Feature
Finally Activity at Park East Square
On December 21st 2007 RSC & Associates signed an agreement to purchase a parcel of land, known as Block 26, in the Park East Freeway corridor from Milwaukee County. It was believed at the time of the sale that RSC & Associates would break ground on two new hotels within a 90 days. Understandably development projects take a time and as this project nears its third year, finally there is a small sign of progress at the site. RSC & Associates have begun erecting the construction fence. Although this project has had a troubled history with its lengthy delays, numerous changes, and squabbling in the press, potentially this project will be getting in the ground and the next development in the Park East will begin to rise this summer.
Apr 23rd, 2008 by Dave Reid
Ald. Bohl Pushes Commission To Deny Density
A land division request to create twelve lots for single-family housing on the South Side of W. Bobolink Ave and West of W Appleton Ave met criticisms of being to dense and not being consistent with the neighborhood. Although this development is not indicative of the urban development happening throughout the City of Milwaukee it points out the divide between the urban and suburban parts of the city. Throughout the vast majority of the city you’ll find density numbers far in excess of 2.9 households per acre where in this part of the city local Alderman Jim Bohl argued that 2.9 households per acre was too dense for the neighborhood and therefore undesirable. Despite these tremendously low density numbers and evidence presented showing that there are developments in the area with similar density numbers it was apparent Bohl would push for less housing to be built on the site. The commission held this resolution to allow the developer to work with Bohl and the neighborhood on a reworked plan.
Apr 22nd, 2008 by Dave Reid
BOZA Approves 2040 Lofts Variance
Scion Group‘s $16 million expansion of 2040 Lofts went before the Board of Zoning Appeals (BOZA) to obtain a dimensional variance allowing for less parking spots than required by current zoning. Having received conditional approval and support of the local Alderman previously this project has begun construction on the foundation work and is scheduled to be completed in 2009. Despite one neighboring property owner’s concerns regarding parking the board recognized that this is a student housing development and that the demand for parking would be lower than a typical development of this size. In a further attempt to alleviate parking concerns and allow students from Marquette University, MSOE, MIAD and UWM to live within the development, the Scion Group has plans for shuttle buses to run from 2040 Lofts to various destinations throughout the city. Finally it was pointed out during the meeting that if this project was zoned as an apartment building, instead of a rooming house, it would already meet the zoning requirements. The board followed the local Alderman’s recommendation and approved this variance.
Apr 21st, 2008 by Dave Reid
The Alterra Story
What makes urban Milwaukee special? One of those things is certainly committed local businesses. Alterra Coffee Roasters is certainly one of those companies. Recently the Small Business Times sat down with Alterra’s founders Ward Fowler, Paul Miller, Lincoln Fowler to discuss where the company is headed and how the new Riverwest location on Humboldt fits into that.
Apr 19th, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene
Green Vendor in Wisconsin?
If you have a “green” product or service in Wisconsin, now may be your time to shine. Walmart as part of their sustainability program is looking for Wisconsin-based green products or services including things like organic produce, landscaping services, or recycling services. Definitely worth your time to check out if you’re a producer of any product you can sell as “green”. Let me know if you have any success. I’m curious if I can sell “urban advocacy” in a bottle.
Apr 19th, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene
2008 Near North Side Area Plan Online Survey
In January of 2008 the Near North Side Area planning process got underway with a Kick-Off event held at Eaton Corporation. Today the Department of City Development launched an online survey asking residents for their input into the planning process. If you have thoughts on what will further the growth and development of the Near North Side Area, which includes part of the vitally important 30th St. Industrial Corridor as well as parts of the 1st, 6th, 7th, and 15th Aldermanic districts, then you can participate by completing the Near North Side Area Plan Survey.
Apr 18th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Milwaukee Vodka Maker Moving to Walker’s Point
FO BEVERAGES A HOBBY Originally uploaded by strobist 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).
Apr 16th, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene
5th Ward’s Growth Continues
Work has begun on at the former Transpak buildings located at 235 E. Pittsburgh Ave. The first is a smaller more recent building which had significant structural problems and is in the process of being demolished. The second is a larger warehouse building that is in the process of being gutted for a mixed-use redevelopment. To accommodate a first floor retail component the City of Milwaukee recently vacated the turning lane adjacent to this property. The new 102-room Iron Horse Hotel located at 500 W. Florida St. has been under construction for several months and should open during the summer of 2008. It will be run by Miami boutique hotel operator Desire Hotels. Desire Hotels operates numerous high-end hotels throughout the country including the The Strand and The Sagamore. The Iron Horse Hotel will bring this same level of style to Milwaukee by featuring exposed brick and timber, down pillows, high-end linens, walk-in showers, flat screen TVs, Wi-Fi and covered parking for motorcycles. Additionally, the redevelopment of 234 W. Florida is making good progress. New windows have been installed throughout half of the structure and the gutting and reconstruction of the second half is well underway. The 5th Ward has shown to be one of the emerging neighborhoods in Milwaukee and these project are just a small portion of the redevelopment efforts that have been ongoing.
Apr 15th, 2008 by Dave Reid
RTKL to Facilitate 2008 Downtown Planning Process
On Tuesday April 8th the Department of City Development held its first Plan Advisory Group (PAG) meeting for the 2008 Downtown Plan. The PAG will work with the Department of City Development (DCD) and the urban design firm RTKL throughout the planning process. Specifically over the next seven months PAG members who are primarily made up of business owners, residents, and other stakeholders will meet three or four more times to voice their opinions and shape the future of downtown Milwaukee. RTKL is a worldwide planning firm that focuses on creating great vibrant places where people live, work and play. RTKL has an extensive background in urban planning and has been involved in numerous planning projects. Recently they’ve been involved in plans for Mockingbird Station, Dallas Main Street District, and the Oklahoma City Downtown Action Plan all of which attempt to create lively urban environments. Additionally Terry Wendt, of RTKL, has experience on the Power and Light District project where he managed site development. This extensive experience with large urban planning projects gives hope for a successful planning effort here in Milwaukee that may one day lead to Milwaukee’s own version of the Power and Light District.
Apr 13th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Alderman D’Amato’s Parting Gift to Milwaukee
City of Milwaukee essentially came to end on Wednesday April 9th, 2008. Despite what some residents of the 3rd district may believe this is a significant loss for the City of Milwaukee. Over the years Alderman Michael D’Amato has had conflicts with UWM students and certain residents groups over specific issues but more importantly he pushed for Smart Growth initiatives, encouraged development, was key in the development of new student housing options for UWM, worked to bring Manpower to downtown Milwaukee, and most importantly improved the city as a whole. At his last ever Common Council meeting Alderman D’Amato, along with Alderman Tony Zielinski and Alderman Bob Bauman, entered one more resolution that showed his strong support for the City of Milwaukee. This resolution, his last gift to the City of Milwaukee, encouraged UWM to expand within the City of Milwaukee. It is still unknown what is next for Alderman D’Amato but clearly his leadership on the Council and desire to grow Milwaukee will be missed.
Apr 10th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Community & Economic Development Holds North End Training Plan
Resolution 071618 would authorize the terms of a job training program utilizing part of the $500,000 that the North End development received as part of its TIF funding. Dick Lincoln, from the Mandel Group, presented an overview of the North End development highlighting their environmental remediation efforts, the creation of new public places and then covered the job training component of the project. Dick Lincoln said that “the focus of that job training program was going to be on developing the capacity of existing business rather than job skill training and workforce development. Essentially they will work with Emerging Business Enterprise (EBE) firms to grow their business with the goal of being able to participate in the development of the North End development in the future. The committee felt this plan needed further review and additionally breakdown of the costs so it was held at the call of the chair.
Apr 9th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Zoning Committee Approves Bookends Proposal
Resolution 071392 would authorize $1.25 million of additional funding from Tax Incremental District #48 for development of a riverwalk and associated public improvements located at 202 West Juneau Ave. $858,042 of the funding will go towards construction of a riverwalk, dock wall, public boat slip and public plaza with pedestrian access. This work is part of the $42 million Aloft development and should pay off the TIF in seven years. The remaining portion of $278,160 will be used to purchase the right of way to construct the extension of Ogden St. and Market St. This resolution was approved by the committee and will now go before the full Common Council. Resolution 071500 would change the zoning for the properties located at 700 East Kibourn Ave. and 711 East Kibourn Ave. to General Planned Development and would specify the maximum height and density of the project. New Land Enterprises intends to build two mixed-use buildings with up to 20-stories, 230 residential units each and approximately 4000 square feet of retail space. The combined value of this project would not only add an estimated $120 million to the city tax base but would not utilize any city financing. A few neighboring business owners spoke in opposition to this project focusing their complaints mainly around height, density and potential parking issues. Specifically Margaret Gintoft, of Therapies East Associates, spoke at length repeatedly asking some form of the question “do you really want to have a high-rise on every corner, dwarfing these little buildings in between”? The land’s current zoning has no height limitation and as Vanessa Koster, from the Department of City Development, indicated “if he developed it under the current zoning parameters he could come in off the street and pull his permits and we would have no control over the design of the building, the materials, the location of the parking, and driveway access, so this gives us control over the design”. Although this change in zoning allows for more density than the current zoning, it also allows the City of Milwaukee input into the development process and now limits the building’s height. During the discussion Alderman Mike D’Amato responded to Margaret Gintoft’s question when he said “you spoke earlier about does the city want high-rises and do we want a high-density city. And I think the answer in some areas. In some areas the answer is yes”. This resolution was approved by the committee and will now go before the full Common Council.
Apr 6th, 2008 by Dave Reid
