Downtown Milwaukee's 44-story couture project changing general contractors

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- The developer of downtown Milwaukee's 44-story "Couture" project is changing its general contractor.

Barrett Lo Visionary Development originally chose JH Findorff for the project but is now seeking another company.

"The Couture" will anchor Milwaukee's lakefront, combine residential and retail space, public plazas and parks, and will be a hub for Milwaukee's streetcar.

Rick Barrett says the reason for the change is to get "The Couture" built in less time.

"With the Findorff Proposal that we were working with, through demolition and pre-construction, we were working with a 33-month schedule. Right now we are looking to push the schedule up to a 24-month schedule. We just don't build a lot of 40-story buildings in Milwaukee and we're looking to some of the bigger cities to help us with that," said Rick Barrett with Barett Lo Visionary Development. 

Barrett says to expect a decision on a new general contractor in the next couple of weeks. While groundbreaking was originally scheduled for January, it will now happen sometime in the spring.