BID Sells Streetcar-Related Development

UPDATE: The guide described below is now live on MilwaukeeDowntown.com.

It’s about to get a lot easier to find underutilized land or vacant commercial space in Downtown Milwaukee. Milwaukee Downtown, a self-taxing business improvement district, is producing a Milwaukee Streetcar Development Guide under the direction of the BID’s economic development director Matt Dorner. Dorner unveiled a draft of the plan at a meeting of the streetcar implementation committee this morning and plans to publish the guide on the BID’s website later today.

The guide was made following similar efforts in other cities that have recently built streetcars, including Atlanta, Kansas City and Tucson. It will highlight approximately 50 acres of land that the district has labeled as underutilized, as well as a number of vacant commercial spaces. It will be targeted at developers, real estate brokers, potential tenants and existing property owners. Describing how it might be used, Dorner offered the example of a company interested in being located near the stop at the Milwaukee Public Market, that could look at the website and quickly see all space available for lease.

According to Dorner, the final product will be a section on MilwaukeeDowntown.com that includes site profiles, proximity mapping to streetcar stops, and a construction timeline. As part of their efforts, the city will link to the guide from multiple areas on their website. A paper guide will also be produced, a draft of which is included below. The BID intends to use third-party service OppSites to map development opportunities on the website.

Department of City Development commissioner Rocky Marcoux expressed support for the guide, noting that it lends credibility because it’s not coming directly from city government. The involvement of Milwaukee Downtown “speaks volumes” about the streetcar project, and they’ve done an “incredible job… helping us politically and practically in moving the streetcar forward,” Marcoux declared. He noted that the involvement of the BID signals that some of the biggest employers in the city, including Northwestern Mutual and Johnson Controls, are on board with the streetcar. As for the new guide itself, Marcoux predicted “everyone will use it” and praised its universal appeal, noting it will help everyone from brokers and developers to existing property owners and entrepreneurs.

Milwaukee Downtown’s membership is constituted of downtown commercial property owners that have elected to tax themselves. The BID coordinates a wide number of events and programs including Downtown Dining Week, Downtown Employee Appreciation Week, the summer trolley loop, the Public Service Ambassadors and graffiti removal crews. The organization is led by CEO Beth Weirick.

Groundbreaking Date

The official Milwaukee Streetcar groundbreaking is expected this spring. Marcoux noted that Mayor Tom Barrett will hold an event at an “appropriate time.”

What’s in the way? As Tim Clancy of the Concord Group detailed in his progress report at the meeting, much utility relocation works remains, but things are progressing on-schedule and on-budget for service to begin in 2018. The city, through private contractors, completed a substantial amount of Milwaukee Water Works infrastructure relocation in late 2015 and will wrap up their work in the spring. In addition, Clancy noted that he expected to receive a final budget and plan from We Energies in the next 30 days for their relocation work. According to Clancy, We Energies has applied to the Public Service Commission to get the regulatory approvals needed to relocate their lines and is negotiating a final agreement with the City Attorney’s office. Additional agreements will be signed soon with the telecommunications companies that have relocation needs.

Clancy noted in his presentation that $9.1 million has been spent so far out of the project’s $123 million budget. The lakefront extension, which received a federal grant to complete its funding in October, is scheduled to be at 30 percent design completion in the next 30 days.

Urban Milwaukee Streetcar Coverage

• Pennsylvania Company Wins Streetcar Contract – Jeramey Jannene – November 13th, 2015
• City Accepts $14 Million Federal Streetcar Grant – Michael Horne – October 29th, 2015
• Anti-Streetcar Petition Dies – Bruce Murphy – August 28th, 2015
• Scott Walker Aids Milwaukee Streetcar – Jeramey Jannene – July 13th, 2015
• Streetcar Construction Starts in October – Jeramey Jannene – July 10th, 2015
• The Strange Politics of Anti-Streetcar-ites – Bruce Murphy – June 18th, 2015
• Anti-Streetcar Petition Drive Fails – Bruce Murphy – March 5th, 2015
• Streetcar Signing Is Quite a Celebration – Michael Horne – February 13th, 2015
• Milwaukee Streetcar Approved – Jeramey Jannene – February 10th, 2015
• Who’s Lobbying for the Streetcar – Bruce Murphy – February 5th, 2015
• Will Streetcar Help the Inner City? – Bruce Thompson – February 4th, 2015
• City Attorney Says Streetcar Petitions Might be Moot – Bruce Murphy – January 30th, 2015
• Millennials And The Streetcar – Bruce Thompson – January 27th, 2015
• Streetcar Responses Show Wide Support – Jeramey Jannene – January 22nd, 2015
• Streetcar Approved, but Held – Jeramey Jannene – January 21st, 2015
• Koch-Funded Group Backs Anti-Streetcar Drive – Bruce Murphy – January 20th, 2015
• Streetcar Backers Say They Have the Votes – Jeramey Jannene – January 20th, 2015
• Who is Funding the Anti-Streetcar Effort? – Bruce Murphy – January 20th, 2015
• Will Anti-Streetcar Referendum Succeed? – Bruce Murphy – January 9th, 2015
• The Story Behind the Streetcar Referendum – Michael Horne and Bruce Murphy – January 8th, 2015
• Council Delays Streetcar Until January – Jeramey Jannene – December 16th, 2014
• Committee Takes No Action on Streetcar – Jeramey Jannene – December 10th, 2014
• Committee Approves Milwaukee Streetcar – Jeramey Jannene – December 9th, 2014
• RACM Approves Tax Funding for Streetcar – Michael Horne – December 8th, 2014
• How to Sell the Streetcar – Michael Horne – November 28th, 2014
• Next Stops for the Streetcar – Michael Horne – November 24th, 2014
• Barrett Moving Forward with Streetcar – Jeramey Jannene – November 18th, 2014
• Who Will Be Streetcar Operator – Michael Horne – May 8th, 2014
• A Streetcar Named Cooperation? – Dave Reid – April 27th, 2014
• How a Streetcar Spurs Development – Angie Schmitt – November 3rd, 2013
• Streetcar Social – Michael Horne – September 12th, 2013
• Mayor Says Streetcar is a “Trojan Horse” – Michael Horne – April 17th, 2013
• Whoops, We Changed Our Mind – Dave Reid – September 27th, 2012
• Battle of the Bobs: Donovan vs Bauman Streetcar Press Conference – Jeramey Jannene – May 18th, 2012
• Important Hoan Bridge and Milwaukee Streetcar Meetings This Week – Dave Reid – November 14th, 2011
• Milwaukee Streetcar Passes Common Council – Jeramey Jannene – July 26th, 2011
• Keep the Milwaukee Streetcar Moving Forward – Jeramey Jannene – July 8th, 2011
• Milwaukee Streetcar at Apex – Jeramey Jannene – June 16th, 2011
• Milwaukee Streetcar Takes Key Step Forward – Jeramey Jannene – May 6th, 2010
• Milwaukee Streetcar Meeting This Thursday – Jeramey Jannene – October 5th, 2009
• Milwaukee Streetcar Routes Unveiled by Mayor Barrett – Jeramey Jannene – September 21st, 2009
• Milwaukee Streetcar Round-Up – Jeramey Jannene – April 19th, 2009
• Vote for your Favorite Milwaukee Streetcar Route – Jeramey Jannene – March 25th, 2009
• Design Your Own Streetcar Route – Jeramey Jannene – March 23rd, 2009
• Streetcars Coming to Milwaukee – Dave Reid – March 14th, 2009