Hometown Site: UWM Dormitory

Hometown Site: UWM Dormitory

Hometown Site: UWM Dormitory

Hometown Site: UWM Dormitory

Hometown Site: UWM Dormitory

Talgo, the train manufacturer that is poised to open a plant in Wisconsin, has a really simple choice to make when it comes to where to locate.  Currently the company is debating between Janesville and Milwaukee.  Janesville appearing as an additional logical choice because of the empty General Motors facility that the state and city would open their pocket books to have occupied. Milwaukee’s in the running because it has an airport, the Port of Milwaukee, an extensive number of facilities with rail access, skilled work force, numerous entertainment and cultural activities, an existing passenger rail line, and plans for another one.

It’s easy to see why Governor Jim Doyle is pushing for Talgo to locate in Janesville. While Talgo would bring only 80 jobs after a loss of thousands, the hard hit city would gain momentum from a likely to growth in industry.  Janesville is more desperate for the breath of economic life, and the addition of Talgo would have a greater immediate impact than it would in Milwaukee.  If you’re Governor of Wisconsin, it’s obvious why you would push for Janesville.

If you’re Antonio Perez, CEO of Talgo, it’s easy to see where you want to locate your company’s new assembly and maintenance facility.  Milwaukee provides both land and water access for shipping in parts and personnel.  Milwaukee also is actually on a passenger rail line, the Amtrak Hiawatha, where Talgo’s first Wisconsin order will go.  Should Wisconsin get it’s stimulus request for the development of a Madison to Milwaukee line, Talgo’s second Wisconsin order would also be utilized in the same city it’s assembled.  Janesville is not part of any passenger rail plans, neither short nor long-term.

Perhaps the biggest kicker is the potential cost-savings in possible partnership with Milwaukee-based Super Steel who manufacturers train cars for Metra and light-rail vehicles.  A Super Steel partnership in some form is exactly what the Milwaukee legislative contingent is pushing for.

Talgo it’s easy, come to Milwaukee.

The $11 million Hide House project was the most hotly debated development project at the July 28th meeting of the Common Council, though the most significant action in terms of dollars was the approval of the Rivianna.  Additionally, the $10 million mixed-use Villard Square project, which will include space for 47 rental units and the Villard Avenue library was approved for construction.  It still is to be seen if these projects will actually break ground, but in the middle of this economic downturn the approval of $100 million of new construction is a positive sign.

Both the General Planned Development, and the Detailed Planned Development for the Rivianna project were approved at the Common Council meeting.  The $80 million Rivianna project consists of three 15-story towers that will include apartments, a hotel, and first floor retail. The developer, Rivianna Development Group, intends to break ground soon after obtaining financing, and has pledged to meet the requirements of the M.O.R.E. ordinance despite not requesting any city financing as of this time.  The associated file for the project were approved with only Alderman Bauman being recorded as a no vote.

At the recent meeting of the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee the committee overruled a interim decision by the Historic Preservation Commission which designated the entire Hide House Complex as historic .  The ZND Committee found that only the buildings built in 1898 were historic, and removed the more recent buildings from protection.  Alderman Zielinski, who has been working with neighbors to stop the Hide House proposal, made a motion to amend the ZND Committee’s decision and restore the historic preservation to the entire Hide House complex.  Despite the matter at hand specifically regarding only the historic designation of a property, not the proposed development, AldermanZielinski continued his line of discussion regarding the lack of a public meeting saying “I think that just about every alderman here would want a public meeting.”  It is important to note that the proposed low-income apartment building is legally allowed under its current zoning.

Oddly, Alderman Zielinski pointed to Empowerment Village as a positive example of his intervention in development projects saying “we defeated that proposal for development along the river.”  He indicated that he helped the developer of the Empowerment Village find another site, and that the developer was content with the new site.  Although Empowerment Village was eventually able to be built, albeit as a smaller project than originally planned, in that case the property owner was the City of Milwaukee, whereas General Capital Group currently owns the Hide House property and has invested significant funds into the sites redevelopment.

Weighing in on whether or not the process use to split the historic designation was proper Alderman Bauman compared the Hide House complex to a single home saying, “it’s one address, one building,” and made the analogy that the home had various additions added to it after its initial construction.  He argued that “we’re saying part of the house is historic, part of the house isn’t historic.”  Because of this he argued that the motion made at the Historic Preservation Commission was the appropriate motion and added that “I didn’t think it was legally appropriate to split a parcel.”  This argument seemed to be a response to Assistant City Attorney Gregg Hagopian’s statements at the ZND Committee meeting that indicated the designation of an entire complex wasn’t within the bounds of interim designation law, and that the law only allowed a single structure to be designated.

Alderman Witkowiak explained that “we had this debate for three hours at committee,” and asked the council to vote against Alderman Zielinski’s simple amendment.  The motion to approve Alderman Zielinski’s amendment failed on a 4 to 10 vote.  This vote upheld the decision of the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee which will allow General Capital Group to begin the demolition of the existing structure and start work on the 60-unit apartment building.

Great cities have great street food.  It is plays a role in the activation, the vibrancy, of the street life.  The vendors themselves play a role in encouraging and supporting this vitality by becoming a part of the culture, and the community.  The “Hot Dog Guy,” who operated on the corner of Wisconsin Ave. and Water St. for many years, created a bit of a spectacle on the street, a line thirty people deep formed, he banged away preparing their food, and there was constant chatter on the street.  Essentially, he has become a character in the downtown story.  It isn’t just about the convenience of grabbing a quick slice of pizza or a hot dog, on your way home from work, or after the bar, it’s about the interaction, the exchange, and the shared experience.

As great as the “Hot Dog Guy” was, for too long it seemed that all you could find in downtown Milwaukee was a hot dog stand, but things are changing.  Recently, Pita Brothers and Street-Za arrived both on our streets and on our computers.  These vendors can both be found on twitter (http://twitter.com/streetzapizza, http://twitter.com/pitabros) which allows them to notify customers where they will be setting up each day, or even minute-by-minute.  This added twist of connecting to the community through social media isn’t just good business, but it actually ties these vendors into the city more tightly by taking away the uncertainty of mobile food.

These street vendors also connect into neighborhoods, because they are small local businesses, not a formula chain food.  A look at Street-Za’s menu reveals that it includes slices targeted at specific neighborhoods, and other slices named after the people they’ve meet in-person and online.  For example, Street-Za has “The Walker’s Point Slice” that features salsa like sauce, chorizo sausage, and tortilla chips from Botanas.  Pita Brothers quickly established themselves as a staple in the Third Ward by setting up daily for lunch service in Catalano Square.  Additionally, Pita Brothers connects to the larger “green” community by serving food from their electric powered, zero emissions vehicle.

These two are just a couple of the new street vendors operating in Milwaukee, and hopefully they will be just two of a growing number of street vendors adding to the vibrancy of our neighborhoods.

UPDATE Another great new street vendor, Satellite Crepes, can be found on twitter as well: http://twitter.com/satellitecrepes

Normally we would greet you on Monday with an urban advocacy piece, but we were a little too busy enjoying all that urban Milwaukee had to offer this weekend.  While normally just one of these events would pass as a big entertainment attraction across every other Wisconsin city, urban Milwaukee had at least eight organized and noteworthy events going on this weekend.  In short there were more entertainment options available than one could possibly attend.  Please remember that when you champion urbanism, you not only advocate for a great place to work and live, but a great place to play.

In case you missed out here’s a list (in alphabetical order).

• Bradford Beach Jam – A party at the beach need we say more? Yes, there was an airshow overhead.
• Brady Street Festival – Once again Brady Street was full of people wandering from booth to booth.
• Gallery Night – The showcase event for Milwaukee’s art community.  Every iteration seems to encompass a greater spread of galleries and the city.
• German Fest – Yet another of Milwaukee’s ethnic festivals that draws people to the city from across the state.
• Milwaukee Air & Water Show – Haven’t seen an official attendance number yet, but the view from my rooftop showed a packed lakefront, and the full city streets afterward indicate a very large crowd.
• Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park – average attendance this year at 38,418
• Riverwest 24 – 24 hour bike race with near 300 participants.
• The Great Downer Avenue Bike Race – 200 bikers doing a 90k race on the East Side.

If you didn’t make it down for the Milwaukee Air & Water Show here’s a video of what you missed.

Urban Milwaukee’s Upcoming Events & Meetings Calendar should help you keep up to date on important events effecting our neighborhoods, the City of Milwaukee, and our region.

July 27, 2009

Special Finance & Personnel Committee Meeting

July 27, 2009 9:00 am

The Finance and Personnel Committee considers appropriations, finances, taxation, revenues, labor relations, personnel, pensions and other benefits, insurance, audits and city budget.This Finance and Personnel Committee meeting will start at 9:00 a.m. and are held in the Room 301-B, City Hall.[...]

July 28, 2009

Common Council Meeting

July 28, 2009 9:00 am

City Hall
200 East Wells St.
Common Council Chambers
Milwaukee, WI 53202[...]

July 30, 2009

Board of Zoning Appeals

July 30, 2009 4:00 pm

BOZA is authorized to hear appeals in matters relating to all zoning ordinances.All hearings are held in Room 301-B of City Hall.[...]

The Finance and Personnel Committee considers appropriations, finances, taxation, revenues, labor relations, personnel, pensions and other benefits, insurance, audits and city budget.

This Finance and Personnel Committee meeting will start at 9:00 a.m. and are held in the Room 301-B, City Hall.

Agenda

BOZA is authorized to hear appeals in matters relating to all zoning ordinances.

All hearings are held in Room 301-B of City Hall.

Agenda

City Hall
200 East Wells St.
Common Council Chambers
Milwaukee, WI 53202

Agenda