Jackson Square Apartments

Jackson Square Apartments

Jackson Square Apartments

Jackson Square Apartments

Jackson Square Apartments

The Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) is in independent agency authorized to hear appeals in matters relating to all zoning ordinances and to review zoning ordinance interpretations made by the Department of City Development. Because the Board acts somewhat like a court, it is called a quasi-judicial body and is required to follow accepted procedures and to fairly evaluate the relevant facts in each case that comes before it. The Board schedules approximately 15 hearings per year (one every three to four weeks) and hears roughly 700 cases each year.

Agenda

The Milwaukee County Committee on Economic & Community Development oversees the administration of federal, state and local housing programs in the county, including the Urban Community Development Block Grant Program. Matters pertaining to economic development of Milwaukee County, including the best disposition of county properties, are decided by this Committee. It also makes decisions on the Research Park and the Airport Business Park.

Meets at 9:00 A.M. on the 2nd Monday before the County Board Meeting in room 203-R of the Milwaukee County Courthouse.

Agenda

All matters concerning county parks and parkways are the responsibility of this Committee. Members set policy for the parks department, organized recreation, cultural activities, the University Extension program, the Environmental Services Division of the Department of Public Works and Zoo park services. Members have jurisdiction over matters concerning the conservation of all uses of energy and make recommendations relating to conservation of air, water, energy and all other resources.

Meets at 9:00 A.M. on the 2nd Tuesday before the County Board Meeting

Agenda

A couple years back, I authored a report for the Public Policy Forum about tax incremental financing (TIF), and warned that communities can use TIF too much, or too little.

Now we learn – from solid reporting by Tom Daykin – that several communities with TIF districts are seeking a special “distressed” designation because the district can’t cover its debt. Approval of the distressed designation allows the community to extend the TIF district’s timeline and pay off its debt.

Is this the right thing to do? Yes and no.

Why is it right? Without extending the timeline, the municipality might default on the bond issue used in creating the TIF district. No one wants to see that happen, as it could negatively impact investors and the municipality itself.

But why is the “distressed” designation for TIFs so distressing? I’m reminded of a quote from historian/writer Lewis Mumford, who said, “Adding lanes to relieve traffic congestion is like loosening your belt to cure obesity.” Same principle applies here.

Allowing communities to take on risky TIF deals with greater ease is wrong, especially those smaller communities with fewer resources to correct bad deals. It hurts them, and it hurts Wisconsin’s biggest cities.

Protecting communities from these deals before they’re adopted should be as high a priority as it is in easing the fiscal stress of bad TIF deals.

So how do we protect communities from bad TIF deals? Well, it’s important to note that the “Great Recession” isn’t the only cause of distressed TIF districts; it’s also bad TIF policy.

Here are some brief recommendations from my report about how best to change Wisconsin’s out-of-date TIF policy (the first two being the most important):

• Lower the maximum rate with which communities can use TIF
• Properly define when communities can use TIF (i.e. concretely define “blight”)
• Prioritize central city development
• Improve regional oversight
• Emphasize greater fiscal scrutiny by municipal governments

A quick highlight. TIF is supposed to be used for redeveloping “blighted” property. But Wisconsin’s statutory “blight” definition is so loose that communities are using TIF to develop prairies and other perfectly usable properties. In contrast, Minnesota’s TIF law clearly defines blight, and thus limits the risk associated with TIF.

Overall, it’s important to remember that while TIF can be extremely useful in redeveloping “blighted” properties, like all good things, it can also be used to excess.

Guest post by: John Kovari

John Kovari is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the 2008-2009 Norman N. Gill Fellow at the Public Policy Forum. Additionally, he has served as a legislative assistant to city of Milwaukee Alderman Michael Murphy.

• Busses: Lean & Green By Riverwest Currents
• New school seeks to make Milwaukee healthier By milwaukeecourieronline.com
• LBWN awarded MANDI for Silver City Townhomes By Sharon McGowan
• Walker proposes major Hoan project By The Business Journal
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April 4, 2011

Community & Economic Development Committee Meeting

April 4, 2011 9:00 am

The Community and Economic Development Committee hears matters relating to community development, block grants, job development, business improvement districts, city public relations, industrial land banks and revenue bonds, emerging business enterprises, recreation, cultural arts and the library system.

The Community and Economic Development Committee meetings start at 9:00 a.m. and are held in the Room 301-B, [...]

City Plan Commission Meeting

April 4, 2011 1:30 pm

The City Plan Commission (CPC) is the City’s official planning body established under State statute and is responsible for master planning activities. The CPC advises the Common Council on a variety of land development issues including zoning map changes, revisions in the zoning ordinance, subdivision approvals, business improvement districts, street and alley vacations, public land [...]

April 5, 2011

Innovative Planning Lectures: Urban Bicycle Standards in Five German and Dutch Cities

April 5, 2011 12:00 pm to 1:20 pm

Mr. Gary Peterson, APA-WI Chapter President

April 6, 2011

Milwaukee County: Committee on Transporation, Public Works and Transit

April 6, 2011 9:00 am

The mission of the Department of Public Works, including the construction and maintenance of county highways, bridges and public structures are the responsibility of this Committee. Members discuss all matters pertaining to the policy of mass transit and the Milwaukee County Transit System, including fares, service routes and capital improvements. The Committee discusses all matters [...]

Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee Meeting

April 6, 2011 9:00 am

The Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee reviews issues relating to city development, zoning, historic preservation, incremental tax financing, building codes and housing projects.

The Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee meetings start at 9:00 a.m. and are held in the Room 301-B, City Hall, unless otherwise noted.[...]

April 7, 2011

The Wheel & Sprocket Expo

April 7, 2011 to April 10, 2011

The Wheel & Sprocket Expo will be April 7-10, 2011 at the Wisconsin Expo Center at State Fair Park in West Allis, Wis. It’s the nation’s largest single bicycle event. Admission is free. This event is a great way to learn and communicate with others about cycling. If you register for UPAF’s Ride for the [...]

Finance & Personnel Committee Meeting

April 7, 2011 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.

The Finance and Personnel Committee meetings are held in the Room 301-B, City Hall, unless otherwise noted.

This lecture is free and open to the public. The Charles Causier Memorial Lecture is held annually at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Department of Urban Planning in honor of the late alumnus and colleague. Charles Causier worked passionately as a professional planner, citizen planner and inspirational educator. This marks the seventh year of the Causier Lecture. It will be registered for 1.5 CM credit hours.

Dr. Fitzgerald is professor and director of the graduate program in Law and Public Policy and a Senior Research Fellow at the Dukakis Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University. Her third book, Emerald Cities: Urban Sustainability and Economic Development (Oxford Univ. Press), examines how cities are creating economic development opportunities in several green sectors and discusses the state and national policy needed to support these efforts. Emerald Cities builds on her 2002 book, Economic Revitalization: Strategies and Cases for City and Suburb, (Sage) which identifies strategies for incorporating sustainability and social justice goals into urban economic development planning

Her 2006 book, Moving Up in the New Economy, (Cornell Univ. Press) focuses on how to build career ladders for low-income workers. Fitzgerald has published in academic journals such as Economic Development Quarterly, Urban Affairs Quarterly, Urban Affairs and the political journal, The American Prospect. Her academic and consulting work has been supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur, Annie E. Casey, Rockefeller Brothers, Rockefeller, Surdna, Century, and Robert Wood Johnson Foundations. She has also conducted research for the U.S. Department of Labor, the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the Boston Housing Authority and other government agencies.

UWM School of Architecture and Urban Planning (SARUP)
Room 170
2131 E. Hartford Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53201

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

The Finance and Personnel Committee meetings are held in the Room 301-B, City Hall, unless otherwise noted.

The Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee reviews issues relating to city development, zoning, historic preservation, incremental tax financing, building codes and housing projects.

The Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee meetings start at 9:00 a.m. and are held in the Room 301-B, City Hall, unless otherwise noted.

Agenda