Feature
Contentious Downer Ave. Parking Garage Rises
New Land Enterprises‘ $55 million Downer Ave. development project is going up quickly despite pending legal action. The first phase consists of a parking garage, designed by Scott Kindness of Workshop Architects, that includes first floor retail and has undergone numerous redesigns in an attempt to better fit the neighborhood. Despite the changes some neighbors felt these concessions didn’t go far enough and filed a lawsuit against the City of Milwaukee and DAPL LLC seeking to stop construction . The results of today’s hearing is unknown at press time but it is seems New Land Enterprises and the City of Milwaukee believe this case will be dismissed as development has moved ahead at a brisk pace. Despite the contentious nature of the project the overall goal of adding density and new business to the Downer Ave. district should have the long run impact of bringing vibrancy and business back to this urban commercial district. UPDATE A second hearing will be held on 2/1/2008. Additionally the judge felt there was some wrong doing on the City’s part though as of yet didn’t issue an injunction that would of stopped construction. More details can be found in the jsonline article. Related Links Historic Preservation Commission Meeting – Monday, May 14, 2007 Resolution 061440
Jan 16th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Condominium Sales Update
A sampling of projects in varying states of completion showed that over 200 recently completed or under construction condominium units have not been sold. A look at the data indicates that In many cases the high priced units have gone un-sold. Clearly the market downturn has slowed sales but this may also indicated a demand for units priced at an affordable level. Development # Units % Sold Status City Green 44 20% Ready to Move In First Place on the River 184 56% Ready to Move In Park Terrace Bluff Homes 16 56% Ready to Move In Park Terrace Row House 21 71% Ready to Move In Residences on Water 31 29% Under Construction River Renaissance 81 55% Ready to Move In 601 Lofts 83 61% Ready to Move In Sterling 112 98% Ready to Move In University Club 56 89% Ready to Move In Data was not available for the The Breakwater, Park Lafayette, Flatiron, Union Point, The Edge, and Kilborn Tower
Jan 14th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Jefferson St. Garage Receives Long Overdue Face-lift
Inland Companies has begun redevelopment of the mixed-use building located at 770 N. Jefferson St. The project will update the building’s facade allowing for better street access to the building and an will have an updated look to better support first floor retail. This update has long been needed because despite this building being located one of Milwaukee’s most vibrant streets it has been a difficult location for retail business to succeed. For example, in recent years Fresche Pizza, Howl at the Moon, and Senor Frog’s have all opened and then shortly there after closed their doors partly due to the lack of street level visibility. This redevelopment although small in size could activate the eastern side of Jefferson St. and continue the growth in downtown. More photos of this redevelopment can be found in the Photo Gallery.
Jan 12th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Affordable Housing Projects Approved
Multiple affordable housing projects went before the committee looking to receive approval in to apply for Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority tax credits before an upcoming deadline. One of interest due to the projects quality design was brought forward by United Methodist Children’s Services of Wisconsin. They were requesting a change in zoning to General Planned Development to allow for construction of a 24 unit four-story proposal to be located next to there existing building at 3940 W. Lisbon Ave. Volunteers of America was requesting a change in zoning to General Planned Development to allow for construction of a 65 unit building. Unfortunately this project stood out because it didn’t properly utilize a key location which concerned the committee. Alderman Mike D’Amato said that it “has to have active first floor users” because of the buildings high visibility location at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Keefe Avenue. Both of these projects as well as others were approved and will go before the Common Council. Other resolutions of note regarded the Brewery project and the reuse of the 440th site. Resolution 070932 approved the LEED checklist for the Brewery neighborhood and included the properties owned by Jim Haertel. Resolution 071238approved a reuse plan for the area vacated by the 440th that is consistent with the airport’s 1993 master plan. Alderman Bob Bauman was concerned about agreeing to this public benefits conveyance without assurances the County couldn’t then turn it over to a private purpose.
Jan 9th, 2008 by Dave Reid
City Plan Commission Approves Zoning for Columbia St. Mary’s
Resolution 060259 approved the Detailed Planned Development known as Columbia St. Mary’s Prospect East, Phase 1 which will move on to ZND for further approval. The resolution includes the plans for a 572 stall parking garage to support the Water Tower Medical Commons facility. Although it was approved it was done so with the understanding that before the Common Council gives final approval, issues dealing with the side facing Terrace St. will need to be resolved with the neighborhood. Additionally it included mention of three lots near the structure and the future plans to develop those lots as residential housing. A second resolution of interest was Alderman Mike D’Amato‘s request for a change in zoning from clean shaved to rough bearded. All kidding aside Alderman D’Amato appears to be looking forward to leaving public life in the near future.
Jan 8th, 2008 by Dave Reid
Kinnickinnic River Trail
Kinnickinnic River Spillway Originally uploaded by Retinal Fetish Julie Lawrence at OnMilwaukee.com drew my attention to this excellent community development taking place along the Kinnickinnic River on the south side of urban Milwaukee, the Kinnickinnic River Trail. The trail is in the early stages of development and will have a southern terminus at the river and 6th Street (near its intersection with Cleveland St) and at Water St and 1st Street on the northern end. The trail, while still in its infancy, will hopefully include a restoration of the river to a more natural state with the removal of the concrete channeling. Like many other developments occurring in Milwaukee (the Riverwalk, Menomonee Valley restoration, and the Beerline neighborhood come to mind), the KK River Trail is just one of many ways in which Milwaukee is learning to embrace its natural assets. The developments are all the more special because they’re actual functional ways to move around the city without a car, which is due in large part to the dense development surrounding the rivers. Groundwork Milwaukee has provided a PDF with all you could ever want to know about what was discussed in planning for the trail. I’ll try to learn more over the next few days as to what the actual status of the trail is (it’s a little bit hard to figure out with the information online). I took the map out of the PDF and put it online as a JPG image in case you wanted to see the proposed route.
Jan 6th, 2008 by Jeramey Jannene
Public Works Committee Approves Parking Study
Johnny Vassallo‘s efforts to convert the Posner Building at 152 W. Wisconsin Ave. into a boutique hotel have come to an end. The new plans for the building involve the Milwaukee Hotel Associates LLC purchasing the property from Johnny Vassallo and developing it into a 160 unit Holiday Inn. Resolution 071222 passed by committee will, if adopted by the full council, allow Milwaukee Hotel Associates LLC to lease 50 parking spots in the city garage located at 724 N. 2nd St to support the Holiday Inn. Resolution 070976 passed by committee will, if adopted by the full council, direct the Department of City Development to conduct a parking study in conjunction with the upcoming downtown plan. This resolution impacts development because the perceived lack of parking and the demand by developers for large amounts of “free” parking has often driven TIF requests, such as Manpower’s $25 million garage. What this resolution intends to accomplish will be to have a planned strategic approach to parking integrated into future planning efforts to facilitate future development.
Jan 3rd, 2008 by Dave Reid
Beerline Development Continues…
Although development within the Beerline corridor has slowed there is still ongoing construction. The Edge which is just now starting to rise out of the ground intends the first phase to be completed by November 2008. The Bluff Homes construction is nearing completion and more than half of the units have been sold. The completion of these developments during this market downturn show promise for the Beeline. Further in spite on the slowdown the future is still looking up for the Beerline as two condominium developments and additional Riverwalk expansion are still in the works. Specifically the potential developments include the Pleasant Street Market and Riverboat Landing. The most recent public report regarding Pleasant Street Market dated June 30, 2007 indicated it was undergoing final design review and obtaining permits but as of today no development of the site has occurred. The Riverboat Landing will have 67 residential units and two retail units once built. Currently only 14 residential units are under contract and with the broader residential market in a backslide it is likely that at least another 20 units will need to be sold prior to breaking ground. Additionally the design of the Brewers Point Apartments Riverwalk was approved during the September 10, 2007 City Plan Commission meeting and construction should begin soon. The development of the Beerline has been one of Milwaukee’s success stories in recent years and if the potential developments move forward it will be on track for continued growth in the future. Articles + Reference Pleasant Street Market Nehrings are in the market for a new venture Owners of Upscale Food Stores Plan New Grocery Along River Near Brewers Hill The Edge Construction gets under way on riverfront condo project
Dec 31st, 2007 by Dave Reid
2 Mile Challenge
SANY0005 Originally uploaded by ClifBar&Co The 2 Mile Challenge is an excellent idea that I happened to stumble across on the internets. As the site states “40% of United States urban travel is 2 miles or less. Ride your bike to fight global warming.” Their site draws a two-mile circle around your house using Google Maps and challenges you to make all the trips inside that circle by car bicycle (or by foot). Global warming aside, if you and your neighbors take this concept to heart the quality of life and land values in your neighborhood are going to soar. It’s going to be a lot quieter without all the cars moving, you’re going to be a lot thinner burning all those calories moving yourself, and things will be a lot safer because you’ll have pedestrians doubling as crime watchdogs and deterrents. Not to mention the enhanced sense of awareness you’ll have by eliminating the glass shield between you and your surroundings. I already engage in this practice, do you? With the soaring cost of gas, what do you have to lose? Update: Brian Head was the first reader to point out that I advocated using cars for short trips on accident, instead of long ones. I need to quit writing at 4 a.m.
Dec 26th, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
Word on the Street (12.24.2007)
Random tidbits found on the internets… Milwaukee Development Update brings us news and insight of a building going up at 1530 North Jackson just north of the Pick ‘N’ Save parking lot and Lyon St. Despite living just around the corner from it, I have yet to make it over to take pictures, but look forward to doing that following my return to Milwaukee. Milwaukee Development Update also has changed addresses going from milwaukeedevelopment.blogspot.com to www.mkedevelopment.com. The Brewery Project LLC, led by Joseph Zilber, officially closed their first sale. While numerous deals have been announced or rumored, Milwaukeeans Charles Trainer and Max Dermond have purchased the 55,000-square-foot Building 10 together as Boiler House LLC. They’re saying Albion Group Architects will move into the building by the end of 2008 and that a big announcement is coming in January of 2008. The Spawl-fueled Pabst Farms mall plans are back up and running with announcement of Developers Diversified Realty Corp as the new developer. They’re still planning to open Pabst Farms Town Centre by 2010.
Dec 25th, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
Park East Square Moving Forward
Park East Square sign Originally uploaded by repowers The first phase of the development of Park East Square appears ready to begin. On Friday, Milwaukee County announced that they had completed the sale (read: RSC & Associates LLC exercised their option to purchase) of a 2.1 acre parcel of land at the western edge of the Pick ‘N’ Save parking lot and just north of Convent Hill for $2,725,000. To be exact, that’s the plot of land bordered by Lyon St, Jefferson St, Ogden St, and Milwaukee St. Nothing I can find indicates when construction will start, but since they purchased the land I would imagine it’s imminent. The development will include a 122-room Hyatt Place, 102-room Hyatt Summerfield Suites, along with 105 apartments and retail space. Back in March there was talk of the first phase of the development (this parcel) including 126 high-end apartments, a 148-room boutique hotel and 80,000 square feet of office, retail, restaurant and entertainment space if RSC & Associates LLC could get $9.2 million in a TIF from the city. Typical of developments of this scale in the Park East neighborhood, the TIF request was not granted. President Richard Curto said he would drop the hotel if that was the case, but clearly he thought better of that idea. He instead dropped a significant amount of retail space and went with more hotel rooms, which dropped costs significantly by eliminating the need for a massive parking structure. The final value of the development will be around $65 million, and as reported in September will include 6,900 square feet of retail space. Construction was originally supposed to begin in November, but financing hasn’t been easy to come by for anyone lately, and explains the delay. The plan in September called for construction on the hotels to begin first and take 14 months, followed by construction of the apartments (which includes 5 town houses), which will take another 15 months. I would imagine this is the same today, but with a pushed back start-date. According to the September Journal Sentinel article about the current development. The development will pay $21.5 million in property taxes over 10 years, RSC estimates, and would create 230 construction jobs and 64 to 74 hotel and retail jobs. The original plan, which the city favored …called for no public cash. That smaller project would pay $10.7 million in property taxes, and create 250 construction jobs and 50 to 75 retail jobs. The plan RSC wanted that included city financing …would generate $21.6 million in property taxes over 10 years, create 310 construction jobs and provide 150 to 200 retail and hotel jobs. The property taxes would pay back the city’s loan. RSC & Associates and the city both deserve applause for creating a development that will not only avoid the creation of an expensive TIF district, but will generate nearly the same amount of property tax revenue for the city. On top of that, the smaller retail space is more consistent […]
Dec 22nd, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
Gould Takes Journal Buyout, Rips Grohmann Museum One More Time
Whitney Gould took an early retirement buyout from Journal Communications a little over a month ago. Her send off column was titled “Retiring, not tiring of quality design.” Ever since moving to Milwaukee three years ago I’ve enjoyed her reporting on issues involving building design. My views began to disagree with hers when she started to question the restoration of the former check processing center on the corner of Broadway and State St into the Grohmann Museum, a museum dedicated to the showcasing of men (and women) at work throughout time, at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE). I began to wonder if she cared that the new Grohmann Museum would finally build a book-end for the MSOE campus with the Kern Center, rehab an underused and unattractive building downtown, and build a transition piece from Milwaukee City Hall north to the Kern Center and Park East neighborhood. Add to that the fact that the financing was entirely provided by Eckhart Grohmann. In fact Robert & Patricia Kern and Eckhart Grohmann deserve nothing but admiration and applause for their commitment to producing well-rounded engineers in downtown Milwaukee. To be fair, Whitney Gould does address some of the these facts and does give a fair amount of praise to Grohmann for his contribution. I do disagree with her on a few things though. Her appraisal of the building as a cheap impersonation of the style of a bygone era is lacking in insight. One needs to only walk from City Hall, past the Grohmann Museum, and to the Kern Center to see the bridge the museum forms between the past and present architectural styles. Unlike many other bland glass buildings in many other cities, Grohmann and the architects at Uihlein Wilson created something distinctly Milwaukee and distinctly MSOE. The building meshes perfectly with the Kern Center both inside and out thanks to Uihlein Wilson designing both buildings, and forms a southern book end of the MSOE campus on Broadway to match the Kern Center’s north anchor position. MSOE should be praised for finally developing a physical identity, especially while both Marquette and UWM expand theirs in a much more public fashion. She, along with other members of the art community, also seem to take offense that no one that works at the museum has true art credentials. Speaking as someone who has been in the museum many times, the artwork is displayed just as it in any museum and curator John Kopmeier is just as qualified to discuss the content of the collection as anyone with an art degree. My final point of disagreement with Gould is over her obsession with the Nazi art work in the collection. She seems to hold this belief that the Nazi-attachment to the artwork is hidden from viewers, it’s not. It is not outwardly stated that “hey, this painting could contain Nazi slaves”, but if you ask someone they will tell you. They will also tell you that the paintings featuring Egyptians might contain slaves […]
Dec 22nd, 2007 by Jeramey Jannene
