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Weekly Bookmarks – Monday, 22. November 2010

Nov 22nd, 2010 | By | Category: Bookmarks


Upcoming Events for the Week of November 22th, 2010

Nov 21st, 2010 | By | Category: Weekly Events
November 26, 2010 12:00 am to 7:00 pm

Skip the mall…Shop the Ward!

It’s a holiday shopping spree in the Historic Third Ward on Friday, November 26. The day after Thanksgiving is a day for shopping, shopping and more shopping! Make your list and check it twice, then visit the Historic Third Ward for your best shopping adventure ever! Find great savings, fun boutiques [...]



Colby Abbot Pop-up Stores are Open for Business

Nov 21st, 2010 | By | Category: East Town, Feature
Broadway Paper

Broadway Paper

Although, the renovation of the first floor of Colby Abbot, located at 759 N. Milwaukee St., building is taking a little longer than expected, the change is a welcome improvement to Milwaukee St.  Over the weekend the four pop-up stores taking part in the Milwaukee Holiday Lights Festival Retail Emporium began opening up.  The emporium was put together by Deanna Inniss, in her, now former, role as the downtown retail recruiter for Business Improvement District  21.  It was put together to jump start new retail outlets in downtown Milwaukee, and bring life back to long vacant store fronts.

The new stores have a mixture of products that include fine-art, gift items, wrapping paper, and clothing.  Katie Gingrass Gallery and Blutstein Brondino Fine Arts, are both familiar names in the Milwaukee art scene, and are sharing a space on Mason St.  Broadway Paper, anchors the corner, and as anyone who has visited the Third Ward store knows, offers everything paper.  On Milwaukee, St.  SHOP, which sell class women’s clothing, and Wafrique Crafts, which sells handcrafted African clothing for women and men, round out the other two retail slots.



Friday Photos Friday, 19. November 2010

Nov 19th, 2010 | By | Category: Friday Photos

Construction of Gold’s Gym

Construction of Gold's Gym

Gold’s Gym on N. Water Street

Gold's Gym on N. Water Street

735 N Water Street and Gold’s Gym

735 N Water Street and Gold's Gym

Colby Abbot Construction

Colby Abbot Construction

Gold’s Gym Construction

Gold's Gym Construction


City Committee Approves Financing Agreement for Summerfest South End Project (Renderings)

Nov 19th, 2010 | By | Category: Feature, Historic Third Ward, Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee
South Gate

South Gate

Earlier this week the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee recommended the approval of a Redevelopment Authority of the City of Milwaukee financing agreement with Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.  Specifically, the agreement authorizes the selling of up to $25 million in RACM revenue bonds to fund a loan that will be used to support Milwaukee World Festival, Inc.’s South End Capital Improvements Project on 22-acres at Henry Maier Festival Park.

The first phase of this project includes the redesign of a significant portion grounds around the South Gate.  The most visible change will be the relocation of the South Gate and Box Office to a site west of the Hoan Bridge.  The first phase will also include the development of a new stage,  food and beverage buildings, restrooms, and viewing decks.  Another significant change will be the redevelopment of the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard Area, updating it from its mid-1980s design, and opening the area up to the lakefront.  This $17 million first phase of this project will be completed in time for the 2011 Summerfest season.



Milwaukee Apartment Update

Nov 18th, 2010 | By | Category: Feature, Harambee, Hide House, South Water Works, The Moderne, The North End

What apartment projects are currently proposed, under construction, or have recently opened in Milwaukee? A little over a year ago we did a similar exercise, so it will be good to take a look and see what has changed in the past year.

Bookends North (Proposed)

Odds of New Land Enterprises project getting off the ground in the next twelve months are slim to none. Probably worse with the recent announcement that New Land satisfied a potential foreclosure by surrendering their Transera/Goll Mansion property.

Brewer’s Hill Lofts (Proposed)

Commonwealth Development Corporation received $1,313,568 in WHEDA tax credits to help finance the proposed 45-unit Brewer’s Hill Lofts on the corner of N. Holton Street and E. Brown Street. No other public details have emerged on this project yet.

Mercy Housing Lakefront – North Avenue (Proposed)

Perhaps the most active of any proposed project in the Milwaukee-area. After a number of revisions by Korb Tredo Architects and Mercy Housing Lakefront, this $8.5 million, 5-story, 54 unit project finally appears ready to seek full Common Council approval.

SE Aerial

Mercy Housing Lakefront's proposal

North End Phase Two (Proposed)

The speed at which this $39 million second phase leaves the drawing board and breaks ground appears largely in the hands of the city at this point. Despite the eagerness the city had to finance The Moderne and the Bookends North proposals, the city to-date has not yet pushed through any type of financing the second building at The North End. The project would include two six-story buildings at 1551 N. Water Street. The Mandel Group had hoped to break ground in the spring of 2011.

Park East Commons (Proposed)

This project seems unlikely to move forward in the next twelve months, and may be dead all together. CommonBond Communities had agreed to buy a portion of the Park East block (bordered by Milwaukee, Jefferson, Lyon and Ogden) that RSC & Associates bought from Milwaukee County. CommonBond’s proposal was for 87 apartments, 61 underground parking spaces, and street-level retail (11,000 square-feet, owned by RSC). CommonBond was placed “on hold” by WHEDA for the $1,672,644 in federal affordable housing tax credits for which they applied. Prior to the CommonBond deal, RSC was approved for a $30 million bond issuance by RACM in January. To-date RSC has been unable to develop anything on the land.

The Moderne (Proposed)

The Moderne has had more false starts in the past year than the Chicago Bears. Initially, with financing from the city they hoped to break ground in November of 2009. That didn’t happen, so it was on to a planned December 2009 ground-breaking after the city awarded the proposal financing in early November. December didn’t happen, which led to Developer Rick Barrett believing February would see shovels in the ground, but due to a delay at HUD that didn’t happen. Next up was a September or October groundbreaking, which again didn’t happen because of HUD even though they awarded the project final loan guarantee approval in late August. Technically it could still happen in November, but now it looks like The Moderne will finally break ground in December of 2010 with HUD expected to finally close on the deal.

Nighttime rendering of The Moderne

Wangard Properties (Proposed)

Wangard’s proposal to develop an apartment building next to the HighBridge Condominiums on North Water Street received zoning approval in January of 2010. Wangard, as of August, was seeking a loan guarantee from HUD for the proposed 68-unit building, and had hoped to break ground in October 2010. Similar to the The Moderne, this project is still waiting on HUD to move forward.

Beerline B Apartments (Under Construction)

General Capital Group broke ground on the Beerline B Apartments in November of 2010. The project is financed in part by $2,345,310 in WHEDA tax credits. The project includes 140 units, and will occupy the long vacant corner of Commerce Street and Pleasant Street in Milwaukee’s Beerline neighborhood.

Beeerline B Apartments Rendering

Beeerline B Apartments Rendering

Jackson Square Apartments (Under Construction)

Nearing the completion of construction in the Third Ward is Robert Joseph’s 81-unit Jackson Square Apartments.  When finished the project will feature 100+ underground parking stalls, and 9,000 square feet of retail space.  Rents will range from $800 to $1,600 with units split between one and two bedrooms.

Jackson Square Apartments Construction

Jackson Square Apartments Construction

National Lofts (Under Construction)

Dixon Development (Tim Dixon, Iron Horse hotel, Kramer Lofts) has begun demolition of the former Barry Trucking facility on the northeast corner of National Avenue and 1st Street. This development will be the first on the site, and will be placed at the back of the lot. It is being financed through $1.5 million in federal affordable housing tax credits.

South Water Works – Building Three (Under Construction)

Lighthouse Development is in the process of building an additional 52-unit apartment building at the South Water Works development. Construction is expected to be completed by March of 2011. Average unit size in the new development will be smaller than the neighboring Bridgeview apartments (800 vs 940 square-feet).

Corcoran Lofts (Open)

Mandel completed the Corcoran Lofts in the spring of 2010. The building is connected to the existing Gaslight Lofts, and includes 76 apartments and 3,400 square feet of retail space.

Corcoran Lofts Construction

Corcoran Lofts Construction

Hide House Lofts (Open)

The Hide House Lofts were completed in November of 2010. The Bay View development features sixty units on four floors. General Capital Group and Joseph Property Development built the apartments after a contentious battle with area residents in 2009, which largely centered around the building’s use of WHEDA tax credits to finance part of its construction. The Hide House Lofts replaced the portion of the Greenebaum tannery complex built in the 1940′s, the portion built in 1898 still stands.

Hide House Lofts Construction

Hide House Lofts Construction

Latitude Apartments (Open)

The Latitude Apartments were completed in August 2010. Originally a project of New Land Enterprises, the Latitude Apartments won full zoning approval from the Milwaukee Common Council in December 2008 and was sold to Dermond Property Investments for $2.1 million in January 2009.  The project is located at the intersection of Kenilworth Ave. and Farwell Ave. just across from the Kenilworth Square Apartments.  The $13 million project features 90 units, and 7,500 square feet of street-level retail.  The units are broken down into 71 one-bedroom units and 19 studios.  Units range in size from 650 to 1,000 square feet.  The project includes 90 underground parking spaces, with 13 reserved for retail tenants.

Latitude Apartments

Latitude Apartments



Mercy Housing Lakefront Presents Updated Design to East Side Residents (Renderings)

Nov 17th, 2010 | By | Category: East Side, Feature
Corner Perspective

Corner Perspective

At last night’s East Side town hall meeting Mercy Housing Lakefront presented a further refined design for an $8.5 million apartment building to be constructed at the corner of N. Farwell Ave. and Thomas St. on Milwaukee’s East Side.  The original designs, presented last March, called for a 9-story, 75 unit building, but the original proposal faced opposition from the neighborhood residents in a large part due to its height.  In response to those concerns the proposal presented last night had been considerably scaled down.

Mercy Housing Lakefront is now proposing a 5-story, 54-unit, 55-foot-tall building.  The design places the mass of the building along N. Murray Ave. and Thomas St., completing the urban form along those streets, while setting back the upper floors along N. Farwell. Ave.  The new design ties together the existing US Bank building with the new structure by matching the masonry materials along the first two-stories of the new building with the US Bank building, and sets the building apart at the upper floors with a change in brick color.  The site was chosen in part because of Mercy Housing Lakefront’s desire to provide workforce housing on the East Side of Milwaukee, and in part because US Bank is a long-term investment partner of Mercy Housing Lakefront.  The plans include creating a third floor green roof, if an MMSD grant can be obtained, and applying for LEED certification.  The plan includes 48 public parking spots accessed at-grade, and one parking spot per unit for apartment dwellers.  Additionally, the new design will have curb bump-outs, a garden wall to mask the US Bank drive-thru, an additional 13 on-street parking spots, two fewer curb cuts, and a parking garage hidden by backlit storefront style windows.

The questions raised at this meeting weren’t all too different from what are faced by many East Side proposals.  Though, in this case there was a consistent theme regarding the number of East Side apartment vacancies, and whether or not this was “needed.”   Residents questioned why the parking wasn’t underground, the project’s density, impact on congestion, the use of WHEDA tax credits, and its design.  Sandra McSweeney went so far as to state “I think this building is not consistent with the neighborhood.”  The most heated topic of the night seemed to revolve around parking, despite the facts that this building replaces all of the existing public parking, adds on-street spots, and has one parking spot per apartment.

Despite the opposition, there was some support for the project.  One resident referred to the parking lot as a blight.  Jeff Jordan argued that hospital staff often have to take bus rides for over an hour to get to work, and car ownership costs between $6,000-$8,000 a year, so having the option to live across the street would help many potential residents.  Another resident, in fact a landlord in the area, made a passionate speech saying  “if we open our minds and hearts then we have to support this project.”

Alderman Kovac laid out the process for approvals involved in the project.  It would need to go to the Public Works Committee on January 6th, the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee on January 11th (he didn’t mention but it will go through the City Plan Commission as well), and the full Common Council on January 19th.



Historic Preservation Commission sets December 13th Public Hearing for the Marriott Proposal

Nov 16th, 2010 | By | Category: East Town, Feature, Historic Preservation Commission
Wisconsin Ave.

Wisconsin Ave.

A large crowd turned out, at the November 15th, 2010 Historic Preservation Commission meeting to speak out regarding Wave Development LLC’s request for a Certificate of Appropriateness to demolish buildings located at 319-327 East Wisconsin Ave., and 625-631 North Milwaukee St.  This approval is required before demolition would be allowed as the buildings are part of the East Side Commercial Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Wave Development LLC intends to construct a 200-room Marriott Hotel, that would front both Milwaukee St. and Wisconsin Ave. once the demolition is complete.  The hotel amenities would include a restaurant and bar, fitness center, indoor pool, meeting rooms, and structured parking.

Despite the large crowd, no public testimony was taken as Alderman Bauman made a motion to set a date for a public hearing.  Alderman Bauman explained that per the ordinance the only two options available at the commission at this point in time were to approve the Certificate of Appropriateness, or move to set a date for a public hearing.  Even if the commission had taken testimony, members of the public would need to attend the officially noticed public hearing.  By ordinance this public hearing has to be held in the next thirty days, and so it was scheduled to be held at the next meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission on December 13th, 2010.



Grit Patterns Exhibit

Nov 15th, 2010 | By | Category: Events

The Grit Patterns exhibit at Bay View’s BYO Studio Lounge assembles the work of fourteen student designers conducting materials research at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning.  In their research, students search for the hidden beauty in ordinary construction materials.  Wood, steel and aluminum donated by local manufacturers are transformed into exotic wall and ceiling installations inspired by the fluidity and complexity of living organisms.  Students conduct this work as a form of community outreach in collaboration with Milwaukee businesses.  Participating business owners get an opportunity to upgrade their interiors for a fraction of the usual cost.  This melding of academic research and local business provides a way to insert small works of forward-looking interior design into existing establishments, providing a refreshing change of pace and a moment of visual interest for customers.

After exhibiting the work at BYO Studio Lounge, one installation will go to its permanent home at Roast Coffee Company located at 2132 E Locust St.  This ceiling installation will provide a new backdrop for the service counter.  Another piece is headed for Hi Hat Lounge located at 1709 N Arlington Place, where it will provide a new backdrop for the bar.

Opening Event: Thursday, December 9, 2010, 7:00PM-9:00PM
Gallery Exhibition: December 9, 2010 through December 26, 2010

Location:

BYO Studio Lounge
2246 S Kinnickinnic Ave
Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53207

Flyer



Weekly Bookmarks – Monday, 15. November 2010

Nov 15th, 2010 | By | Category: Bookmarks