County Executive Abele’s Statement on Today’s Ruling Allowing Couture Construction
I appreciate Judge Foley's clear decision allowing the redevelopment of the underused Downtown Transit Center to move forward.
The Couture
MILWAUKEE – I appreciate Judge Foley’s clear decision allowing the redevelopment of the underused Downtown Transit Center to move forward. The planned Couture development will create a vibrant public space that improves access to the lakefront, creates thousands of jobs and adds another signature building to Milwaukee.
If Preserve Our Parks wants to continue to appeal this ruling, I hope they will do in an expedited manner.
The Couture Renderings
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by County Executive Chris Abele
Milwaukee County Passes Ordinance to Advance Racial Equity and Improve Health Outcomes
Apr 29th, 2020 by County Executive Chris AbeleMilwaukee County leaders commit to eliminating institutional racism by addressing County polices, practices and power structures through a racial equity lens
Milwaukee County Officials Order All Municipal Polling Places Closed
Apr 6th, 2020 by County Executive Chris AbeleCounty Officials Implement Gov's Order to Protect Public Health
The POPpers will stretch this thing out as long as they can, of course they will.
DINO Chris Abele must be very pleased that he’s working so “creatively” with the state GOP to ensure that Milwaukee County functions as a seamless oligarchy. (Next steps: targeted sell-off of prime County parks and MPS takeover–all aided by an eager/compliant GOP State Legislature). Perhaps Abele would prefer a monarchy, but sometimes you gotta take baby steps.
So why would any citizens group want to end up before the Wisconsin State Supreme Court–the best court money can buy?
And yes, we know the Couture upscale residential high-rise is all about creating an Orwellian “public space,” because public spaces are so very important to Abele, as long as those “public” spaces are controlled by corporations–not elected representatives. It appears Abele studied “1984” well.
How public is the current concrete bus bunker on the lake?
Puzzled by MilwaukeeNative’s comment about “DINO” Abele. What does party political affiliation have to do with this? Enlighten me, please.
Development projects almost always have tax, environmental, municipal brand image, tourism, employment, and quality of citizens’ life implications. Whether a politician votes for or against and/or approves such a project should be criticized if and when they act against the public’s interest(s); not whether or not they conform with some other politicians’ views who happen to have run under the same party’s banner for whatever reason.
So you do not like Abele (fine), or the Couture (fine), or the GOP generally (fine). But what is it you are objecting do? If it’s just a random rant, then don’t bother.
Al,
Actually, I don’t care what Abele calls himself except he’s always bragging about “reaching across the aisle,” when he’s just managed to get a few friends to carry water for him in the legislature. His power-mongering is transparently crass and offers no benefit to democracy in the county or state.
I’m not opposed to the Couture project in general. I’m opposed to Abele’s tactics to getting it done (and “selling” it for 5% of appraised value to a friend).
Abele appears to have contempt for public assets and has made it clear that he intends to sell parks and give away, rather than sell for FMV, land. That’s just good-ol’-boy cronyism, no matter how it’s sugar-coated.
I was atop a seven story building on the evening of July 4 and was amazed at the foresight of our forefathers in Milwaukee while watching fireworks displays in the distance at so many parks where land had been put aside for future generations.
Our current custodians should maintain and have the same visions for the next generations.
Milwaukee really is a great place on. Great Lake.
MilwaukeeNative: “Abele appears to have contempt for public assets” The people who have contempt for public assets are the ones who think that what ought to be the most valuable commercial and residential land in the state is best used for government parking garages.
Getting underutilized land productive and on the tax roles is unequivocally a good thing.
If you think government should be doing more for the downtrodden who once convinced each other that they shouldn’t finish high school, you should be championing projects which increase tax revenues. Without more tax revenues, problems which require money to ameliorate won’t be addressed.