New Franklin hotel, with around 90 rooms, proposed near Northwestern Mutual corporate campus

Tom Daykin, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Published 9:32 a.m. CT Feb. 18, 2019 | Updated 11:57 a.m. CT Feb. 20, 2019

A new hotel, with around 90 rooms, is being proposed for a Franklin site near Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.'s corporate campus.

Chicago-based Odyssey Hotels LLC wants to develop the four-story hotel at 3130 W. Rawson Ave., according to information filed with the city Department of Community Development.

The proposal was to undergo an initial conceptual review by the Common Council at its Tuesday night meeting.

But Odyssey Chief Executive Officer Rachit Dhingra said that will be postponed until the March 5 meeting because of a scheduling conflict. Odyssey wants to develop a limited-service hotel. It could be a Residence Inn by Marriott, a Holiday Inn Express or a Tru by Hilton, according to the proposal. "We're still working on which franchise to go with," Dhingra said Monday. Odyssey opened a Residence Inn in 2017 at 7003 N. Port Washington Road, Glendale. The firm will soon open a Fairfield Inn, at 7035 N. Port Washington Road, and plans to demolish the neighboring former North Shore Events Centre and develop a Hampton Inn at that site.

Odyssey's proposed Franklin hotel would be about 1 mile north of Northwestern Mutual's corporate campus. Those nearby offices, and the proximity to I-94, are among the factors that make the Franklin site a good hotel location, Dhingra said. Northwestern Mutual plan includes hotel Meanwhile, Northwestern Mutual has been working on a development proposal just east of its corporate campus, in Oak Creek, that would include a hotel.

That project, known as Creekside Crossing Marketplace, also would feature a large specialty retail business, several restaurants and several small and medium-size stores, according to information filed with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

That project would be developed north of West Drexel Avenue and west of I-94, next to the new Ikea store. A detailed proposal hasn't yet been filed with city officials.

City planners have concerns about the proposed density, according to a report to the Common Council. Franklin's two other hotels, a Hampton Inn and a Staybridge Suites, are located on similarly sized parcels, the report said. Because of similar site constraints, parking reductions and shared parking with neighboring properties were required for those developments, along with setback reductions.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.