Bay View

Zoning Committee Halts Empowerment Village

Although, this Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee meeting had a light schedule it did have one item of significance. Resolution 071292 and resolution 071181 made up the proposal for the re-zoning and sale of the city owned land located at the intersection of South Fifth Court and West Rosedale Avenue. This project which is better known as Empowerment Village pitted members in support of affordable housing versus environmental groups over a piece of city owned land. The environmental groups challenged the city’s right to sell the land and argued that during the Southeast Side Planning process this land had always been planned as a green space that would include a bike trail along the Kinnickinnic River. Alderman Michael Murphy pointed out that “we have to balance the needs”. But despite his words and Cardinal Capital‘s efforts to work with the environmental groups to alleviate their concerns by decreasing the size of the building, by paying for the bike trail to be built and by putting a conservation easement in place to protect much of the land as open space a compromise couldn’t be found. The committee voted to place on file these resolutions essentially denying this project from moving forward. The site location is pictured below via Google Maps Street View. View Larger Map

Status of Kinnickinnic River Dredging

Abandoned Wreck Originally uploaded by Retinal Fetish Previously, I had mentioned that a Kinnickinnic River Trail is in the works that would link up areas south and west of the Port of Milwaukee that don’t have good non-car access to downtown and the rest of urban Milwaukee. A key part of making that trail more attractive is the dredging of the Kinnickinnic River which would make it cleaner and more appealing for fish and trail-users alike. The dredging will ultimately help encourage development along the river corridor and hopefully a Riverwalk extension to the area. The deal currently is contingent on the EPA chipping in roughly $2 million from its Great Lakes Legacy Act program to cover the costs of expanding the Army Corps of Engineers’ disposal facility next to the ferry terminal. The Port of Milwaukee is set to pick up the remaining 35 percent of the costs to expand the facility. If the EPA doesn’t pick up the expansion costs, the deal is supposedly dead in the water. My bets are on it happening, one way or another. I’m looking forward to a cleaner Kinnickinnic already.

City Plan Commission Approves Empowerment Village

One item of note was the request for a changing in zoning from Industrial Heavy and Park to General Planned Development that had been held at the last City Plan Commission meeting. The approval of this resolution would be next step in allowing the Empowerment Village low income housing project to be built on a city owned lot near the Kinnickinnic River. It was held because local environmental groups had planned on utilizing the property for expanded green space and argued that the City of Milwaukee should work with the developer to find another vacant lot. After further review the Department of City Development (DCD) determined this was the best available city lot in that part of the city, that there significant time sensitive need for this type of housing project, and therefore recommended approval. Despite the recommendation Alderman Tony Zielinski continued his opposition to this project saying “the point is there are other options and I hope we don’t act on this”. The Commission took the advice of DCD and approved the resolution send it on the the Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee. The site location is pictured below via Google Maps Street View. View Larger Map

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Art Dealer in Jail

Don’t bother calling Kennedy Fine Arts in Northbrook, Illinois. Don’t even try to leave a message, because the voice mailbox is full. Of course, it is easy to see why – James F. Kennedy, the art dealer, has been sitting in the Milwaukee County jail without bail since May 7th, and it looks like he’ll be there at least until a hearing date on May 18th, according to a jail spokesperson. (According to the Wisconsin Circuit Court Access, Kennedy’s offense occurred May 10th.) He is charged with a felony under statute 976.03(13), “extradition – arrest prior to requisition.” Milwaukeeworld.com told you two weeks ago that an individual was trying to peddle fake Picassos in the Milwaukee area. Although Kennedy is held on an unrelated out-of-state warrant, he is the fellow who was trying to pass off the fakes in our community. Apparently police did not have enough evidence to charge him with a crime in the matter – mere possession of fake artwork is not a crime, and there was insufficient evidence he had tried to sell the works, they say – Kennedy’s van was seized along with some 300 works of art that were allegedly fakes. He was arrested on Milwaukee Street, and is from Northbrook, Illinois. It is doubtful that Kennedy was the author of the fakes, and it is likely that he is a player in a much larger art fraud ring. So, just to remind you once again, if you have purchased any “Picasso” drawings in the last couple of weeks, contact a reputable art dealer or law enforcement authorities. Kennedy was born on May 17, 1957, so it looks like he will be spending his birthday in jail. Concordia Gets Bush President George W. Bush visited the Ozaukee County megalopolis of Mequon Thursday to deliver the commencement address at Concordia University at the Lutheran school’s very secure lakeside campus. Milwaukeeworld correspondent Patrick C. Horne, a Mequon resident, was at the intersection of Port Washington Road and Highland Road where Bush supporters and detractors hoped the presidential motorcade would pass. Of course, it didn’t, since the president’s motorcade traveled along Lake Shore Drive, far removed from the supporters, detractors, and reality. “We’ve got protestors on one side and the republicans on the other side,” Horne said via cellular telephone while awaiting the motorcade’s non-arrival. “We’ve got TV people on the other side, we’ve got Secret Service, we’ve got Germantown, Milwaukee, Ozaukee County, all sorts of people, all sorts of squads, all sorts of everything. Now, the mystery is which way he’s going to come in. I hope they take our President on LSD.” [Editor’s note: LSD is Mequon slang for Lakeshore Drive.] According to Horne, there was a good deal of “ranting and raving back and forth” between the President’s supporters and detractors. “’Give him four more years.’ ‘No, give him five more months,’” they chanted, he said. “Lot of Republicans,” Horne said. “’Oh! I forgot my flag!’ ‘Oh! Don’t they have anything better to do […]

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