New Leader for Downer Avenue Business District

It’s been a big year for Janet Henning.

In January Henning was announced as the new executive director of the Village of Shorewood‘s business improvement district. Now she’s adding a part-time role as the executive director of the Historic Downer Avenue Business Improvement District.

“We are thrilled to welcome Janet and her talents to our beloved Historic Downer Avenue family,” said board president Michael DeMichele in a statement. “Her experience and attention to detail is particularly exciting and we enter the post-pandemic era poised for continued growth and renewal on the street.” DeMichele owns the property that houses the Nehring’s Sendik’s grocery store.

“I look forward to propelling the Downer BID forward and continuing to build on the strengths previously created with the businesses and residents,” said Henning.

Business improvement districts are created by commercial property owners with city support. The quasi-governmental districts levy an additional property tax to fund area improvements and programming. There are several dozen such districts in Milwaukee, primarily focused on historic commercial corridors. The Downer BID has an $80,000 budget in 2022, almost half of which is dedicated to repaying debt associated with a streetscaping project.

The organization’s most notable event is the Downer Classic bicycle race, a longstanding event now part of the Tour of America’s Dairyland series. It also hosts a haunted Halloween event. It is affiliated with the Downer Avenue Merchants Association, a privately-funded nonprofit.

There is $17.7 million of assessed property in the district, according to the 2022 operating plan. Much of that is owned by Seattle-based Bridge33 Capital, which acquired a sizable amount of the commercial strip in April 2020 for $11.25 million. It now owns the properties at 2551-2597 N. Downer Ave. and 2608-2650 N. Downer Ave., which includes the spaces occupied by the theater, Boswell Book Company, Cafe Hollander, Starbucks, Stone Creek Coffee and Pizza Man. Properties in the district stretch from E. Park Pl. to E. Bradford Ave.

The Downer BID was most recently led by Emily McElwee, the former head of the East Town Association. The role has also been held by Elizabeth Brodek and Steph Salvia, both of whom simultaneously led other East Side business improvement districts during their tenures.