Recently, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Chancellor Carlos Santiago announced his resignation from UWM to become the Chief Executive Officer of the Hispanic College Fund in Washington, D.C. I imagine our long time readers would expect us to be dancing a jig or throwing quite the party at the possibility that his departure could derail the Wauwatosa expansion, but believe it or not, we’re disappointed he’s leaving UWM.

One of the many things that makes urban neighborhoods special is their dynamic nature. Unlike a suburban cul-de-sac, an urban neighborhood is never finished. A healthy urban neighborhood sees a steady influx of infill development or building rehabilitation as the success of the neighborhood builds upon itself. Milwaukee’s East Side residents and business owners are likely to see the results of such infill development over the course of the next year as a number of new buildings open. The projects run a fairly wide spectrum of different development types, including a dorm, hospital, independent-living facility, and high-end apartments.

Milwaukee’s street festivals are fantastic. More so than even the city’s ethnic festivals held at the Henry Maier Festival Grounds, Milwaukee’s street festivals bring together a neighborhood and support the neighborhood’s businesses. Having festival grounds on the lakefront dedicated to public events surely makes Milwaukee a great place to be on summer weekends. It’s the street festivals that offer something truly unique though. The public can party at the Henry Maier Festival Grounds nearly every weekend during the summer, but it’s rare that one can stand in the center of the road on Brady Street enjoying a cold beer from Trocadero or gelato from Peter Scorinto’s Bakery. The use of streets as festival grounds affords attendees a unique perspective of the neighborhood. Unobstructed by the roar of engines, thousands of attendees are free to take leisurely strolls exploring the booths of local artists and sampling the wares of local eateries. Unfortunately though, the party is cut off abruptly at 11 p.m. so the street can be opened for traffic.

In August UW-Milwaukee will begin occupying Cambridge Commons, their new 700-bed residence hall. Owned by the UWM Real Estate Foundation and developed by the Mandel Group, the near-complete residence hall raises the bar for Milwaukee student housing when it comes to quality and ecological sustainability.

At the May 3rd, 2010 City Plan Commission meeting the proposed Milwaukee River Greenway Overlay District was brought for the commission for approval. This overlay district would impact 370 properties, these are properties that property lines are within approximately 50 feet of the river bluff, of which 70 to 80% is existing parkland.

Wednesday night the Greenwich Village Neighborhood Association held a meeting to discuss Mercy Housing Lakefront’s East Side apartment proposal. Alderman Kovac started the meeting out explaining that “the process begins now,” but if this meeting was any indication then it was the end as this project was voted down by the neighborhood group.

There’s often talk regarding whether UWM is a commuter campus or not, and although it still has numerous commuter students UWM has been evolving into a full blown campus environment for years. This change has stirred up East Side residents and put a greater demand on the neighborhood, but Milwaukee’s future is closely tied to UWM’s future so this evolution needs to be embraced, not challenged.

Mercy Housing Lakefront, Inc., intends to construct a 9-story apartment building with 75 apartments and eight townhouses on the existing 13,400 square foot city owned surface parking lot at the corner of N. Farwell Ave. and Thomas St. Additionally, it will have 85 garage spaces for residents and 30 garage spaces for use by US Bank and the public, which would replace most of the surface parking removed for this development.

Ever wondered what it would be like to be up in a tower crane? Just what kind of view you would get from up there?

You’ve heard the sad story of Pizza Man, Cush, Black and White Cafe, and Grecian Delight, as well as the unfortunate residents that lost everything (fundraiser Thursday night). You’ve probably heard by now that there are some indications that the fire was started as an act of arson. What you probably haven’t given much thought to yet is what will occupy that iconic corner.