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Wisconsin Center District

The Secret Tax Subsidy Society

Republicans and Democrats conspire to create stealth taxes to fund the NBA arena. Will they succeed?

Apr 14th, 2015 by Bruce Murphy

Plats and Parcels

229 New Apartments in Brewers’ Hill

But one of the two new buildings being developed generated grr-ipes from Matt Wild and Mary Louise Schumacher. Dare we disagree?

Mar 10th, 2015 by Dave Reid

Murphy’s Law

How Will NBA Arena Benefit the City?

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver promises a new arena will launch a Downtown renewal. Is he right?

Dec 2nd, 2014 by Bruce Murphy

Plenty of Horne

Gimbel Gets Reappointed to Wisconsin Center Board

Will continue after 3 decades as board chair! Did mayor and governor swap appointments to make this happen?

Jul 16th, 2014 by Michael Horne

Plenty of Horne

Downtown Power Brokers Mull Expanded Convention Center

Leaders of Wisconsin Center and the Bradley Center consider key changes for downtown facilities.

May 15th, 2014 by Michael Horne

Plenty of Horne

Wisconsin Center’s Leadership Adrift?

Many of the board's seats are either vacant or held by legally unqualified individuals.

Mar 10th, 2014 by Michael Horne

Murphy’s Law

Why a Regional Tax is Needed

A regional tax for amenities like Milwaukee’s zoo and art museum is needed. Will they benefit from effort to help the Milwaukee Bucks?

Oct 30th, 2013 by Bruce Murphy

Wells St. Two-way Street Conversion is Long Overdue

At Thursday’s Public Safety Committee meeting a file will be voted on that would authorize the conversion of Wells St. to two-way operation from 6th St. to Prospect Ave. According to the Journal Sentinel, the Wisconsin Center District Board voted to oppose part of this conversion, in particular from 4th Street to 6th Street, due to “safety” concerns. These concerns miss the big picture and can be handled while bringing the benefits of making Wells St. two-ways in downtown Milwaukee. Well Street’s one-way configuration brings an assortment of issues that negatively impact the neighborhood it passes through. In particular it is common to see cars continuously circling the block, because a parking spot is not easily accessible without circling the neighborhood. Another direct result of Wells St. being a one-way street, with little congestion, and having multiple travel lanes is that people speed excessively. This is an all too frequent occurrence. Additionally, crashes occur when drivers attempt to turn left from the center lane, because the nature of the street doesn’t fit with the location, causing an accident. Finally, it is all to common to see are drivers heading in the wrong direction along Wells St. A two-way street conversion would alleviate these issues while bringing benefits to the city. A benefit is that a two-way conversion will make Wells St. more pedestrian friendly, as no longer will one need to cross a “freeway” to get across the street. It will bring enhanced visibility to retail establishments, drawing in more of the infrequent drivers passing through the neighborhood. Additionally, for automobile drivers it will actually enhance connectivity by reducing the need to loop around to find a parking spot or a missed intersection. Finally, it will reduce traffic speeds along Wells St., improving safety for both the pedestrian and the automobile driver. This change is long overdue and hopefully this is just another step toward a more connected, accessible, and safe built environment in downtown Milwaukee.

Jun 22nd, 2011 by Dave Reid

Rethinking and Expanding Milwaukee’s Frontier Airlines Center (Delta Center)

The Frontier Airlines Center performs an important function for the Milwaukee region as a whole, bringing thousands of people to Milwaukee for conventions both big and small. It helps inject life into downtown by filling hotel rooms, restaurants, and bars. The convention center building itself though lacks that vitality.

May 24th, 2010 by Jeramey Jannene