come to old Mayfair Boston Store
