Downtown block parties are coming, use of bike racks on MCTS buses doubles year-over-year, explore the Historic Concordia neighborhood with HMI, UWM gets a zoning change, The Moderne is meeting hiring requirements, and kids can ride free on the Amtrak Hiawatha this summer.

Welcome to the third installment of Eyes on Milwaukee. This week we take a look at Milwaukee’s sales tax rate compared to other major cities, the Bradley Center’s new transportation option, UWM’s continued insistence on growing parking subsidies, and a whole lot of development news.

In December 2007 RSC & Associates closed on the purchase of Block 26 in the Park East for $2,725,000. Since then RSC & Associates has attempted a variety of method to develop the site, but due to economic conditions were unable to begin construction.

MSOE’s $28 million, 750 stall parking garage proposal received approval at the February 22nd, 2012 meeting of the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee meeting.

For over a year the City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee County, and various regional entities worked together in attempt to bring Kohl’s corporate headquarters to downtown Milwaukee. Unfortunately, they were unsuccessful. Some have been quick to judge saying the moral of the story is, the city is a failure, and Mayor Barrett can’t get the job done. Now, it is true the city didn’t win, this time, but is the moral of the story, failure?

A ceremonial groundbreaking took place at the corner of Pleasant and Water streets today for the Portrait and Silhouette buildings at The North End, collectively known as Phase Two of The North End. A number of public officials were on hand representing the large number of public funding sources required to get the project off the ground (or more aptly, in the ground) with the state of private financing for development.

Mandel Group will be breaking ground on the second phase of The North End development project tomorrow. In January financing for the project was finalized with the completion of a $54.6 million WHEDA bond sale, and the completion of a direct placement of $7.75 million in tax-exempt bonds by Mandel Group.

Milwaukee County and the City of Milwaukee City Plan Commission both unanimously recommended approval of the Milwaukee School of Engineering’s parking garage proposal in the Park East. These approvals point out that City of Milwaukee and Milwaukee County politicians are anxious to see new development in the Park East. Unfortunately, as currently conceived this isn’t a project worthy of approval.

Mandel Group will be moving forward with the second phase of the North End development project in February.

Dermond Property Investments’ request for a change in zoning for the properties 1601 N. Jackson and 522 E. Pleasant St. from Local Business (LB2) to a Detailed Planned Development (DPD) was held at today’s Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee.