This was too funny, should bring a smile to most here.

Death of the 'McMansion': Era of Huge Homes Is Over
http://www.cnbc.com/id/38757287

Heh wow, I'll bet this person has been waiting years to write this article! They make upper middle class neighborhoods sound like they are ghost towns with high crime and cardboard shacks. lol

From JSOnline:

Southridge Mall to undergo redevelopment, including $16 million from village

By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel

Nov. 11, 2010 6:25 p.m.

Southridge Mall would undergo a $52.5 million redevelopment, including $16 million in spending by the Village of Greendale, under a proposal unveiled Thursday.

Indianapolis-based Simon Property Group Inc., which owns Southridge, has agreed to make multi-million-dollar improvements to the mall's existing commercial buildings, including a renovation and upgrade of the mall’s interior, according to the proposal.

Also, Simon plans to develop additional commercial buildings at Southridge.

The proposal doesn't include information on prospective tenants for Southridge, which was built in 1970 and has 1.2 million square feet.--making it Wisconsin's largest mall. Nor does it include details on the proposed renovations, and new commercial buildings

The rest here (http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/107341608.html)

^^

I always thought fox river mall was the largest in the state by sq footage, also at 1.2 million.

Woodman's wants to move to Lake Country
Possible Highway C site unlikely
By Kelly Smith
Posted: Nov. 22, 2010 11:16 a.m.

"Carumba"….Woodman's wants to move to Lake Country.

The Janesville-based supermarket chain with the mega-sized discount grocery stores - whose company president often begins his TV commercials "Carumba … have we got some deals for you" - is seeking a location for a new store in the western suburbs, according to a company executive.

"We are interested in locating in the western suburbs, and we are being very transparent about it," said Bret Backus, vice president of real estate for Woodman's Food Market.

"We would like to have a new store open within two to three years, but if it takes three to four years because of the municipal approval process, we understand," he added.

Backus defined "western suburbs" as western Waukesha County "from Delafield east." He said the company has not ruled out a possible location in Pabst Farms, but he indicated that Oconomowoc was "farther west" than they initially planned to locate.

Backus said he was aware the company will likely encounter stricter building and zoning codes in Lake Country, but he indicated that the company, depending upon the location and costs, may be willing to meet those standards.

The company recently opened a new store in Menomonee Falls. There are 12 other locations in eight Wisconsin cities and three northern Illinois communities.

The warehouse-style stores, most of them about twice the size of the Village Square shopping center in Delafield, reportedly carry more than 70,000 products and operate 24 hours a day.

Backus said the company is seeking either undeveloped land upon which they can build a new store or working with a municipal government to redevelop existing underdeveloped land.

He said the company needs about 35 to 50 acres for the approximately 240,000-square-foot store and parking space to accommodate about 650 to 700 vehicles.

Often, there is a gas station adjacent to the grocery store. In addition, he said, many of the Woodman's sites include outlot parcels of land to support stormwater drainage systems and other infrastructure.

Backus confirmed the company has engaged in preliminary exploration of a site at I-94 and Highway C in Delafield, but has held no discussions with city officials.

Developer Bob Lang owns about 60 acres near the intersection. About 11 acres are zoned for commercial use, and the remaining approximately 50 acres are zoned for rural residential purposes.

Backus said the company might be interested in the entire parcel. A real estate broker representing Lang discussed Woodman's interest in the property at a recent Delafield Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors meeting.

However, the proposal would likely be dead on arrival at City Hall. Both the Plan Commission and Common Council would have to approve changes in the city's Smart Growth land-use plan as well as the zoning code in order to even consider such a plan.

"They have a right to present their proposal and, like with everyone else, we will follow the process, but it is unlikely it would be approved," said Mayor Ed McAleer.

"It would not be approved. It does not fit either the city's land-use plan or the zoning code," added Alderwoman Michele DeYoe.

In addition, the nearby wooded rural residential neighborhood and the adjacent Lapham Peak State Park are closely guarded by the citizens group Conserving A Rural Environment (CARE) in Lake Country, which has successfully blocked other proposals to develop the land.

One site that might be a good choice to locate a Woodman's is on the south side of North Shore Drive (County Highway KE) across from North Shore Middle School. There is a 138 acre parcel of land in the Town of Delafield on the community border with the Village of Hartland. This is bordered by North Shore Drive (County Highway KE), Mozart Road to the east, Franciscan Road to the south and Maple Avenue (County Highway E) to the west. This is a prime location for commercial development for both communities and Woodman's would be a good fit for the area. The rest of the area surrounding this parcel is fully developed. Also a walkway is already located on the Hartland side of the street. I hope Woodman's will look at this location.

^^

I always thought fox river mall was the largest in the state by sq footage, also at 1.2 million.

Maybe it has to do with Southridge having five anchor stores. (Well anchor buildings that is). Seems like they really used to trumpet that fact in marketing back when Younkers was still there.

An article form the Milwaukee Business Journal for redevelopment of a 70 acre former industrial site in Menomonee Falls. One part of this would be residential. More info here: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/real_estate/2011/01/cobalt-apartment-project-menomonee-falls.html

Von Maur to anchor Marcus Corp. project proposed in town of Brookfield (http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2011/03/03/retail-project-proposed-in-town-of.html?ed=2011-03-03&s=article_du&ana=e_du_pub)
Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp. is planning a $115 million project for West Blue Mound Road in the town of Brookfield to be anchored by a Von Maur department store.

Read more: Von Maur to anchor Marcus Corp. project proposed in town of Brookfield | The Business Journal

I thought that Von Maur was slated for a third anchor building at Brookfield Square. I guess that's not happening now. Ehh, well, perhaps it's better to redevelop the brownfields out there instead of developing more cornfields...

Edit- not that I am at all saying BS is in a cornfield. I just meant that if they're not going to build on an unused parking lot at the mall, then an old unused Menards is preferable to arable land.

Maybe it has to do with Southridge having five anchor stores. (Well anchor buildings that is). Seems like they really used to trumpet that fact in marketing back when Younkers was still there.

According to Wikipedia, the Southride Mall has 1,223,000 sq. ft. of total retail floor area, and 109 stores including 4 anchor tenants, all on two levels. And according to Wikipedia again, the Fox River Mall has 1,210,000 sq. ft. of total retail floor area, and 180 stores including 6 anchor tenants, all on one level.

So the Southridge Mall is slightly larger in retail square footage. But the Fox River Mall obviously takes up a much larger footprint in acreage since it's only one level. Hope that helps.

Old news, but still worth putting out there so its on the record:

Nordstrom Rack, Dick's Sporting Goods and Container Store could be among the tenants at a new retail center planned for the site of the old Roundy's property on W. Burleigh St. in Wauwatosa.

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/117808213.html

At least the burbs are getting some new retail, since it might be 100 years before downtown sees this kind of progress.

http://brookfield-wi.patch.com/articles/town-to-review-conceptual-von-maur-plans-tuesday

Check out the conceptual plans for the new Von Maur development at Barker and Blue Mound. It is like the Bayshore Town Center up above and has tons of parking underground, beneath the whole property.

Two things I don't like about it: One, I'd like to see a more attractive green space, park-like, next to Poplar Creek. Two, it is too bad they can't also include the KFC, etc that is between this development and Barker. That would be really attractive to have this all the way to the corner.

But overall I think it'll be a nice project.

http://brookfield-wi.patch.com/articles/town-to-review-conceptual-von-maur-plans-tuesday

Check out the conceptual plans for the new Von Maur development at Barker and Blue Mound. It is like the Bayshore Town Center up above and has tons of parking underground, beneath the whole property.

Two things I don't like about it: One, I'd like to see a more attractive green space, park-like, next to Poplar Creek. Two, it is too bad they can't also include the KFC, etc that is between this development and Barker. That would be really attractive to have this all the way to the corner.

But overall I think it'll be a nice project.

oh... great... yet another cookie-cutter suburban strip mall project *yawn*

more proof that wealthy conservatives are the most uncreative people on planet earth.

It seems kind of rediculous that the thing is being built next to a pretty busy transit interchange (on the other side of Barker) but not connected to it at all. I'm aware that next to no-one is going to take the bus to go shopping at Von Maur in Brookfield, but a lot of workers would. Some cheap little path and footbridge would make a lot of minimum wage workers' lives a lot easier.

Other than that, I suppose it's better than the rest of Bluemound Road, and at least it is being built as infill...

The Brookfield Von Maur replaces empty buildings and a strip mall. It has parking tucked mostly under the building, instead of a giant ocean of asphalt. I don't see how this is a bad project for that stretch. I do wonder what kind od retail tenants will come in all that new space though. With Brookfield square just down the road, I don't see traditional mall retailers coming in, unless of course they are not currently in Brookfield Square.

I think the only negative comments to be made are by those who just irrationaly hate suburbs and the people who chose to live in them.

On other news it the mystery of how Walker will save $600M seems to be solved. They are going with a cheaper plan. So it seems to me there is miminal cost savings by moving up the project. The need to replace the oldest, busiest choke point of the SE WI freeway system justifies moving the project up alone. But I am sure none of that matters because somehow a smaller, cheaper plan was only really done as political favor to the road builders.

At that time, the favored plans expanded both the east-west and north-south freeways and created a looping exit and entrance system at State Fair Park. The costs were significant: an estimated $2.3 billion to build it and 28 buildings razed to make way for the new roadways.

Dubbed the Reduced Impact Alternative, the new plan, made public Feb. 17, has a price tag of $1.7 billion, provides direct freeway ramps to and from 84th St. and reduces the property taking to one apartment building, three businesses and two county buildings.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/118341699.html

oh... great... yet another cookie-cutter suburban strip mall project *yawn*

Is it though? It looks very different than anything I've seen in the area. It's a walkable, somewhat mixed-use development, which is WAY better than anything else on that road. I think this is a big positive for that area.

...

I think the only negative comments to be made are by those who just hate suburbs and the people who irrationally chose to live in them.

...

fixed ;)


I've never been to a Von Maur, but if it's anything like Nordstrom or Nieman Marcus, it's yet another department store selling $70 t-shirts and $200 jeans still all made in Bangladesh. So it's like every other retailer, but with higher prices; you know, an American suburban paradise.

It's not any more walkable than if they built an indoor mall surrounded by parking lots. Sure, you can park and walk, but you do that everywhere- even at strip malls. You can't actually walk there, like you can at Bayshore.

Better than what's there now, though.

It's not any more walkable than if they built an indoor mall surrounded by parking lots. Sure, you can park and walk, but you do that everywhere- even at strip malls. You can't actually walk there, like you can at Bayshore.

Better than what's there now, though.

True, but there's nothing they can do about that unfortunately. The developers can't magically fix the surrounding area.

It would be ideal if they could include residential units in this development, like at Bayshore. Has anyone heard if this will be done? I know a grocery store will be included, so it would make sense to have apartments or condos.

Of course not. The problem is that they haven't made any efforts what so ever as far I can see on the renderings to even do basic things like connect to the sidewalk along Bluemound, or include some sort of even half-assed connection to the bus station at Goerkes Corners next door. Stuff like this should be a requirement for all new development, no matter where it is.

It gained Town approval, and Gov Walker approval.

http://brookfield-wi.patch.com/articles/governor-to-sign-bill-creating-tif-for-town-von-maur

So do I have this right? A new retail development very close to an already existing mall paid for in part with taxpayer money.

And walker said "these developments bring shoppers from far beyond Wisconsin." Who is going to drive to Brookfield from another state to do shopping? Has he heard of Minneapolis or Chicago?

This may end up being a fine development- but instead of giving towns authority to create TIF's, shouldn't the town and city of Brookfield just merge together and save money on redundunt government services and allow for there to a be a combined coherent vision for the development of the entire outer ring of suburbs including places with large retail developments already like Pewaukee, Waukesha and Oconomowoc?

I guess development is pretty thin in MKE these days if we're posting about some bland suburban strip mall. You can't call something pedestrian friendly if nobody lives there and no transit links it to the real world. This is yet another auto-centric retail island trying to copy trends seen elsewhere - yet somehow not understanding the core lessons.

Well, for what it's worth, the Waukesha Metro does go right past there - so there's your transit. I hope that they would put apartments in this development, but we'll see what happens.

I still think this is way better than anything else in that area. Even if they are simply copying a trend, the buildings themselves have the potential to accommodate housing and better transit. You can't say that for most of the conventional strip malls on Bluemound.

True, but there's nothing they can do about that unfortunately. The developers can't magically fix the surrounding area.



No, but the city can. And the state could too, now that they put their noses into this....

what exactly is the problem with this development again? It's in Brookfield, for goodness sake. You can make it the most urban, dense development and it's really meaningless in that town.

The problem is that state law was changed to allow a development that doesn't live up to the goals of the Smart Growth laws, will cause more traffic, not improve walkability (or anything else), and encourages the spreading of wealth westward away from the rest of the metro. Waukesha County should have to live up to Smarth Growth laws just like the rest of us.

And a urban, dense development wouldn't be meaningless in Brookfield. In fact, that might be the place where in all of metro Milwaukee where it could make the biggest difference...

what exactly is the problem with this development again? It's in Brookfield, for goodness sake. You can make it the most urban, dense development and it's really meaningless in that town.

umm.. have you ever been to the new Bayshore Town Centre, El Mariachi? Do you know what it looked like up there before they built that?

Even though this is the suburban thread, I think it is fair to say that retail in downtown Milwaukee is officially dead (for now), and the suburbs won the retail battle. You have hundreds of millions invested in bayshore, mayfair, and southridge. You now have $100M new retail investment on bluemound. In addition you have growth in the farther out areas like Kenosha, Ocon, and Grafton. Each of these puts another dagger in to the Milwaukee retail picture. Milwaukee has some high end retail in the third ward and brady st, but those businesses don't last long any way. They will turn over soon enough. While its discouraging to urban lovers to accept this, the fact is downtown Milwaukee cannot support a large retail project right now. Rather than turning this in to pissing fest on the burbs, the people who live in the area should be happy that the area is still seeing retail growth, even though it is not suited to their tastes. Face it, a store like Von Maur was never going to move in to the city of MKE. What would be the alternative, not support this development because it is not "urban" enough. How stupid is that for everyone in the whole area.

On the plus side for Milwaukee, it offers many things the burbs can never offer, such as restarants, bars, theatres, festivals, etc. What it lacks is foot traffic. Walk around the city in the best conditions, a great summer weekday afternoon, and you can walk with your arms spread out the whole time and never come close to contacting another person. Retail will come back to downtown, but will take time for the conditions to change in a way for that to happen. When that happens we can all cheer that development in the Milwaukee forum (if we are still alive then).

That was pessimistic ;)

I agree that getting pissy doesn't help anything, but it is important to understand the context of why this is happening. Waukesha County is growing like it is -and is now more or less the wealth center of the metro- because of the race and class based political decisions that have been occuring since the 60's. We've got a Regional Planning Commission that doesn't believe in integration, the environment, or public transit, a state government that has no trouble building bypasses and interchanges to nowhere and throwing its own planning laws out the window for Waukesha County,the Feds who have for years supported suburbs and white flight (although that's starting to change), and a county that profits off Milwaukee poverty but refuses to take its share of the burden.

We're never going to see Milwaukee turn around until somebody stands up to Waukesha County (and to a lesser extent the other suburbian counties) and demands some social and environmental responsibility or that they fend for themselves in terms of water, highway funding, changes in state law and the like. Its demeaning for Milwaukeeans as a community that what amounts to 1/3 of the is governed by people that race/class wise still live in 1960. I mean honestly, this is embarassing: http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2011/03/29/most_segregated_cities/slideshow.html

Probably gonna get yelled at for being too political on here, but development is politics so f*** it.

I went through the 2010 census figures and I put them into three corridor sets for the suburban population of these counties. They are the communities along Highway 167, Highway 60 and Highway 33.

The Highway 167 corridor communities have a population of 61,417. This is the City of Mequon, Village of Thiensville, Village and Town of Germantown, Village of Richfield and the Town of Erin.

The Highway 60 corridor communities have a population of 70,408. This is the Village and Town of Grafton, City and Town of Cedarburg, Village and Town of Jackson, Town of Polk, Village of Slinger and the City and Town of Hartford.

The Highway 33 corridor communities have a population of 64,499. This is the City and Town of Port Washington, Village and Town of Saukville, Village of Newburg, Town of Trenton, City and Town of West Bend, and the Town of Addison.

All of these three areas adds up to 196,324 in population as of the 2010 census. This is showing that the Highway 33 corridor communities are the northern edge of the Milwaukee Suburbs. I know that some rural areas are along these corridors but the are quickly becoming suburban. Road rebuilding projects on East-West roads that are being done to help in the population growth are the rebuilding of County Line Road between Mequon, Brown Deer and Milwaukee, the widening to 4 lanes and roundabouts on Highway 33 from I-43 to east of Highway LL and next year the widening of Highway 60 from 2 to 4 lanes between US 41 and US 45.

I see a lot of steady and fast growth continuing over the next 10 years along the Highway 33 and 60 corridors which have both individually surpassed the Highway 167 corridor in population which is closest to the City of Milwaukee.

I went through the 2010 census figures and I put them into three corridor sets for the suburban population of these counties. They are the communities along Highway 167, Highway 60 and Highway 33.

The Highway 167 corridor communities have a population of 61,417. This is the City of Mequon, Village of Thiensville, Village and Town of Germantown, Village of Richfield and the Town of Erin.

The Highway 60 corridor communities have a population of 70,408. This is the Village and Town of Grafton, City and Town of Cedarburg, Village and Town of Jackson, Town of Polk, Village of Slinger and the City and Town of Hartford.

The Highway 33 corridor communities have a population of 64,499. This is the City and Town of Port Washington, Village and Town of Saukville, Village of Newburg, Town of Trenton, City and Town of West Bend, and the Town of Addison.

All of these three areas adds up to 196,324 in population as of the 2010 census. This is showing that the Highway 33 corridor communities are the northern edge of the Milwaukee Suburbs. I know that some rural areas are along these corridors but the are quickly becoming suburban. Road rebuilding projects on East-West roads that are being done to help in the population growth are the rebuilding of County Line Road between Mequon, Brown Deer and Milwaukee, the widening to 4 lanes and roundabouts on Highway 33 from I-43 to east of Highway LL and next year the widening of Highway 60 from 2 to 4 lanes between US 41 and US 45.

I see a lot of steady and fast growth continuing over the next 10 years along the Highway 33 and 60 corridors which have both individually surpassed the Highway 167 corridor in population which is closest to the City of Milwaukee.

highway 60 from hartford to the lake will all be urbanized in the next few decades

hartford's "growth" is pegged on the industrial park.
http://www.jsonline.com/business/121741778.html

while the city has a nice recreation center, decent parks, new library, nice (small) main street; its a very blue collar town and can no longer afford its sprawl "build and they will come" mentality. much of its growth is a lot of lower income leap froggers escaping milwaukee that can't afford the falls/richfield/erin. the city needs to encourage more white collar development ie. api healthcare and focus on infilling downtown with higher density development and mixed uses. curb the subdivisions and big boxes/fast food couldn't hurt.

that corridor also needs more affordable housing and more ethnic diversity in its future development.

I have started to notice the ethnic diversity change especially in the neighborhood along the west side of Cedarburg Road between County Line and Donges Bay Roads in Mequon and also in Thiensville. Tends to be in an area with older housing stock. Apartment rentals in that area are renting to a more diverse population and the rental rates are similar to Brown Deer. Its a start but yet a long way to go.

Also, the area along Highway 33 between I-43 and County Highway LL in Saukville and Port Washington will develop rapidly once the 4 lane road widening and roundabouts are completed this fall. Almost every remaining multi acre property between Northwoods Road and County Highway LL has a "for sale" sign for commercial development. This are will become urban very soon.

The Town of Lisbon in Waukesha County is denied "Village" status because they have so called "islands" of Town land that are completely isolated from the rest of the community. These are east of Highway 164, along County Highway K to Townline Road and north on Townline Road to Plainview Road. The state says those island areas need to be served and annexed into communities like the City of Pewaukee and the Village of Sussex before the Town of Lisbon can become a Village. The next step that needs to be done is to annex all of the Town of Lisbon land east of Highway 164 and south of County Highway K to the City of Pewaukee then the land north of County Highway K and west of Townline Road north to Plainview Road would go to the Village of Sussex. This would create cleaned up community borders by streets rather than by property lines. Once that is done then the Town of Lisbon would be granted Village status in the next application to the state.

The Town of Lisbon in Waukesha County is denied "Village" status because they have so called "islands" of Town land that are completely isolated from the rest of the community. These are east of Highway 164, along County Highway K to Townline Road and north on Townline Road to Plainview Road. The state says those island areas need to be served and annexed into communities like the City of Pewaukee and the Village of Sussex before the Town of Lisbon can become a Village. The next step that needs to be done is to annex all of the Town of Lisbon land east of Highway 164 and south of County Highway K to the City of Pewaukee then the land north of County Highway K and west of Townline Road north to Plainview Road would go to the Village of Sussex. This would create cleaned up community borders by streets rather than by property lines. Once that is done then the Town of Lisbon would be granted Village status in the next application to the state.
Why not consolidate the entire township with the Village of Sussex?

Mike

I don't know about these locations in particular, but in general people tend to have a sense of pride in their existing locations to simply merge into a bigger municipality. Lisbon might refuse to merge with Sussex for fear that they will lose their identity as the small town of Lisbon.

If you take a good look at a map of the Town of Lisbon area you can understand why the state came up with this decision because that area specifically is sandwiched between Sussex, Pewaukee, Lannon and Menomonee Falls. The Town of Lisbon is worried about it because Templeton Middle School and Hamilton High School as well as some of the quarry pits are in those areas. That is a lot of tax base but they were already cut off when Sussex annexed that area at least 20 years ago or longer. The Town of Lisbon can still become a village without that land. Its a plenty large area of land for most any community. They can get it to become a village just not along the eastern and southern border of Sussex.

Article from biztimes.com Real Estate Weekly


Woodman’s may build store in Waukesha
Published June 29, 2011 - Real Estate Weekly


Janesville-based Woodman’s Food Market Inc. is considering plans to build a store in Waukesha, Mayor Jeff Scrima said.

Scrima said he reached out to Woodman’s after he was elected last year and encouraged the company to build a grocery store in Waukesha. Scrima said the company had identified three sites in the city as possible store locations. Scrima said he could not reveal those sites.

However, he said an announcement from Woodman’s about its plans for a store in Waukesha could be made within the next 6 weeks.

“My feeling is that it’s very likely (Woodman’s will build a store in Waukesha),” Scrima said. “There are a number of details that still have to be worked out. We are hopeful that they will be coming here.”

Woodman’s vice president of real estate Bret Backus could not be reached for comment.

Woodman’s owns and operates large discount grocery stores, typically about 240,000 square feet in size. In southeastern Wisconsin, the company has stores in Oak Creek, Menomonee Falls and Kenosha.

Here are some possible potential sites for Woodman's in Waukesha I would guess they are looking at:

1. The southeast corner of Highway 59 and County Highway X. Also known as the Genesse Road/Saylesville Road/Les Paul Parkway intersection.

2. On the north side of Les Paul Parkway east of Big Bend Road (would have to be annexed into the City of Waukesha).

3. On the north side of US 18 Summit Aveune west of Maple Way.

4. On the northeast corner of County Highway I Lawnsdale Road and Center Road.

My guess is that the leading site would be at Highway 59 and County Highway X. Residents in the southwest part of Waukesha are underserved by grocery stores and this location would be the best fit for Woodman's.

I have been seeing a large white crane putting in pre-cast pieces for a hi-rise parking garage at Johnson Controls in Glendale. Anyone have some pics of this project?

I have been seeing a large white crane putting in pre-cast pieces for a hi-rise parking garage at Johnson Controls in Glendale. Anyone have some pics of this project?

June 28, 2011,
Johnson Controls Inc. is building a two-story addition to its Power Solutions headquarters on its Glendale campus. The company’s battery business has grown to worldwide sales of $6 billion annually from $1 billion in 2000.



By Thomas Content of the Journal Sentinel

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a232/boatnurd/mjs-jcipower_nws_-sears_-1-1a.jpg

Good news, that lot is an eyesore and this should add to the neighborhood well. The building across the street seems to have had success based on the large number of people I see at Alterras and the other businesses there. Shorewood is a cool area with a lot of things going for it.

http://www.jsonline.com/business/127313953.html

The Shorewood Village Board has approved a revised developer's agreement for The Ravenna, a mixed-use apartment/retail development at 4521-4551 N. Oakland Ave.

The project was first approved in 2007, but was postponed because of the recession. WiRed Properties, the developer, had planned to build condos, but now will build apartments, which the company said were more feasible in this economy.

The village bought three parcels in 2005 that are the site for the project. The parcels are valued at $633,000, but will be sold to the developer for $230,000.

Groundbreaking is planned for September, with completion in spring 2012. Rents for the apartments will start at $1,450.

Retail space of 8,100 square feet is planned. Performance Running, at 4401 N. Oakland Ave., has signed a letter of intent to occupy 2,600 square feet.

It has been a few years since I went through West Milwaukee on Miller Park Way and I am really impressed by all of the redevelopment on Miller Park Way between National and Lincoln Avenues. A few years ago it was the big box retailers and now a lot of other businesses are moving in along the street. Cermak Fresh Market will be moving in with its first Wisconsin location next to Target, Wing Stop will be opening soon near the Sonic Drive-in and the recent opening of GFS Marketplace, which was very busy considering the area is in high demand for grocery and party supplies. Also a few more commercial buildings are going in and Walmart is going to be near the area on Greenfield Avenue. With reports of around 50,000 cars per day along Miller Park Way plus taking advantage of now being the major commercial hub for West Milwaukee, the east side of West Allis, the south side of Milwaukee and for events being held at Miller Park and the Menomonee Valley, its a great economic engine for the area.

Has anyone heard of any development opportunities for the former Dove Nursing Home in Glendale? This is the 10.3 acre site next to the Speedway gas station on Bender Road just east of Green Bay Avenue in Glendale. The address is 1633 W. Bender Road. The site has been on the market for more than a year and I think it would be a great location for a mix of businesses. I would like to see companies like CVS Pharmacy, GFS Marketplace, Sonic Drive-in and other similar types of bussinesses locate there. Though a rezoning of the site would be needed for these uses. With most of Bayshore Town Center leased, another small scale commercial development is needed in Glendale that is neighborhood friendly.

Has anyone heard of any development opportunities for the former Dove Nursing Home in Glendale? This is the 10.3 acre site next to the Speedway gas station on Bender Road just east of Green Bay Avenue in Glendale. The address is 1633 W. Bender Road. The site has been on the market for more than a year and I think it would be a great location for a mix of businesses. I would like to see companies like CVS Pharmacy, GFS Marketplace, Sonic Drive-in and other similar types of bussinesses locate there. Though a rezoning of the site would be needed for these uses. With most of Bayshore Town Center leased, another small scale commercial development is needed in Glendale that is neighborhood friendly.

I would guess they might have problems attracting retail because of the limited visability off Green Bay & very low traffic on Bender. Some convenience retail (CVS,Walgreens,etc) might work considering the business park & Johnson Controls are nearby, but they have many locations nearby already.

The best use is probably as a renovated nursing home or senior apartments... anything else will probably need a TIF plus a fight with the neighbors.

I agree on the CVS and Walgreens possibility though if it opens up again as a nursing home they probably would have to reduce the number living on the property. At one time it was a 320 bed facility. I don't want to see this turned into a situation like they had in Brown Deer when Hearthside closed nearly a decade ago. That building sat vacant for so long and then had to be torn down and it became a vacant open field.

Shots taken on Sunday December 11, 2011.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a232/boatnurd/DSC03277.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a232/boatnurd/DSC03276.jpg

Out of curiosity, Johnson Controls relocating from another location in the Milwaukee area, or moving some offices from elsewhere? Or for that matter ... are they just expanding?

Shots taken on Sunday December 11, 2011.

Out of curiosity, Johnson Controls relocating from another location in the Milwaukee area, or moving some offices from elsewhere? Or for that matter ... are they just expanding?

Expanding their Glendale location. Corp HQ is in Milwaukee.

I took a drive along Highway 83 between I-43 and I-94 in Waukesha County for the first time since the reconstruction and 20 mile detour of the highway last year from Highway NN in Mukwonago to north of Highway 59 in Genesee. That has become a vastly improved highway. The road was widened from County Highway NN to County Highway X from 2 to 4 lanes and upgraded the 2 lane road from County Highway X to Highway 59 with right of way for a 4 lane expansion. Also three roundabouts were added. They are at County Highway I, County Highway X and Highway 59. The road is designed for suburban expansion in the southern part of Waukesha County. When Highway 164 was widened t0 a 4 lane highway from Big Bend to Waukesha and from Waukesha to Sussex it brought in a lot more traffic and mostly residential development. The same effect will also happen along Highway 83 though it will probably take until the seection of Highway 83 north of Genesse Depot to Glacier Pass in Delafield is widened to 4 lanes which is slated to start construction in 2014. Overall I recommend checking out the upgraded Highway 83.

As for the highway widening, I wish we would have a policy to "fix it first". There are alot of WI state roads that are in poor condition.

The reason for the widening and reconstruction of Highway 83 in Waukesha County is the steady increase in population. The Town and Village of Mukwonago combined is around 15,000, Genesee/Genesee Depot area is around 8,000, Wales around 2,600, the City and Town of Delafield around 15,000, the Village of Hartland is approaching 10,000, Chenequa is steady around 600 to 700, and the North Lake/Town of Merton area is around 8,500 to 9,000 residents. With the population of the communities along that corridor between 60,000 and 65,000 residents they had to improve the current roadway to prevent a highway option of going across the inland lakes of Lake Country.

The other interesting part is that some brand new subdivisions are ready to go along the recently reconstructed corridor this year between Mukwonago and Genesee with one on Black Bear Road east of Highway 83 on the Town and Village of Mukwonago border north of Highway NN and a large residential subdivision connected to the new roundabout on the west side of Highway 83 and County Highway X in Genesee. So this will be an area to watch when the economic recovery gets into gear.

The reason for the widening and reconstruction of Highway 83 in Waukesha County is the steady increase in population. The Town and Village of Mukwonago combined is around 15,000, Genesee/Genesee Depot area is around 8,000, Wales around 2,600, the City and Town of Delafield around 15,000, the Village of Hartland is approaching 10,000, Chenequa is steady around 600 to 700, and the North Lake/Town of Merton area is around 8,500 to 9,000 residents. With the population of the communities along that corridor between 60,000 and 65,000 residents they had to improve the current roadway to prevent a highway option of going across the inland lakes of Lake Country.

The other interesting part is that some brand new subdivisions are ready to go along the recently reconstructed corridor this year between Mukwonago and Genesee with one on Black Bear Road east of Highway 83 on the Town and Village of Mukwonago border north of Highway NN and a large residential subdivision connected to the new roundabout on the west side of Highway 83 and County Highway X in Genesee. So this will be an area to watch when the economic recovery gets into gear.

It's merely induced demand & drive until you qualify. Per capita the road-miles of these areas are some of the highest. If the local jurisdictions want to induce local development, they are more than able to raise their local taxes to do so.

Sure, everyone could drive on those roads, but everyone could drive through my alley. Why doesn't the state pay for my alley?

It's merely induced demand & drive until you qualify. Per capita the road-miles of these areas are some of the highest. If the local jurisdictions want to induce local development, they are more than able to raise their local taxes to do so.

Sure, everyone could drive on those roads, but everyone could drive through my alley. Why doesn't the state pay for my alley?

Is your driveway a state highway?

Is your driveway a state highway?

What does that matter?

What does that matter?

Jesse, I'm afraid your well-noted and accurate point was completely lost on usbmfa.

Has anyone heard anything about plans for the former Catholic Life building in Shorewood? With that building and the Citgo Station across the street next to the post office on Capitol Drive both on the market for sale it would be a great investment for redevelopment.

There is a former greenhouse on 5 acres for sale on the north side of Good Hope Road just east of Range Line Road. This is over by Brown Deer Golf Course and DCI Marketing. I would see if Growing Power might consider the property to expand operations.

Its been talked since the multiple rejections from the state for the Town of Lisbon becoming a village that an advisory vote is scheduled in summer for a merger between the Town of Lisbon and the Village of Sussex. This would be a very good move considering that Richfield became a village just a few years ago. Also the combined population of Lisbon and Sussex is 20,726 (2011 estimate) which both areas are steadily growing. Most townships in the state have less than 10,000 in population though other communities in the area could also qualify for a village or city status if they become one community. I could also see the Town of Merton and the Village of Merton do the same thing. They have combined population of 11,717 (2011 estimate) and similar population density as the Village of Richfield. In the short term you will have the usual issues of tax rates and service proportion issues but in the long term will be good for the area.

Its been talked since the multiple rejections from the state for the Town of Lisbon becoming a village that an advisory vote is scheduled in summer for a merger between the Town of Lisbon and the Village of Sussex. This would be a very good move considering that Richfield became a village just a few years ago. Also the combined population of Lisbon and Sussex is 20,726 (2011 estimate) which both areas are steadily growing. Most townships in the state have less than 10,000 in population though other communities in the area could also qualify for a village or city status if they become one community. I could also see the Town of Merton and the Village of Merton do the same thing. They have combined population of 11,717 (2011 estimate) and similar population density as the Village of Richfield. In the short term you will have the usual issues of tax rates and service proportion issues but in the long term will be good for the area.
I have felt for many years now that the Village of Sussex should annex/merge with Lisbon Township, it only makes sense. Ditto the two Pewaukees, the two Brookfields, the two Germantowns, the two Waukeshas, etc. That attitude would do wonders nearly everywhere else in the state, including and especially here in the Appleton area, too.

I would even go as far as advocating that every township in the state be taken over by its respective county board. Most of the state's townships do very little that cannot be easily done at the county level and many simply contract with their counties and/or adjacent small cities or villages to provide other local services (ie, fire, plow and chipseal the roads, planning and zoning, etc), rendering their very existence moot. Here in the Appleton area, Grand Chute Township (most populous township in the state) recently explored merging its police department with that of the City of Appleton, now has a 'first response' agreement with the city's fire department, buys its water from Appleton and contracts with the city's Department of Public Works to maintain their non-DOT stop-and-go lights. Why, then, do they even exist?

As I have stated many times in many forvms, Wisconsin leads all fifty USA states in the ratio of the number of separate units of local government (below the state) with taxing authority to population. EVERY ONE of those units (cities, villages, townships, school districts, township sanitary districts, counties, VTAE districts, etc) has a governing body, either elected or appointed, every one has a hired bureaucracy to run its day-to-day affairs, every one of those people must be paid and we, as a state, can no longer afford all of that gross overabundance of local government.

Mike

Technically speaking, Wisconsin does not have townships. We have towns. The difference may be negligible, but exists nonetheless.

I grew up in the Town of Bristol, which is now the Village of Bristol. The village was established about a year and a half ago and was a section of the original town. The remainder was left as the truncated town. But last summer the town had a referendum on merging with the village and that passed, so about July 1st it all became the village and the town ceased to exist, although the official maps don't show it yet.

I did read later that a resident of the rump town was suing to stop the merger, but heard nothing more of that. I guess he didn't want to pay taxes to the village for the additional services.

For once I agree with Mike. There is huge waste in Wisconsin's overlapping levels of government.

The Franklin Common Council seems to be leaning towards an approval for the first Meijer store in Wisconsin to be located near Highway 100 and Loomis Road. It would bring in 200 to 250 new jobs. If everything goes as planned they will open in 2014.

So with Meijer looking to expand in Wisconsin, I can see other communities that would look forward to having Meijer.

In Waukesha County I could see this company looking at the Village or Town of Merton near Highway VV and Lake Five Road giving this area of nearly 12,000 residents their first major chain in a fast growing area. Probably would even think they would look into areas of western part of the county near Dousman or Summit with its growing population.

In Washington County I could see Meijer looking into the Polk, Jackson or Slinger area near US 41 or US 45. Again another steadily growing suburban corridor with Highway 60 being expanded to 4 lanes from Slinger to Jackson. Also the Village of Richfield at the US 41/45 split could be a possible good location for Meijer.

Its great to see this company finally looking to expand in Wisconsin.

The Franklin Common Council seems to be leaning towards an approval for the first Meijer store in Wisconsin to be located near Highway 100 and Loomis Road. It would bring in 200 to 250 new jobs. If everything goes as planned they will open in 2014.

So with Meijer looking to expand in Wisconsin, I can see other communities that would look forward to having Meijer.

In Waukesha County I could see this company looking at the Village or Town of Merton near Highway VV and Lake Five Road giving this area of nearly 12,000 residents their first major chain in a fast growing area. Probably would even think they would look into areas of western part of the county near Dousman or Summit with its growing population.

In Washington County I could see Meijer looking into the Polk, Jackson or Slinger area near US 41 or US 45. Again another steadily growing suburban corridor with Highway 60 being expanded to 4 lanes from Slinger to Jackson. Also the Village of Richfield at the US 41/45 split could be a possible good location for Meijer.

Its great to see this company finally looking to expand in Wisconsin.

if they play their cards right, meijer and woodman's can team up and market to their strengths and put walmart out of its misery. i'd rather have wi & mi stores capturing the market share.

Now I found out that Meijer is looking to build over on Port Washington Road south of the Home Depot and Office Max in Grafton. That is the 35 acre site at one time proposed for a Menards which never panned out back in 2006.

Meijer is also looking for a possible warehouse site in Racine or Kenosha counties to accompany the possible WI stores;

Meijer seeks 100 acres for Wisconsin distribution center

The Business Journal by Sean Ryan, Reporter
Date: Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 12:13pm CDT - Last Modified: Tuesday, May 1, 2012, 12:23pm CDT

Meijer Inc. is looking to buy more than 100 acres in Racine or Kenosha counties to build a distribution center that could be upwards of 1 million square feet, according to real estate sources.

The prospect of a distribution center follows The Business Journal's report of Meijer’s plans to expand into the Wisconsin market with new stores, starting with one in Franklin that may open in 2014. The company for more than a year has been exploring sites of at least 100 acres in southeast Wisconsin for the distribution center. The project would be a ground-up development, according to sources.

the rest here; http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/blog/real_estate/2012/05/meijer-seeks-100-acres-for-wisconsin.html

if they play their cards right, meijer and woodman's can team up and market to their strengths and put walmart out of its misery. i'd rather have wi & mi stores capturing the market share.
I see little chance that Meijer would cooperate with Woodman, as Meijer is a much larger outfit. In addition, Meijer coexists quite well with the Walmarts in Michigan. If any stores would suffer because of Meijer's presence, it definitely would be the remaining Kroger, K-Mart, and Sears stores--and Roundy's O&O groceries.

A typical Meijer store (all are open 24/7 BTW) has its own large bakery, good produce, including some exotic items, and a fair amount of bulk items, especially nuts and candies--in addition to its large discount store (about three times or more the size of its well-stocked grocery).

Although I live two miles from Canada, there are still 17 Meijer stores within 20 miles of my residence. There are no Meijers in Ontario.

Spartan Foods--also headquartered in Grand Rapids--is one of the major grocery chains in Michigan, with its numerous franchises.

Woodman's already beats Walmart in price and selection. Their only negatives are nonexistant customer service, not so good meat selection and the place is just so huge it is daunting to go in for just a couple things.

If Meijer can't beat Woodman's prices they better stay clear of them.

Woodman's already beats Walmart in price and selection. Their only negatives are nonexistant customer service, not so good meat selection and the place is just so huge it is daunting to go in for just a couple things.

If Meijer can't beat Woodman's prices they better stay clear of them.
Meijer's and Woodman's are two very different animals. Woodman's general merchandise sales could not come anywhere close to what Meijer will have. Roundy's stores will have to compete, as their stores will be targeted by Meijer's aggressive merchandizing.

And there are 38 independently owned Spartan Stores (groceries) within ten miles from here--one two blocks away, even though some 40% of my "neighborhood" is Ontario--where no Spartans exist. All in all, there are over three dozen groceries in Southwest Detroit (about 15% of the city of Detroit).

And the Menards chain is finally building its way over here.

New office building planned for Grafton

By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel
May 9, 2012 7:00 a.m.

A 45,000-square-foot office building proposed for Grafton has been approved by the Village Board.

Wangard Partners Inc. plans to develop the building at Cheyenne Ave. and Badger Circle, north of Highway 60, in the Grafton Business Park. The firm hasn't yet disclosed the name of the building's tenant.

The village will spend an estimated $250,000 on street work to serve the 6-acre site, said Darrell Hofland, village administrator. That money will be repaid to the village through a special assessment on Wangard Partners and an adjacent property owner, Hofland said.

The building will have a guaranteed minimum value of $5.2 million under a development agreement approved Monday by the Village Board.

3 apartment buildings proposed on Beaumont between Santa Monica and Consaul in Whitefish Bay.

http://www.biztimes.com/article/20120516/ENEWSLETTERS06/120519801