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.[...]

Richard Wanta, Executive Director of the Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association, spoke in opposition of the project saying that “the same city has chased us out of town for decades”.  He went on to point out that there is currently only one major water and sewer contractor in the city, so once this passes that contractor is especially likely to get all of the available work in the area because of the new regulations.

Dick Lincoln, Senior Vice President of the Mandel Group, started his remarks saying that “the camel is a horse that is designed by committee” indicating the ordinance wasn’t quite right but went on to say that “we’re almost there”.  He explained that generally he felt the ordinance was a positive but that the prevailing wage requirement was problematic.  He argued that it works against minority hiring, as smaller companies often compete on price, and that this would add substantially to the cost of the project.

Barry Mandel, President of the Mandel Group, pointed to the PERC requirements in the Park East and tied them to the fact that development has been non-existent in the county owned portion of the Park East.  He then pointed to The Brewery and The North End projects as two projects that have been moving forward because they utilizing non-prevailing wages.

Greg Uhen, President of Eppstein Uhen Architects, spoke out against the proposed ordinance saying that “my concern is that it will reduce the number of opportunities that come to the city” and that he felt “this is another roadblock, another reason for them not to come”.

The line of members in support of the ordinance were at least as lengthy as those who spoke in opposition of the ordinance.  They argued the ordinance would be a a means to improve the City of Milwaukee by putting more residents back to work, and that it would bring equity to hiring standards.

Shelia Cochran, Secretary-Treasurer of the Milwaukee County Labor Council, said some of the comments regarding the prevailing wage requirements were “appalling” and went on to say “why in this day and time has it become fashionable that a black man’s labor is worth less than a white man’s labor” which riled up the audience and prompted Alderman Davis to respond “you have one minute left to continue to chastise them”.

Former Mayor Marvin Pratt explained that he is working with a development group that will adhere to these rules in the Park East, implying that if his group can make the PERC requirements work then other developers can get by with the MORE requirements.  He also spoke of his efforts in the past related to improving minority hiring practices and requested the Common Council “do away with gradualism” and approve this ordinance right away.

Lyle Balistreri, President Milwaukee Building & Construction Trades Council, explained that within the trades there is currently 20 – 25% unemployment and expressed his support for the ordinance saying “it’s a great ordinance”.

Pam Fendt, of the Good Jobs Livable Neighborhoods Coalition, argued that there really is no conflict between paying prevailing wages and increasing the hiring of minority workers.

After the public hearing the ordinance was taken in to committee for debate and an eventual vote.

Alderman Wade spoke forcibly in support of the ordinance saying that “this is a highly emotional issue” but that “we’re here to fix something that’s not working”.  He appeared to speak directly to the development community saying that “it only applies to you if you take city money” and that “there are too many people getting rich off Milwaukee”.

Alderman Witkowski referenced a letter from the city comptroller indicating that the comptroller believed this ordinance would cause projects to be lost to other cities.  He then went on to say that “I have grave reservation as to [this ordinance] hurting the City of Milwaukee more than helping it”.

Alderman Witkowiak expressed his opposition to the ordinance stating “as this ordinance is written today I can not support it, mostly because of the prevailing wage”.  He explained that many Hispanic owned contracting companies from his district had contacted him and indicated that this ordinance would hurt their business.  It was clear from his statements that the primary concern was over the prevailing wage requirements but otherwise he felt “we’re real close and that it could be great for the City of Milwaukee”.

Alderman Davis, who had ran a very tight meeting, by cutting off all speakers after just a couple of minutes regardless of if they were praying, or attempting to make a point, said that this ordinance was “about equity”.  Further he went on to defend the prevailing wage requirements say that “you’re looking at a Chairman who actually benefited from a prevailing wage”.

This ordinance was approved on a 3 to 2 vote and will now go before the full Common Council.

Another item of interest was the authorization of travel spending to attend meetings of the National League of Cities’ Board of Directors and International Council.  Alderman Davis was recently elected to a two year term on National League of Cities Board of Directors which requires him to travel to represent the City of Milwaukee.  Both Alderman Witkowiak and Alderman Wade took a minute to thank Alderman Davis for his efforts and indicated they believed his efforts were of value to the city. This resolution was approved and will now go before the Common Council.

The art work features a little something for everyone with prices that can match just about any budget.  The 1,000-square-feet gallery features the artifacts integrated into settings one would expect to find in a condo or apartment in Milwaukee.

This isn’t the first gallery for the brother and sister team, they opened their first gallery 16 years ago in Lake Geneva.  The gallery was located in Crystal Lake, Illinois that sold records as well as artifacts.  Tom, currently a resident of Crystal Lake, Illinois, at one time leased space on Michigan Ave in Chicago as an additional gallery.  In 2001, they opened their flagship gallery in Lake Geneva.

Pinkl, who procures the gallery’s inventory, spent time describing to us the effort he puts into finding the pieces, all of which are originals.  His experience as a chemical exporter allowed him to build long-term relationships with the local communities that create this art.

Tom and Shelly are soon to be neighbors to their new gallery, both have purchased condos in the soon-to-open Breakwater Condominiums.  Their decision to open their gallery in the 601 Lofts building was not a result of their decision to buy in the Breakwater, however.  They shopped around based on price and location, knowing that their target audience was condo owners.  They also had an interest in owning their location, which made the business condos in the 601 Lofts quite attractive.  Further helping their decision was the organic clustering with the next-door Shabahang & Sons Persian Carpets.

We’re pleased to see a new unique, business opening in Milwaukee that is not only committed to the city in terms of opening a store, but becoming residents of the city and neighborhood their business is in.

First, the Brady Street Festival celebrated some of Milwaukee’s favorite things, beer and cheese. But beyond celebrating our local food favorites, this festival also highlighted one of our great neighborhoods and our vibrant streets. Second, the Downer Avenue Race drew bicycle racers from around the country and a large crowd to cheer them on. Just like the Brady Street Festival, it also featured one of Milwaukee’s vibrant streets and brought residents out to experience the East Side.

(If the video doesn’t display it can also be seen here)

Both of these events show off some of the best that Milwaukee has to offer and it is good that these festivals encourage people to get out and enjoy their city, walk their neighborhoods, and interact with the community. Despite our love of street festivals, Milwaukee doesn’t participate in a car-free event, Ciclovía, that has spread to cities as different as New York and El Paso.

Ciclovía originated in Bogota, Columbia during the 1970′s as a way to put more eyes on the street, help people to enjoy their city again, and encourage residents to exercise by bicycling. A Ciclovía would close down many stretches of road for a day and give them over to bicyclists and pedestrians to ride or walk as far as they choose. Unfortunately the concept of closing streets to cars, even for a day, is often a scary proposition to traffic engineers so ideas like these are slow to arrive in Milwaukee. As the movement to remake our cities for people instead of cars grows I’m hopeful that one day we’ll have a Ciclovía right here in Milwaukee. What’s your take?

I’m not going to speculate on whether this means Mandel knows something we don’t in regards to winning the Request-For-Proposal from the UWM Real Estate Foundation, but they appear to be going ahead as such at the moment.

Scott Kindness, of Kindess Architecture, explained that the existing zoning would allow unlimited height, up to 186 units and a volume of approximately 112,000 square feet.  He showed a variety of renderings and examples that pointed out that the change in zoning request is “basically just a re-allocation of that volume” because under current zoning it would require a building with wedding cake style setbacks so instead they’ve proposed a taller thinner building that would be about 60 feet wide.  He also noted that they have reduced the design by a story and a half since the neighborhood meeting.  The design now calls for a 26-story building with a maximum of 35-units and five levels of parking.  The parking garage would include windows looking into the parking area to lesson the impact on the eastern side.  He also explained that they didn’t design it with underground parking because it would be impractical without access to the site from the east and that underpinning the mansion would likely be unworkable.  Further he pointed out that “if we go down below one level we undermine the structure to the north”.

H. Russell Zimmerman spoke about the historic preservation efforts that will be undertaken in this project.  He pointed out that at one time the site that 1522 On the Lake sits on was home to Governor George Peck’s Manson, so this development proposal saves the Goll Mansion unlike previous high-rise developments.  As he did at the July 17th community meeting he pointed out that there are similar examples of this style of preservation throughout the world, most notably the Villard Houses in New York City.  Specifically the rehabilitation of the mansion would restore the first floor essentially to its original design with the addition of access to the new tower.  The second floor of the mansion will contain two guest suites and possibly a care-taker suite.  The third floor will restore a large meeting room and convert it into a club house or community room.  He also pointed out that they have most of the original barge boards which had been removed by a previous owner and that they were literally saved out of the dumpster.  He made a strong case for the project by stating that the “bottom line, I think this is the greatest possible solution for one of the few remaining mansions on Prospect Avenue”.

Martha Brown, of the Department of City Development (“DCD”), laid out the three parameters specified by the city attorney that HPC should consider as part of the COA’s approval.

1. If the work on the structure will have a negative impact on exterior features.
2. If the connecting structure fits the guidelines and has no negative impacts.
3. If the tower constructed in the “back yard” will have a negative impact on the exterior features.

The city staff made the recommendation to approve the COA if the developer were to meet these requirements.

1. The tuck-pointing is limited to only those areas that need work, that the mortar matches, and that staff reviews the mortar work before it begins.
2. The front porch is rebuilt to its original design.
3. The developer will provide shop drawings of additional features.

Many residents and interested parties spoke out regarding this project, both for and against it.  Randy Bryant, from Preserve our Parks, indicated that New Land Enterprises had met with Preserve our Parks and he in spoke in favor of the project saying that “everything we have requested has been incorporated into the project”.  Kevin Donahue, one of two architects on the City Hall project and a board member of Milwaukee Preservation Alliance (“MPA”), spoke in favor of the project and reminded the audience that “once these buildings are gone, they’re gone”.  Todd Farris, an attorney representing the 1522 On the Lake Condo Association pointed to the historic preservation guideline study report and claimed that regardless of designation of site that HPC has jurisdiction.  He went on to say that “this would violate the constitutional rights of his clients” and that the commission should “rise above the politics because it is inconsistent with their guidelines”.  There were residents who spoke to their concerns regarding the impact to their views, property values, and preservation of the Goll Mansion as well as a long list of people who put their names in as opposed but didn’t wish to speak.  Part of this opposition included Dawn McCarthy, Peter Kovac and Thea Kovac all of which are still involved with a lawsuit between them, the City of Milwaukee and New Land Enterprises.

After hearing hours of public testimony HPC took the issue into the commission for discussion.  Sandra A. McSweeney, an HPC member, spoke in opposition because the parking structure would be higher than the ridge line of the Goll House.  She also didn’t approve of the proposed AC locations on the new tower, thought the connector was to small and “too shed like”, and she didn’t understand how the access from the Mansion would work.  Other HPC members saw value in the project and added their support and comments.  Ann Pieper Eisenbrown, an HPC member, added that “we could continue to let the building to sit” or approve the COA and allow for its preservation to occur.  Sandy Ackerman, an HPC member, added that “I want to save the mansion” and went on to say that “I do believe that the next step would be demolition”.  Indicating her belief that the way to save the Goll Mansion was to support this development because otherwise it would likely be lost.  Alderman Bauman, an HPC member, explained that if they didn’t approve the project, the property owner could apply to demolish the property, and that even the lawyer for 1522 On the Lake admits that “it would be better for 1522 if he just demolished the building”.

Although much of the discussion revolved around historic preservation, New Land Enterprises had worked out a memorandum of agreement between itself and the Milwaukee Preservation Alliance regarding the project so these concerns should of been alleviated and this called into question the true reasons for opposition.  Alderman Bauman went on to say that “all this talk about historic preservation, not by everybody, but by many people this is all phony”, that “most of the argument are smokescreens” and “I’m not sure we heard honest testimony as to why people really oppose this project”.  This line of discussion upset the residents, as audible groan could be heard, but the point he was making was that much of opposition and the discussion around historic preservation was possibly a cover for other motives.

Alderman Kovac spoke neither in opposition or support but mainly wanted a guarantee that if this project was to go forward that the Goll Mansion truly would be preserved.  Boris Gokhman, of New Land Enterprises, explained that the Goll Mansion would be restored as it was “one of the major reason people will buy it”.  Indicating that people buying condos in the development will expect the entrance-way to their condos to be completed and see it as part of their reason to buy.  Further New Land Enterprises agreed to have the memorandum of agreement added as the fourth criteria to the COA.  Ann Pieper Eisenbrown made a motion to approve the COA with the additional condition that the restoration work is consistent with the memorandum of agreement.  The COA was approved with the additional condition with only HPC Member Sandra A. McSweeney voting in opposition.

After the Historic Preservation Commission approved the COA the City Plan Commission took up the DPD.  Whitney Gould started off CPC’s brief discussion saying “I think it is an usually creative solution to a preservation problem” and then she gave a great discussion on how similar preservation projects have happened in many cities around the world.  She made a motion to approve the DPD with two conditions.  First, the architect will work with planning staff to tweak the garage, to hopefully lesson its impact.  Secondly that any significant changes that effect the Goll Mansion itself will go back to HPC.  The DPD was approved and will now go before the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee.

Great Lakes Distillery, Milwaukee’s local vodka distiller, is moving their operations from Capital and Holton to 616 W Virginia St in The Tannery complex of buildings.

This has been picked up by a lot of other sources (including the JS, The Daily Reporter, RNN, and the Business Journal) so I’m not going to bore you with details on what it includes, but the tours sound great. I’m more concerned with what it means for the city.

Guy Rehorst wanted more space, and he could have went anywhere in the metro-area and still called got away with calling it Milwaukee’s vodka. He chose to stay in urban Milwaukee though. Why?

I haven’t talked to him directly, but here’s a couple guesses. It’s nice being close to your customers. It’s also a plus when you’re located by a Harley museum to generate a steady stream of customers for your tours. Being in a historic tannery building feels cool too, one could imagine.

What does his business mean to Milwaukee? Realistically, not a lot of jobs directly, but there are other benefits. Everyone involved in local alcohol production deserves a huge round of applause from me, as do the people that drink it. Milwaukee is going to drink it’s share of alcohol, so it’s best that it’s made in Milwaukee.

Every time you sip Rehorst compared to Absolut more money is staying in Milwaukee. Same with Lakefront, Water Street, and Alehouse beers vs Budweiser (and yes, even Miller). So while none of these distilleries create massive amounts of jobs, they keep wealth from leaving the city, and hopefully long-term bring wealth in (as they ultimately sell outside 124th Street).

They also have this huge marketability asset that makes all of them being so close together so great. They’re great places to go. Now Guy’s tour is not running yet, but I imagine it’ll be something people talk about. It’s yet one more thing for people to do in urban Milwaukee (see: Fonz statue) that isn’t enough to draw people to come here on their own, but adds to a mixing pot of great things that make Milwaukee special compared to somewhere huge like Atlanta or small like Janesville.

Milwaukee is a great place to be and with entrepreneurs like Guy Rehorst, isn’t anywhere close to losing it’s alcohol heritage, even with Miller moving to Chicago or Dallas (yeah, I said it).