MILWAUKEE -- Northwest side Alderwoman Chantia Lewis tells TODAY'S TMJ4 she's feeling confident about what's in store for the future of Granville.
"We like shiny and we like new, I'm really excited that the conversation is starting," Lewis said.
On Tuesday, the Milwaukee Common Council signed off on a plan to allow the city to partner with UW-Milwaukee. They will explore redevelopment ideas for the area.
"This means everything, this is one of the main reasons why I ran for this seat because no developments, no conversations, nothing was happening," she said.
Lewis said adding grass areas, making the community more walkable and adding homes to the area are some of the ideas being around, but she said it's still early.
Right now, there are plenty of boarded up businesses, including the Northridge Mall.
Busch Precision President Michael Mallwitz is hopeful everything comes together so Granville can be a flourishing spot like how it used to be.
"With the loss of some of the retails and entertainment here, it was kind of frustrating for everybody...we have all of the racial and ethnic backgrounds in this area so it's an opportunity to create a new northwest side under the Granville name," he said.
And now that the conversation has been sparked, Lewis said people can start looking for change as early as next year.
"Any progress is good progress," Lewis said.
Alderwoman Lewis said the next public meeting about the redevelopment in the area should be in February.
