The city is hoping to jump start a residential development on the Uptown Brass site in the new year.

City staff is working on a request for proposals to bring multi-family residential developments to the Uptown Brass site. The development would be placed east of the Pick ‘n’ Save and 18th Avenue, south of 63rd Street and west of Brass Community School.

Zohrab Khaligian, a community development specialist for the city, said the request for proposals is expected to go before the Redevelopment Authority for approval in early January.

Khaligian said the city would like to see multi-family housing serve as a transition from the mixed-use development on the west side of the site and the Brass Community School and, potential, single-family housing on east side of the property.

Plans for the former site of the American Brass Co. have always called for residential development at this location, but the city is looking for a new developer to accomplish that task.

The February 2005 contract with original site developer, Madison-based Professional Realty and Development Corp., kept the option open for the developer to purchase two parcels for residential development at the site for four years; the option expired 10 months ago.

Professional Realty and Development Corp. lost the right to acquire that land once the company dropped out from the project due to financial problems within the company in 2007. The management of the project was turned over to the Uptown Brass LLC and the site was developed by the Kilduff Co., but the option on the two residential sites could not be transferred as part of that arrangement.

Khaligian said the city would like to see construction on the residential component begin next summer.

“It just depends on who comes in and how quick we can negotiate an agreement,” Khaligian said.

Further into the future, the Brass redevelopment plan also calls for adding single-family homes closer to the school.

“We’ll see what interest we have in this (multi-family phase and see what happens with the economy,” Khaligian said. “We’re trying to feel where the market is.”

Additional remediation of the soil at the former American Brass Co. may be required for that development, depending what kind of housing units are placed at the site.

Larry Kilduff, president of the Kilduff Co., said he would welcome having additional residents in the Brass area.

“It would help to have some more housing and an additional development here,” Kilduff said.

Kilduff is still waiting to fill in about 10,000 square feet of retail space at a mixed-use development on the west side of the Brass site and a companion mixed-use development and outlot that still need to be constructed. Kilduff said the economy is holding back those developments.

“The demand for retail and the difficulty in financing will keep us from going forward until things turn around a little,” Kilduff said.

Kilduff said he has been talking to retailers for those spaces, but nothing has been finalized.

Kilduff added that sales have grown at the Pick ’n’ Save since it opened in July 2006 and the existing apartments at the mixed-use development are “well-rented.”

Alderwoman Katherine Marks, who represents the district, said the additional residences in the development could assist the surrounding areas.

“This will help with stabilization and will hopefully have an impact on the retail development,” Marks said. “We want to complete the development and hopefully generate more tax revenue. Green space is nice, but developed space brings a lot more benefits.”