Just to add to my comments... I don't see why a scaled back Catalyst project couldn't move forward and then as the economy returns the other components couldn't be built in other phases.

I totally agree...if one or both of those towers are eliminated, or shrunk down to 20 stories or less, screw it. That site is (basically) in the heart of downtown and it would be a waste not to put something of great significance there, in terms of not only substance but height as well.

Welcome to the boards. :)

As for the Catalyst, I agree. The sad thing is, even the original designs are shorter than the Hilton next door, aren't they?

Just to add to my comments... I don't see why a scaled back Catalyst project couldn't move forward and then as the economy returns the other components couldn't be built in other phases.

Ghazi said a while back that that's the way the project had been planned...that if the market for one component of the project wasn't strong enough (like for the residential tower), it could be put on hold while the other components could go forward (like the hotel tower and retail/entertainment), and the remainder could be completed when the market for that would pick up again. Even though Ghazi may have dropped plans altogether for the residential tower at this time, it is still possible it could be reinstated at a later date.

The smartest thing the City and Ghazi can do right now is just be patient. With the way the economy is at the moment, it's not like somebody else could just come in and put up a large-scale mixed-use high-rise development there anyway.

For the past several years, residential construction was so strong it could pretty much build itself. But even with a strong economy during those years, Downtown Milwaukee still struggled with landing things like hotels and retail and entertainment places. That is why the Catalyst, even sans residential tower, is such an important proposal for Downtown Milwaukee.

I totally agree...if one or both of those towers are eliminated, or shrunk down to 20 stories or less, screw it. That site is (basically) in the heart of downtown and it would be a waste not to put something of great significance there, in terms of not only substance but height as well.

Hey welcome to the board.

Has any major new construction development (not including Intermodal and Midwest Center) been built in Westown since Library Hill almost 10 years ago? I guess aloft is going up now.

I mean we can keep waiting, but if nothing new is built in Westown to get the momentum going, we'll never get a major development like we all want to see. A scaled-back version of the Catalyst still gets the momentum going.

I wonder if they had just proposed the scaled-back version to begin with, would people be so disappointed? Since they were a little overly-optimistic, they raised everyone's expectations too far.

A bunch of bs from a guy who like the article says changes his opinion on who pays him.

http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/36210564.html

Plain and simple buses wouldn't be a good alternative to KRM. There is the stigma attached with buses that doesn't exist with trains. Buses would also not allow for the community and business development that would take place along the KRM route.

The study is a joke. It uses a lot of fuzzy math to try to make a point, while it's main argument for going with busses is because busses are cheaper. They admit that the quality of service with busses doesn't compare with the quality of service of trains, and they skipped over any criticism of their plans with the briefest of bullet points. At one point it even makes the argument that while busses increase travel time, it is an improvment over rail for anyone who lives west of I-94... don't most of the people down there live to the East of I-94???

One question I have about KRM... $62 million would go to improve the track infastructure.... what kind of benefit would the other companies have that also use the track? Does the improvement provide any benefit for the shipping companies who use rail, can their trains go faster, or be loaded heavier, or have more cars. One of the largest arguments for the interstate system is that it is used to move goods across long distances and state lines, yet rail transports around 70% of all goods shipped in the US, so wouldn't an investment of $62 million on rail improvement be a better business investment for southern wisconsin than widening the highway.

According to the Biz Times: (http://www.biztimes.com/realestateweekly/2008/12/10/public-to-review-plans-for-menomonee-valley-passage)

http://www.biztimes.com/nf/uploads/Image/reweekly12.10.08/menomonee.jpg

The plans for the Menomonee Valley Passage call for a bridge over the Menomonee River and an underpass beneath a rail tressel. The pathway would connect to the south side neighborhood at South 37th Street and Pierce Street. The passage would include part of a tunnel that was used years ago by workers to get to the valley. The tunnel was bricked off from the Pierce Street side, but some homeless people have lived in it in recent years, said Zetts.

Several employees at Palermo Villa Inc. walk to work in the valley each day and traverse five stories of stairs from the 35th Street Bridge, she said. The Menomonee Valley Passage could be used by them and workers at other business in the valley. Employees could also use the passage to walk to lunch at restaurants along National Avenue, she said

Ghazi said a while back that that's the way the project had been planned...that if the market for one component of the project wasn't strong enough (like for the residential tower), it could be put on hold while the other components could go forward (like the hotel tower and retail/entertainment), and the remainder could be completed when the market for that would pick up again. Even though Ghazi may have dropped plans altogether for the residential tower at this time, it is still possible it could be reinstated at a later date.

The smartest thing the City and Ghazi can do right now is just be patient. With the way the economy is at the moment, it's not like somebody else could just come in and put up a large-scale mixed-use high-rise development there anyway.

For the past several years, residential construction was so strong it could pretty much build itself. But even with a strong economy during those years, Downtown Milwaukee still struggled with landing things like hotels and retail and entertainment places. That is why the Catalyst, even sans residential tower, is such an important proposal for Downtown Milwaukee.

Thanks for the welcomes. I wasn't aware the project was planned to be built in phases. That would make a lot of sense. And also a great point with momentum...I agree that if you keep waiting for bigger and better things, while putting off available things in the meantime, you'll never get what you want. Which is also true with transportation. Take what you can get, and hopefully it will lead to better things down the road (tracks). One thing that I don't understand is why no one really talks as much about rail from Milwaukee to Madison. If there was commuter rail that went down I-94, I think that would also help both regions. Perhaps not as much as KRM. But a main rail artery from the Capital to the biggest city would seam to make a lot of sense.

There is actually a lot of discussion about a madison-milwaukee-chicago rail link in the midwest High Speed Rail thread back in the midwest and plains section. You should check it out:
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=722920

The following article reports on the disadvantages of the Bradley Center and surrounds:

http://www.jsonline.com/business/36087854.html

thanks for the link coldwake. top of page 3 is what i wanted to hear. at least there's talk of it.

http://www.biztimes.com/realestateweekly/2008/12/17/#ghazi-option-may-be-extended

news on the Catalyst

12/18/08

Cardinal Stritch will open campus on former Pabst site
By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel
Dec. 18, 2008 4:56 p.m. | Cardinal Stritch University plans to open a satellite campus at the former Pabst brewery.

The Fox Point university announced today that its board had approved "a major expansion" in Milwaukee. A press conference to provide details on the expansion will be Monday at the Pabst site.

A university spokeswoman couldn't be immediately reached for comment. Ald. Robert Bauman, whose district includes the Pabst site, said Cardinal Stritch was planning to lease around 24,000 square feet at one of the former brewery buildings.

The university also is pursuing plans to open a campus in St. Francis, at the Cousins Center.

Any thoughts on some of these priorities from Barrett: http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/36411509.html

Obviously, these are not reflective of all ongoing projects. I'd imagine this is just a list of items that we had on the back burner available for money.

$298.8 million to upgrade infrastructure, including $84.7 million for fixing streets, bridges and alleys; $81 million in sewer and Water Works upgrades; $59.4 million for renovating city and Housing Authority buildings; $57.4 million in energy-efficiency projects and streetlight upgrades; and $16.3 million in port projects.

• $131.5 million in development projects, including $56 million to develop more than 800 units of affordable housing; $25.6 million to redevelop the former Tower Automotive plant; $15 million for a water technology business park; $15 million to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee develop its new School of Freshwater Science and downtown engineering campus; $4 million to redevelop the former 440th Air Force Reserve Wing base; $3 million to aid Pabst Brewery renovation; and $12.9 million in other projects.

• $100 million for a downtown streetcar system. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker opposes streetcars and backs express buses.

• $36 million for the Milwaukee Public Library to build three new regional libraries, which Curley said could replace or supplement existing neighborhood libraries; replace the Villard Ave. and East libraries with new structures that would be shared with housing or other facilities; and add three new express-service libraries.

• $23.4 million for the Fire Department to replace its maintenance shop and two aging firehouses.

• $9.3 million for other purposes, including $4.3 million for job training; $3.5 million to replace 100 police cars; and $1.5 million for an automated library self-checkout system.

The most interesting thing there to me is "$15 million to help the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee develop its new School of Freshwater Science and downtown engineering campus;"

AND downtown engineering campus? Maybe Barrett is finally taking on UWM and is using this as an opportunity to encourage UWM to expand downtown instead of in Tosa...

I'm sure he meant the downtown School of Public Health.

I'm sure he meant the downtown School of Public Health.

I am sure he meant exactly what the article said.

Im satisfied with most of the list...however i think more money should be put towards passenger rail transit. And more should be done to create a waste facility that doesn't a single drop back into Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes have enough pollution to deal with, and lately officials have been saying The Great Lakes are a very important place, well of course, so why pollute them more?

I know, give scott walker some money to QUIT!

And more should be done to create a waste facility that doesn't a single drop back into Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes have enough pollution to deal with, and lately officials have been saying The Great Lakes are a very important place, well of course, so why pollute them more?

Isn't the $81 million in sewer and Water Works upgrades enough?

Isn't the $81 million in sewer and Water Works upgrades enough?

I think that's a legitimate question. If you were to ask me what the number one infrastructure problem with Milwaukee is, I would say the fact that we cannot have a rainstorm without releasing our raw sewage into the lake. Before we worry about streetcars or automated library checkout systems we need to make sure that the water system in the city is cured. With that, I would make sure that all the storm water is directed properly, treated properly, and returned naturally to the environment.

After that, I would focus on things such as energy that will provide a return to the city for years to come. Let's look into switching out streetlights to LED and adding some solar or green roofs. That would benefit the tax situation in the long run.

Look at Ann Arbor (http://www.ecogeek.org/content/view/414/)
"The city hopes to be able to cut its $1.39 million street lighting budget in half by switching to LED street lighting, and that accounts for just the energy savings. Maintenance savings will allow crews to be able to concentrate more on other projects within the city. "

We could be talking about millions of dollars annually in budget reductions for the city. Sure, these omnibus stimulus packages are like squirrels gathering nuts. But there's no reason we can't plant a nut tree with it.

If we can move to the nice-to-have list after that, well great.

I think that's a legitimate question. If you were to ask me what the number one infrastructure problem with Milwaukee is, I would say the fact that we cannot have a rainstorm without releasing our raw sewage into the lake. Before we worry about streetcars or automated library checkout systems we need to make sure that the water system in the city is cured. With that, I would make sure that all the storm water is directed properly, treated properly, and returned naturally to the environment.

While I agree that this is important, this isn't just a Milwaukee problem. Every city in the country has had to dump sewage (in Milwaukee, we dump a mix of stormwater/sewage into the lake, never 100% sewage). Milwaukee is down to 1-2 times per year...down from a dozen a few years ago.

Of course its not exclusively a milwaukee thing, but enough money should be spent on the sewage system until absolutely NOTHING gets dumped into a natural body of water. I dont know if 81 million is actually the amount that would stop the dumping or if its just another step closer, 81 million isnt that much money anymore. If the 81 million is the amount that will "cure" the situation, then perfect. Or if the sewage can be treated so that it is absolutely 100 percent harmless, that would be fine as well. Its a little redundant when milwaukee wants to be a fresh water research center, but at the same time, milwaukee is polluting that fresh water.

Actually, much of the polluting that's occurring comes from surface runoff--not sewage dumping, which has been a relatively rare occurrence since the first phases of the Deep Tunnel system came online in the 1990s (and certainly does not happen with every rainstorm as has been implied by some people). And since the DTS has not yet reached full build-out yet--capacity is still being added right now--the 2 or 3 overflows per year we do have now (down from 60+ per year pre-Deep Tunnel) they ought to be reduced even more once it's completed.

Has anyone heard if that BP plan in northern Indiana is still planning to dump all their sludge into the lake once built?

Yea the belief that the deep tunnel system isn't working well has been sold by talk radio very well. The facts are that it was never supposed to eliminate overflows. They used to overflow 60+ times a year and now it is around 2 or 3 (it should be noted the goal was less than 2 so they are slightly off). Further at this point the contamination of the water has much more to do with stormwater runoff than it does the deep tunnel.

Also, I believe Milwaukee is in the process of converting lights to LED with a project with JCI... (I'd have to double check on this)

So that all said, To me enhanced and expanded transit has both the short term and long term economic benefits that should make it a priority.

I am a fan of any short term cost that has a long term benefit. Converting all the stoplights in the city to LED stoplights, as well as converting the Christmas lights to LED will have high costs, and it will take several years before the benefits pay for themselves, but i think it will save a lot of money. The same thing goes with the Automated checkouts for books. It will reduce staffing requirements and free up workers so they can work more efficiently, but in time it can pay for itself. I think that one thing that Milwaukee needs to work on right now is efficiency. Cutting services is not a way to become more efficient, instead it is important to find innovative ways so that the money we spend now can have a strong future benefit. If we invest the money now, in a few years when the economy is rebounding, and companies are expanding, we will see greater economic growth in the Milwaukee area because we have increased the quality of service while keeping taxes at the same rate or lower. One strong benefit of having the stimulus plan is that it will allow us to position ourselves competitively with other parts of the US and the world by improving our infrastructure. We need to become competitive on the world market.

Has anyone heard if that BP plan in northern Indiana is still planning to dump all their sludge into the lake once built?

The BP plant has always been dumping sludge into the lake. The controversy came when they wanted to expand their operations and dump even more sludge into the lake. That increase in dumping has been repealed, but the plant continues to dump it's regular output.

The BP plant has always been dumping sludge into the lake. The controversy came when they wanted to expand their operations and dump even more sludge into the lake. That increase in dumping has been repealed, but the plant continues to dump it's regular output.

That is terrible. I haven't bought a penny of gas from BP since I heard they were doing that.

I was snooping around online
and happened upon a great flickr collection of recent photos
of city hall, the edge and more

http://www.flickr.com/photos/davereid/

Also I see that Atomic Records is closing
I have to make it back up there and get more tshirts
I love their tshirts

After that, I would focus on things such as energy that will provide a return to the city for years to come. Let's look into switching out streetlights to LED and adding some solar or green roofs. That would benefit the tax situation in the long run.



I think this is a great idea. I'm not on the green bandwagon but I love ideas that pay off in the long run that also help the environment. LED lighting is a great way to save! Yes, it has a high start up cost but it only takes a few years to make that up in energy savings alone (I'm thinking of indoor bulbs now, for example LED exit signs can save businesses a lot of money in large buildings). Add to that the maintenance costs going down a huge amount for the streetlights and I think we have a winner!

Im satisfied with most of the list...however i think more money should be put towards passenger rail transit. And more should be done to create a waste facility that doesn't a single drop back into Lake Michigan. The Great Lakes have enough pollution to deal with, and lately officials have been saying The Great Lakes are a very important place, well of course, so why pollute them more?

I know, give scott walker some money to QUIT!

:ohno:

I know, give scott walker some money to QUIT!


That is the best idea I've heard yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe Barrett could ask for money to start a light rail system...!!!!!!! Forget the downtown streetcars and build light rail.!!!!!!!

That is the best idea I've heard yet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maybe Barrett could ask for money to start a light rail system...!!!!!!! Forget the downtown streetcars and build light rail.!!!!!!!

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

@mohammed wong Thanks for the link to my Milwaukee Photos:) I try to add new photos each week and post some here when appropriate as well.

More on topic but it will sure be nice if/when the post office gets redeveloped as I've been taking the Amtrak more and more and it would sure be nice for there to be a bar in the neighborhood to wait for the train at.

More on topic but it will sure be nice if/when the post office gets redeveloped as I've been taking the Amtrak more and more and it would sure be nice for there to be a bar in the neighborhood to wait for the train at.

Agreed. There should be some sort of quick food options too. Those vending machines just aren't cutting it.

I really don't have patience right now so all i am going to say is what the fuck? http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/36839699.html

Really shows how supportive the rest of this state is for Milwaukee.

Well, that is not the only web page to feature another cities skyline while promoting Milwaukee. For those of you familiar with the Lakefront Webcam, seems the same group of mindless web page developers created this one too. It irks me every time I go to this site. Take a close look at the banner. Look like Milwaukee?

http://www.lakefrontcam.com/

I really don't have patience right now so all i am going to say is what the fuck? http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/36839699.html

Really shows how supportive the rest of this state is for Milwaukee.

Yeah, sort of indicative of how the Madison mindset thinks. As I much as I like our capital city, the attitude of the brain-dead who work/live there that everything revolves around Madison is just a bit nauseating. If a representative share of money went to Milwaukee that stays in Madison, well, Wisconsin's largest and most important city would look a lot better, too.

Well, that is not the only web page to feature another cities skyline while promoting Milwaukee. For those of you familiar with the Lakefront Webcam, seems the same group of mindless web page developers created this one too. It irks me every time I go to this site. Take a close look at the banner. Look like Milwaukee?

http://www.lakefrontcam.com/

Well, there are simply a lot of idiots working out there in the web design world. At the same time, they may simply throw in whatever they are given by equally-idiotic marketing managers. Pretty hard to take that web site seriously, unless I was in Baltimore! :ohno:

Reminds me of the bit that Marcus Theaters used to (still does?) run before a movie that shows the Welcome To Wisconsin sign in front of a Chicago skyline shot.

Yeah, sort of indicative of how the Madison mindset thinks. As I much as I like our capital city, the attitude of the brain-dead who work/live there that everything revolves around Madison is just a bit nauseating. If a representative share of money went to Milwaukee that stays in Madison, well, Wisconsin's largest and most important city would look a lot better, too.

I want to quickly add that most people here do not think like that. Most people I know love Milwaukee and enjoy traveling to Milwaukee for business and entertainment (especially the Brewers!).

The people in Madison who think that everything revolves around Madison are a minority, and are equally as ignorant as some people I knew in Appleton who downplay Madison and think everything revolves around the Fox Cities, etc. There is the same minority of people I met in Lafayette Indiana that downplayed Indy, and people in Indy that downplay Chicago, etc. This minority attitude that “we’re better than the bigger city” is common no matter where you go, although usually just an uneducated minority.

But Indy IS so much better than Chicago!!!


:) :) :) :) :)

hee hee hee hee hee

I really don't have patience right now so all i am going to say is what the fuck? http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/36839699.html

Really shows how supportive the rest of this state is for Milwaukee.

I'm confused about your assessment. Blame the site's developer. If you're going to blame the GAB in Madison for anything, it should be for sourcing this contract out of state. Now that is a travesty.

I'm confused about your assessment. Blame the site's developer. If you're going to blame the GAB in Madison for anything, it should be for sourcing this contract out of state. Now that is a travesty.

The outsourcing is just one small problem. This guy represents all that is wrong with the rest of the state's feelings towards Milwaukee. He is the definition of moron.

Jonathan Becker, director of the board's Ethics Division, joked that the skyline was a "fanciful picture of what Madison may look like someday."

He said he had assumed the skyline was of Wisconsin's biggest city. He's not from Milwaukee, so he said he hadn't noticed the skyline lacked landmarks such as the Milwaukee Art Museum, the newly renovated City Hall and the U.S. Bank Center.

He said he would ask the vendor to find promptly a skyline from Wisconsin. "It's nice, though, isn't it?" he said. "It looks like a nice place to live. It's the Emerald City."

I don't know, I think the outsourcing is a bigger problem... plus maybe the fact that they spent 1 MILLION dollars on it! I know people that have the ability to make this sort of searchable database and I'm sure companies in wisconsin could do it for far less money.

The outsourcing is just one small problem. This guy represents all that is wrong with the rest of the state's feelings towards Milwaukee. He is the definition of moron.

I'm not sure what you find offensive about his (Jonathan Becker's) statement. Just because he isn't familiar with Milwaukee's skyline doesn't mean he has ill will toward Milwaukee. Not everybody takes special note of skylines, like we do here. And then he makes a comment that he thinks that the skyline pictured looks nice. Again, I'm not sure how that's an insult to Milwaukee.

I don't know, I think the outsourcing is a bigger problem... plus maybe the fact that they spent 1 MILLION dollars on it! I know people that have the ability to make this sort of searchable database and I'm sure companies in wisconsin could do it for far less money.

I don't mind outsourcing and I don't mind spending money out of state. If that's the best deal, then take it. Yes, with costs and value being close to equal, keep it in state instead of out of state. But the simple fact that the work was outsourced out of state doesn't make it bad.

Of course, a million dollars does sound pretty excessive for this particular project and I'm not sure if there was a bidding process or not. This reminds me of the flap over the Marquette Interchange website.

I'm confused about your assessment. Blame the site's developer. If you're going to blame the GAB in Madison for anything, it should be for sourcing this contract out of state. Now that is a travesty.

The Government Accountabilty Board in Wisconsin is an absolute joke. These morons can waste our tax dollars with a $1 million website?!! Yet, they claim they can't afford to correctly count ballots?!! They say there's not enough money to do accurately keep track of who votes in this state?!!!! What a bunch of BS. If there was anybody in the local/state media worth a damn, they'd be investigating the inept people running the GAB. People in this office should be losing their jobs, first, for carelessly spending a lot money; second for not caring about the crap this useless firm in Connecticut puts up on the site! Then, to hear the morons at the site developer say the picture would be updated when they get a picture of Madison's skyline "by early January."
EARLY JANUARY???!!!!!!!!! If they can't react within 24 hours, they should be fired -- and sued -- for breach of contract!! I am sick and tired of the bureaucrats in Madison spending our money on crap. And, that's excatly what this website is: CRAP!

The Government Accountabilty Board in Wisconsin is an absolute joke. These morons can waste our tax dollars with a $1 million website?!! Yet, they claim they can't afford to correctly count ballots?!! They say there's not enough money to do accurately keep track of who votes in this state?!!!! What a bunch of BS. If there was anybody in the local/state media worth a damn, they'd be investigating the inept people running the GAB. People in this office should be losing their jobs, first, for carelessly spending a lot money; second for not caring about the crap this useless firm in Connecticut puts up on the site! Then, to hear the morons at the site developer say the picture would be updated when they get a picture of Madison's skyline "by early January."
EARLY JANUARY???!!!!!!!!! If they can't react within 24 hours, they should be fired -- and sued -- for breach of contract!! I am sick and tired of the bureaucrats in Madison spending our money on crap. And, that's excatly what this website is: CRAP!
LOL! Yeah, What he said!!!

The Government Accountabilty Board in Wisconsin is an absolute joke. These morons can waste our tax dollars with a $1 million website?!! Yet, they claim they can't afford to correctly count ballots?!! They say there's not enough money to do accurately keep track of who votes in this state?!!!! What a bunch of BS. If there was anybody in the local/state media worth a damn, they'd be investigating the inept people running the GAB. People in this office should be losing their jobs, first, for carelessly spending a lot money; second for not caring about the crap this useless firm in Connecticut puts up on the site! Then, to hear the morons at the site developer say the picture would be updated when they get a picture of Madison's skyline "by early January."
EARLY JANUARY???!!!!!!!!! If they can't react within 24 hours, they should be fired -- and sued -- for breach of contract!! I am sick and tired of the bureaucrats in Madison spending our money on crap. And, that's excatly what this website is: CRAP!

Woah, not to defend the cost of the website or the choice to use a seemingly inept firm from Connecticut.... but, it was discovered at year-end on a BETA version of the application and it was inconsequential. It was a funny/stupid mistake, but it's not like this picture was the crown jewel in some sort of huge government conspiracy to ruin your life.

And to be fair, I think our state actually has some of the smoothest elections in the country with very high turnout rates.

I think the website designers should have had a little fun and put up a picture of the Emerald City of Oz after that. Everyone can have a laugh and move on.

Woah, not to defend the cost of the website or the choice to use a seemingly inept firm from Connecticut.... but, it was discovered at year-end on a BETA version of the application and it was inconsequential. It was a funny/stupid mistake, but it's not like this picture was the crown jewel in some sort of huge government conspiracy to ruin your life.

And to be fair, I think our state actually has some of the smoothest elections in the country with very high turnout rates.

I think the website designers should have had a little fun and put up a picture of the Emerald City of Oz after that. Everyone can have a laugh and move on.

It's hard to laugh at ineptitude -- especially when it's costing the taxpayers of this state a million bucks for something I could've done. And, then to get a casual response from the site developer as if it's no big deal. OK, then reimburse the state some of the money you stole for being unprofessional and inept, Mr. "web site developer!" Then, reprimand, whip and fire some of the yahoos at the GAB who hired the firm, then put up with the crap they delivered. :ohno: Sorry, but, considering the deficit our state is in, I cannot laugh at this sort of innapropriate spending BS!

Here's a pano I took from 2005, with UCT and Kilbourn Tower u/c. Dunno if I posted before.. my apologies if I did:
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/5451/pano2nz3.jpg

Post office completes purchase of Oak Creek land
By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Jan. 5, 2009

The U.S. Postal Service has completed its $8.1 million purchase of nearly 64 acres in Oak Creek, where it plans to build a new mail processing center.

The agency bought the land, south of E. College Ave. and west of S. Pennsylvania Ave., from an investors group affiliated with Cobalt Partners, according to documents filed today with the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds.

The building, which will cover 820,000 square feet, will be developed by Cobalt. The center will have more than 2,250 employees and replace an obsolete building at 345 W. St. Paul Ave. in downtown Milwaukee and other facilities. Construction could begin this spring.

Anyone have info on the building coming down at Knapp and N Jefferson?

I don't think anything's going in there. That's just the old Convent Hill Apartments tower. They build the new one next door and now that it's complete they're tearing down the old one.

I don't think anything's going in there. That's just the old Convent Hill Apartments tower. They build the new one next door and now that it's complete they're tearing down the old one.

The project’s first phase, HACM will build a new 120-unit high-rise on currently vacant land adjacent to the existing high-rise. Once complete, existing residents will move into the new building, and the existing high-rise will be demolished. The new high-rise, under construction as of June 2006, will include a total of 120 affordable rental units: 42 public housing, 36 Section 202, 20 project-based Section 8, and 22 low-income housing tax credit-only 1 units. The mix of residents’ incomes will likely shift upwards, with more households in the 50%-80% of AMI range, due both to rising incomes resulting from an aggressive CSS plan and to the use of HACM’s broad range of income preference in selecting new residents.

The new high-rise will be a sustainable, “green,” LEED-certifiable building, with a vegetated roof and garden. There will be over 15,000 square feet of space for community activities and supportive services, including an on-site health clinic and pharmacy, as well as approximately 7,500 square feet of retail. The Convent Hill site will be opened up to the community, with the addition of a “Woonert” (a Dutch term for an interior access drive that can accommodate cars yet remains pedestrian-friendly) and an interior courtyard and public park.

In addition to the new high-rise, phase two will include the construction of 20 single-family homes off-site in the surrounding community as public housing replacement units, with at least 5 of these new homes sold to public housing-eligible residents through HACM’s Section 32 homeownership program.

The project’s third phase will include the construction of 62 market-rate condominiums, additional retail space, and an underground parking structure with a surface park, all of them on the existing Convent Hill site, using the footprint of the existing high-rise.

Walker's stance against economic stimulus for county questioned
By Steve Schultze of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Jan. 7, 2009 10:10 p.m.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's stance against seeking any money from a federal economic stimulus package perplexes foes as well as some friends.

Standing on principle in opposition to expansion of federal deficit spending is one thing, said Timothy Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. He, like Walker, prefers tax cuts to federal work projects, Sheehy said. But since President-elect Barack Obama and Congress are on a course to approve a massive stimulus plan, the county would be wise to line up, Sheehy said.

"If Washington opens the spigot, we ought to be there with a bucket," he said.

Obama is considering an economic recovery plan costing about $800 billion, with $300 billion of that devoted to tax cuts.

Others were more critical. State Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee) called Walker's stand irresponsible. Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) said Walker's abstention from the federal program would make it harder to secure increased state funding for Milwaukee County.

Walker said Wednesday that he won't ask for anything from the federal economic recovery plan. He cited his opposition to deficit spending as a strategy to jolt the economy from recession and said he philosophically favors tax cuts as a remedy.

"There's never any free money from the federal government," Walker said. "There's always strings attached."

Cost for the county?
He said he worried that offers of federal aid for county projects might require the county to pay a portion it can't afford.

But Walker hedged a bit on whether he'd accept any offered federal assistance.

"We'd have to look at that on a case-by-case basis," Walker said.

He might take some federal economic recovery money for a worthy project that wouldn't cripple the county financially, he said.

The county has a daunting list of needs tallying in the hundreds of millions of dollars, including deferred park maintenance, replacing an aging fleet of buses and building a new mental health complex.

Critics said Walker's stance could work against the county's interest in tapping into whatever piece of the federal stimulus package goes to Wisconsin. Richards said state officials might overlook Milwaukee County if Walker continues to oppose any aid and the County Board favors it.

The County Board has taken no formal position, but some supervisors might make their own recommendations to Gov. Jim Doyle. County Board Chairman Lee Holloway called on Walker to rethink his stance and "actively seek outside funding to reduce the burden on local property tax payers."

"Whatever we don't get will go to other communities," Holloway said in a memo to Walker on Wednesday. "You are out there all alone on this issue."

Walker chuckled at that, saying such thinking is what has led to excessive spending by the state.

Supervisor Paul Cesarz, a conservative supporter of Walker's, said he agreed with Walker on not seeking a piece of the federal stimulus pie.

State and federal officials should instead consider large-scale tax reductions, Cesarz said.

:bash:

fire Walker already!

Has anyone heard anything about what is going to happen to the former Imperial Printing Factory site on the east side of Marshall Street between Hamilton Street and Land Place north of Brady Street? It is right in the middle of a neighborhood with homes and condos. This is one block north of the Western Leather building which became condos about 10 years ago. Any word on this yet?

The project’s first phase, HACM will build a new 120-unit high-rise on currently vacant land adjacent to the existing high-rise. Once complete, existing residents will move into the new building, and the existing high-rise will be demolished. The new high-rise, under construction as of June 2006, will include a total of 120 affordable rental units: 42 public housing, 36 Section 202, 20 project-based Section 8, and 22 low-income housing tax credit-only 1 units. The mix of residents’ incomes will likely shift upwards, with more households in the 50%-80% of AMI range, due both to rising incomes resulting from an aggressive CSS plan and to the use of HACM’s broad range of income preference in selecting new residents.

The new high-rise will be a sustainable, “green,” LEED-certifiable building, with a vegetated roof and garden. There will be over 15,000 square feet of space for community activities and supportive services, including an on-site health clinic and pharmacy, as well as approximately 7,500 square feet of retail. The Convent Hill site will be opened up to the community, with the addition of a “Woonert” (a Dutch term for an interior access drive that can accommodate cars yet remains pedestrian-friendly) and an interior courtyard and public park.

In addition to the new high-rise, phase two will include the construction of 20 single-family homes off-site in the surrounding community as public housing replacement units, with at least 5 of these new homes sold to public housing-eligible residents through HACM’s Section 32 homeownership program.

The project’s third phase will include the construction of 62 market-rate condominiums, additional retail space, and an underground parking structure with a surface park, all of them on the existing Convent Hill site, using the footprint of the existing high-rise.

Phase 1, the new high rise, was completed in November, 2007, and the residents moved into it between then and last January. AFAIK, the second phase is still in the bidding process, and nothing has been decided so far. The green roof for the new high rise should be installed this summer, it wasn't up there when I watched the fireworks from that roof last July 4th. The new building is a VAST improvement over the building which is coming down right now.

Walker clearly is trying to accumulate press clipping for a higher run. But this is not a political forum, so I will abstain.

The county needs money, much like every major metro county in the country. The point is to participate in projects that will lead to long-term growth. If we have opportunities, and ignore them, then that would be irresponsible.

The county doesn't need money! I'm sure there are a few more jobs Walker could cut, maybe get rid of a few more services, All of the remaining county workers could sell blood... I know... He could sell the Domes! While he's at it he might as well give himself a raise!

http://www.thisismymilwaukee.com/

Has anyone seen this?

http://www.thisismymilwaukee.com/

Has anyone seen this?

WTF??? That is not "my" Milwaukee...

WTF??? That is not "my" Milwaukee...

That's 'cause it was filmed in Manhattan, and it says as much about New York as it does about Milwaukee: precisely nothing.

Pretty funny send up of civic promo films.

Probably means Milwaukee has actually arrived.

Anyone mistaking it for actual tourism stuff though, probably shouldn't be allowed to travel without close adult supervision.

Walker's stance against economic stimulus for county questioned
By Steve Schultze of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Jan. 7, 2009 10:10 p.m.

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker's stance against seeking any money from a federal economic stimulus package perplexes foes as well as some friends.

Standing on principle in opposition to expansion of federal deficit spending is one thing, said Timothy Sheehy, president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. He, like Walker, prefers tax cuts to federal work projects, Sheehy said. But since President-elect Barack Obama and Congress are on a course to approve a massive stimulus plan, the county would be wise to line up, Sheehy said.

"If Washington opens the spigot, we ought to be there with a bucket," he said.

Obama is considering an economic recovery plan costing about $800 billion, with $300 billion of that devoted to tax cuts.

Others were more critical. State Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee) called Walker's stand irresponsible. Rep. Jon Richards (D-Milwaukee) said Walker's abstention from the federal program would make it harder to secure increased state funding for Milwaukee County.

Walker said Wednesday that he won't ask for anything from the federal economic recovery plan. He cited his opposition to deficit spending as a strategy to jolt the economy from recession and said he philosophically favors tax cuts as a remedy.

"There's never any free money from the federal government," Walker said. "There's always strings attached."

Cost for the county?
He said he worried that offers of federal aid for county projects might require the county to pay a portion it can't afford.

But Walker hedged a bit on whether he'd accept any offered federal assistance.

"We'd have to look at that on a case-by-case basis," Walker said.

He might take some federal economic recovery money for a worthy project that wouldn't cripple the county financially, he said.

The county has a daunting list of needs tallying in the hundreds of millions of dollars, including deferred park maintenance, replacing an aging fleet of buses and building a new mental health complex.

Critics said Walker's stance could work against the county's interest in tapping into whatever piece of the federal stimulus package goes to Wisconsin. Richards said state officials might overlook Milwaukee County if Walker continues to oppose any aid and the County Board favors it.

The County Board has taken no formal position, but some supervisors might make their own recommendations to Gov. Jim Doyle. County Board Chairman Lee Holloway called on Walker to rethink his stance and "actively seek outside funding to reduce the burden on local property tax payers."

"Whatever we don't get will go to other communities," Holloway said in a memo to Walker on Wednesday. "You are out there all alone on this issue."

Walker chuckled at that, saying such thinking is what has led to excessive spending by the state.

Supervisor Paul Cesarz, a conservative supporter of Walker's, said he agreed with Walker on not seeking a piece of the federal stimulus pie.

State and federal officials should instead consider large-scale tax reductions, Cesarz said.

:bash:

fire Walker already!

Hey, Schmuck, take off the blinders man! Believe it or not, Walker is the best thing we've got going for us in Milwaukee County. I wish there were just a few more contientious and principled politicians like Walker who don't cave. To accept the "free" money from Obama's stimulus package will most certainly translate to matching local funding for projects and maintenence for years to come! Sorta like getting a "free" cell phone for Christmas, only to realize that it's useless unless you spend money on the monthly service. Same deal here, I'm afraid. So, in the short(sighted) term it looks like a fantastic deal. In the long run, taxpayers will be on the hook again!

Walker clearly is trying to accumulate press clipping for a higher run. But this is not a political forum, so I will abstain.

The county needs money, much like every major metro county in the country. The point is to participate in projects that will lead to long-term growth. If we have opportunities, and ignore them, then that would be irresponsible.

It will be irresponsible to take money that will cost us more in the long run -- see above, my friend. Do you really think there's such a thing as a free lunch?
Obama thinks the solution to our economic woes is for the government to take over. He has actually said that! That's f-ing scary as hell. Government IS the cause of our problems. So, we're going to print more money we don't have, and make sure the taxpayers cover it in the end? Sounds more like bending over and taking it in the end...

It will be irresponsible to take money that will cost us more in the long run -- see above, my friend. Do you really think there's such a thing as a free lunch?

It's not necessarily that clear. I suppose it depends on what sorts of project you are taking funding for. For instance, the "shovel ready" road projects that the stimulus is funding are supposed to be for are those that have gone through the planning and design phase, and are ready to go but are not imminent sans-stimulus for lack of funding, etc. So, many of these sorts of projects are necessary eventually, and could happen sooner and for a lower cost to the municipality by taking part in the stimulus plan. Unless Walker's view is that infrastructure in Milwaukee County is hunky-dory as it is an need no improvement in the foreseeable future.

The point is, setting aside whether the stimulus plan is a good idea or a bad idea from a federal policy standpoint, it's going to happen. In that light, a principled stand to protect Milwaukee County taxpayers would be to request funding for necessary projects that are going to happen sooner or later anyway, and refrain from making request for any projects that are "frills." That Walker seems to be making a blanket decision not to seek any funding for anything with the explanation of avoiding hidden costs suggests to me that he is grandstanding as much as a politician who includes a long list of pork projects in a stimulus request.

The county doesn't need money! I'm sure there are a few more jobs Walker could cut, maybe get rid of a few more services, All of the remaining county workers could sell blood... I know... He could sell the Domes! While he's at it he might as well give himself a raise!

Good idea. I'm sure there ARE plenty of jobs and services that could be cut --especially eliminating the union jobs that cost a ton without getting much in return.

It's not necessarily that clear. I suppose it depends on what sorts of project you are taking funding for. For instance, the "shovel ready" road projects that the stimulus is funding are supposed to be for are those that have gone through the planning and design phase, and are ready to go but are not imminent sans-stimulus for lack of funding, etc. So, many of these sorts of projects are necessary eventually, and could happen sooner and for a lower cost to the municipality by taking part in the stimulus plan. Unless Walker's view is that infrastructure in Milwaukee County is hunky-dory as it is an need no improvement in the foreseeable future.

The point is, setting aside whether the stimulus plan is a good idea or a bad idea from a federal policy standpoint, it's going to happen. In that light, a principled stand to protect Milwaukee County taxpayers would be to request funding for necessary projects that are going to happen sooner or later anyway, and refrain from making request for any projects that are "frills." That Walker seems to be making a blanket decision not to seek any funding for anything with the explanation of avoiding hidden costs suggests to me that he is grandstanding as much as a politician who includes a long list of pork projects in a stimulus request.

Why is it that nobody on this site questions the Doyle and Barrett approach to hand-outs = pork? You've got two extremes in leadership with Walker and Doyle/Barrett. Walker's forever trying to govern from the position of allowing the market to determine economic success. Whereas Doyle and his ilk will be happy to take and spend knowing full well that taxpayers will be more than happy to pay government to lead them to the Promised Land. Government is not the solution -- it is the problem. History has proven this, and we are destined not to learn from history I'm afraid.

^^ That's fine if that's your point of view. Reasonable arguments can be made that the stimulus is a bad idea, or that it wont do much to help the economy, and if Walker's main reason to oppose requesting funds was on that grounds, then that'd be one thing, and the debate surround that would be different. But his main point seems to be that he's somehow protecting taxpayers by this, and the reality is that Milwaukee taxpayers will still pay their share for the stimulus program, but not get anything in return (at the county level) if the county makes no requests.

The reason there is less criticism of "Doyle and his ilk" is that the main political POV on this site is more in like with theirs. Doesn't make one POV more right or more wrong, but it is what it is.

Government is not the solution -- it is the problem. History has proven this, and we are destined not to learn from history I'm afraid.

Actually it's Rush Limbaugh (and maybe the ghost of Ronald Reagan) and his acolytes who keep drumming this simple-minded chant, not "history" (which of course is much more compact than even this kind of summary, isn't it?).

Life's too complicated to pay serious attention to brain-dead sloganeering. Right now most people see that a passively inept (think Hurricane Katrina) and indifferent (financial bubbles everywhere) government needs to be taking itself seriously again. In time, that too will run its cycle.

I haven't read the details, but Walker's PREjudging sounds a lot more like politicking than governing.

Maybe we should stick with development and not debate a political point. These last postings will only lead to trouble and not really solve what needs to be done in the Milwaukee area.

Maybe we should stick with development and not debate a political point. These last postings will only lead to trouble and not really solve what needs to be done in the Milwaukee area.

Agreed. So, how's the Moderne coming?

WTF??? That is not "my" Milwaukee...
That was a joke, not for real.
From the Friday Journal:


Jim Stingl | In My Opinion

Hey, wait a minute, that's not my city

Posted: Jan. 9, 2009

The first thing you notice about this mysterious Internet video, "This is My Milwaukee," is that it isn't.

Apparently shot in New York, the occasionally funny video makes no mention of brats, brewskis or anything remotely Milwaukee-esque.

It says our chief export is flaxseed, which I'm quite sure is incorrect. And it raves about our newly renovated Jagoda Museum Center and "even Oriental restaurants."

"From the glitz of the canning district to the slow jazz down by the piers, there's always something cooking in Milwaukee," says narrator Terry Nanny in a fake British accent.

Reviews are mixed.

"What the hell is this? I live in Milwaukee and this is the goofiest video I've ever seen. Are we trying to scare tourists away?" commented one riled visitor to YouTube.

Easy there. "We" had nothing to do with the 11-minute oddity, and it's too generic to be insulting. In fact, Visit Milwaukee issued a statement saying as much.

"The video is an intricate and clever attempt to distribute clues and messages related to an online alternate reality game created by Synydyne. While humorous in spots, the video is pure fiction," the civic booster group says.

"It's random," Visit spokesman Dave Fantle told me. "It just as easily could have been Pittsburgh or Cleveland."

Tell that to the poor locals who venture too close to Sector 21 and get contaminated by Go.D.S.E.E.D. fragments left over from Blackstar's ill-advised experiment.

Told you it was strange. The video begins as a breezy, cheesy promotional vehicle and veers into post-apocalyptic science fiction.

"We had to destroy Milwaukee to save it. And the survivors buried the remnants of Go.D.S.E.E.D. in the sarcophagus deep beneath the canning district," the video says.

That must be a clue. If we had a canning district - and if I cared about alternate reality games - I'd head over there and check it out.

Instead, I called the non-existent (except in the video) Milwaukee Tourism Commission and got someone named Joey on the line. He stayed in character, so I told him I've been hanging around in Sector 21.

He gasped. "Are you OK? Do you have your rebreather and flare gun?"

I forgot to ask him what will happen at noon on Jan. 16. The Web site, www.thisismymilwaukee.com, has a counter leading up to that date.

As far as I can tell from the Internet, the creators of this video also made a documentary called "Hoopeston," about an Illinois city where a school for witches opened. That actually happened. I think.

Synydyne referred me to a supposedly Milwaukee guy supposedly named Mike Russo. In an e-mail he promised to call me but never did. Alternate reality games are probably not well-served by newspaper interviews that reveal too much.

It's enough to know that "This is My Milwaukee" urges everyone to "Come for the weekend. Stay for life." Just keep your flare gun handy.

Call Jim Stingl at (414) 224-2017 or e-mail at jstingl@journalsentinel.com

Good idea. I'm sure there ARE plenty of jobs and services that could be cut --especially eliminating the union jobs that cost a ton without getting much in return.

You may not realize it, but I know more than a few county parks workers who fear every week of being cut... All while they have cut back staff so far that one parks worker is trying to do the work 7 or 8 did in the past. There is only so far you can cut before making a bigger mess than we were trying to avoid... The county is beyond that point. MILWAUKEE COUNTY NEEDS WHATEVER MONEY IT CAN GET.

You may not realize it, but I know more than a few county parks workers who fear every week of being cut... All while they have cut back staff so far that one parks worker is trying to do the work 7 or 8 did in the past. There is only so far you can cut before making a bigger mess than we were trying to avoid... The county is beyond that point. MILWAUKEE COUNTY NEEDS WHATEVER MONEY IT CAN GET.

"...one parks worker is trying to do the work 7 or 8 did in the past."
This is perhaps the funniest thing I've ever heard. Sorry, but do you realize how absurd this sounds? I used to work with County employees (while not one myself), and the joke always centered around "do you know how many County workers it takes to...(fill in the blank)?"

Please.

As just one example, are you familiar with the union employees who have the contract to clean the Courthouse? In short, they sleep 6-7 hours of an eight-hour shift, get paid quite well, and the end result is a dirty Courthouse. The same thing goes on at MATC, and other places that are stuck with this wonderful unionized labor that certain local politicians support.

Yeah, Milwaukee needs whatever money it can get --and then have to pay for it later. I'm not against receiving aid, but you better make sure there are no strings attached or you'll be paying for that "free" money for years to come. Don't you see what's going on here?!

Milwaukee city, county populations in decline, forecasters say

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/37416959.html

Milwaukee city, county populations in decline, forecasters say

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/37416959.html

Correction: Milwaukee city, county populations in decline, a forecaster says

I tried to figure out where this guy was coming from. It seems like he was sitting in his Madison office looking at pure statistics and census figures without taking anything that's happened recently into consideration...like a housing market crash (Oconomowoc isn't exploding anymore) or rising fuel prices that have changed peoples' commute patterns.

The forecaster seems to point to the fact that downtown has added 4500 residential units in the last 10 years, with high apartment occupancy rates as evidence that

"The fact that the city is not as densely populated as it used to be is a big issue," he said.

Seems counter-intuitive to me.

In other more positive news:

New York biodiesel company buys terminal at port
By Rick Barrett of the Journal Sentinel

Jan. 12, 2009 11:27 a.m. | The old Shell Oil terminal at the Port of Milwaukee has been sold to a New York-based biodiesel company that plans to use the terminal for distributing biodiesel and other renewable fuels in the Midwest.


Photo courtesy of Innovation Fuels Co.

The terminal, built in the 1950s, includes a 20,000 square foot warehouse, offices and a garage. It also has access to railroad service and an idled connection to a petroleum pipeline.

Terms of the sale to Innovation Fuels Co. were not disclosed. The project was financed by Securant Bank & Trust, in Milwaukee, according to a news release.

it's not as dense, because household sizes have shrunk. Houses that used to have two parents and 4 kids, now probably have only 2 kids. As a result, population and population density decrease, however, it's not like there are vacant houses everywhere, like a population decline sort of implies.

Sure, downtown is more dense due to all of the construction, but most milwaukee neighbhoorhoods have seen a decline is household size, and therefore, have seen a population decline.

"...one parks worker is trying to do the work 7 or 8 did in the past."
This is perhaps the funniest thing I've ever heard. Sorry, but do you realize how absurd this sounds? I used to work with County employees (while not one myself), and the joke always centered around "do you know how many County workers it takes to...(fill in the blank)?"

Please.

As just one example, are you familiar with the union employees who have the contract to clean the Courthouse? In short, they sleep 6-7 hours of an eight-hour shift, get paid quite well, and the end result is a dirty Courthouse. The same thing goes on at MATC, and other places that are stuck with this wonderful unionized labor that certain local politicians support.

Yeah, Milwaukee needs whatever money it can get --and then have to pay for it later. I'm not against receiving aid, but you better make sure there are no strings attached or you'll be paying for that "free" money for years to come. Don't you see what's going on here?!

This is the last thing i'll say but I wasn't talking about the guys who sit in the parks in the trucks, i was talking about the carpenters, the gardeners, The people who actually do work ...etc. Not the maintenance people.





IN OTHER NEWS:


Biodiesel firm buys Port of Milwaukee terminal
http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/01/12/daily6.html


A New York City company that plans to produce and ship biodiesel fuel out of Milwaukee has closed on the purchase of a 310,000-barrel terminal at the Port of Milwaukee, the company said Monday.

The terminal, on 10 acres on the south side of the Port at 1626 S. Harbor Drive, was built originally as Shell Oil’s Milwaukee headquarters in the 1950s, Innovation Fuels said in a press release.

A sale price for the property was not disclosed. Securant Bank & Trust in Milwaukee provided financing.

The terminal includes a 20,000-square-foot warehouse, executive offices and a garage. The site features existing truck and rail loading infrastructure with highway access, and is served by two Class I railways: the Union Pacific Railroad and the Canadian Pacific Railroad. In addition, the Port of Milwaukee has international shipping access via the St. Lawrence Seaway and can receive river barge cargo via the Mississippi. The facility also has an idled connection to the Westshore petroleum pipeline, which could be used to bring diesel and gasoline to the terminal for blending with renewable fuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol.

“This acquisition provides Innovation Fuels with direct, deep-water access to the lucrative Great Lakes and Northeast markets as well as to international ports making the Port of Milwaukee property one of the keys to our global strategy,” commented John Fox, CEO for Innovation Fuels. “We can now easily transport finished product from Midwestern biofuels producers to virtually anywhere on the East Coast of the United States as well as to our international customers.”

Innovation Fuels operates biodiesel production facilities at ports in the United States. It acquired leasehold rights to the Port of Milwaukee facility in March 2008 when it purchased North American Biodiesel, a Menomonee Falls company founded in 2006 for the purpose of developing a biodiesel production facility in Milwaukee.

Milwaukee city, county populations in decline, forecasters say

http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/37416959.html

Time will tell just how accurate this forecast is, but I certainly can see Milwaukee County continuing to lose people. Unless sanity returns to county government (and, don't plan on that happening as long as the political views continue unbalanced), this very sad -- and real -- exodus will continue. And, businesses won't be imune from this flight, either. In fact, unless the moronic paid sick leave vote is thrown out on the grounds of idiocy, the vapor trails heading out of town won't be just from airplanes...

As a Milwaukee County resident my entire life, I can, without question, guarantee that I won't be living here beyond the next 5-6 years. If I even decide to retire in my home state, it will be outside of Milwaukee County.

Time will tell just how accurate this forecast is, but I certainly can see Milwaukee County continuing to lose people. Unless sanity returns to county government (and, don't plan on that happening as long as the political views continue unbalanced), this very sad -- and real -- exodus will continue. And, businesses won't be imune from this flight, either. In fact, unless the moronic paid sick leave vote is thrown out on the grounds of idiocy, the vapor trails heading out of town won't be just from airplanes...

As a Milwaukee County resident my entire life, I can, without question, guarantee that I won't be living here beyond the next 5-6 years. If I even decide to retire in my home state, it will be outside of Milwaukee County.

I'm sorry you feel that way.

I want to get something straight though. People have not been leaving Milwaukee over the last 30 years because of political philosophy. That matters very little to the average human. What does matter is jobs. Milwaukee, like every other rust belt city, has lost manufacturing jobs over the last several decades. People live where they can work. Now, combine that with an information economy where people can work anywhere, and you have a *national* migration from the north to the south. This, again, has very little to do with the day to day teeth-gnashing of local politics.

I, for one, think Milwaukee has shown some foresight over the last 20 years in transitioning the city for a new economy. That, along with the new urbanist revival of the downtown area has created a city that is relatively well-prepared to attract new job growth. Forbes Magazine tends to agree with that view, placing Madison as the #1 city for job growth in 2009 and Milwaukee at #5 (http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2009/01/05/cities-jobs-employment-leadership-careers-cx_tw_0105cities.html).

"Milwaukee's unemployment rate is barely changed from a year ago, when it was 4.7%. The aging population has helped health care jobs multiply; they've grown by almost 30,000 in the past 12 months. Many health care, energy and environmental companies that were based in Chicago have been moving to Milwaukee for its cheaper expenses. The city is only about an hour from Chicago by train."

A well-educated populace with middle-of-the-road overall tax rates (http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/07taxbur.html), relatively cheap cost of living index (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883960.html), a top-notch healthcare system (http://www.jsonline.com/business/29368629.html), and a reinvigorated urban center. That's not a bad combination for future growth.

I'm sorry you feel that way.

I want to get something straight though. People have not been leaving Milwaukee over the last 30 years because of political philosophy. That matters very little to the average human. What does matter is jobs. Milwaukee, like every other rust belt city, has lost manufacturing jobs over the last several decades. People live where they can work. Now, combine that with an information economy where people can work anywhere, and you have a *national* migration from the north to the south. This, again, has very little to do with the day to day teeth-gnashing of local politics.

I, for one, think Milwaukee has shown some foresight over the last 20 years in transitioning the city for a new economy. That, along with the new urbanist revival of the downtown area has created a city that is relatively well-prepared to attract new job growth. Forbes Magazine tends to agree with that view, placing Madison as the #1 city for job growth in 2009 and Milwaukee at #5 (http://www.forbes.com/leadership/2009/01/05/cities-jobs-employment-leadership-careers-cx_tw_0105cities.html).



A well-educated populace with middle-of-the-road overall tax rates (http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/07taxbur.html), relatively cheap cost of living index (http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0883960.html), a top-notch healthcare system (http://www.jsonline.com/business/29368629.html), and a reinvigorated urban center. That's not a bad combination for future growth.

I don't disagree with you...entirely. Yes, in fact, Milwaukee has encountered the same type of transition pains that other Great Lakes cities have face, like Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Toledo. The move from manufacturing jobs to service and information-oriented jobs has been tricky, if not difficult.

I'd even agree that Milwaukee has done some things well in transition. However, throw in a paid sick leave law and higher and higher taxes, and you have the recipe for disaster when coupled with job loss. And, unless city and county elected officials get control of their wasteful spending habits, I believe an exodus from the county is inevitable.

Well, this is a shame -- but not totally surprising given the economy:

Developer drops Palomar Hotel, condo project
By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel

Updated: Jan. 13, 2009 11:30 a.m.

Gatehouse Capital Corp. has pulled the plug on its Palomar Hotel and condominiums project it had planned for downtown Milwaukee's Park East area, a company spokeswoman said today.

Executives at Dallas-based Gatehouse "with great disappointment" decided they couldn't proceed with the $150 million project, said spokeswoman Carolyn Alvey. The project was to feature 66 condos and a 175-room Kimpton Palomar Hotel.

The project was planned for a county-owned parcel, bordered by W. Juneau and W. McKinley avenues and N. Old World 3rd and N. 4th streets. The block is largely vacant, except for the former Gipfel brewery, and the empty Sydney Hih building.

The recession, which has reduced business and leisure travel, along with the big decline in demand for downtown condos, were likely the main culprits in the project's demise.

Still, Gatehouse's decision comes as a surprise to county officials, who couldn't be immediately reached for comment.

In November, the County Board voted to extend Gatehouse's purchase option to November 2009. That extension came after David Sullivan, Gatehouse's director of investments and development, told board members that the nation's frozen credit markets had caused a delay in the project.

Gatehouse had planned to begin construction in 2008. Sullivan said last fall that Gatehouse hoped to begin by the second quarter of 2010.

Sullivan also said at that time that Gatehouse would continue to operate its condo sales center at 520 W. McKinley Blvd. and was cutting the price of the condos.

The Park East area, a vacant strip of 16 acres on downtown's northern edge, was created by demolishing the Park East Freeway.

Another county-owned parcel, between N. Milwaukee St. and N. Broadway and E. Lyon St. and E. Ogden Ave., was to be the site of 175 apartments or condominiums and 185,000 square feet of commercial space. But Chicago-based RSC & Associates dropped those plans.

Just over a year ago, the county sold another parcel to RSC. The firm plans to build a 122-room Hyatt Place boutique hotel, a 102-room Hyatt Summerfield Suites extended-stay hotel, 105 apartments and 6,900 square feet of retail space on a block bordered by N. Milwaukee, N. Jefferson and E. Lyon streets and E. Ogden Ave.

But construction, which was to begin this past spring, remains on hold because of the credit crunch.

I wonder if Rana would have had their project underway by now (before the credit problems got bad) or if they too would have run into delays that ultimately would have spelled doom to their project b/c of the credit crunch.

Milwaukee alderman battle to win UWM campus

http://www.onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/hissom0109.html

More details on the failed Palomar project:

Palomar project failure a major blow to Park East corridor

http://www.biztimes.com/realestateweekly/2009/1/14/palomar-project-failure-a-major-blow-to-park-east-corridor

I just hope The Modern isn't the next one to fail.

I don't disagree with you...entirely. Yes, in fact, Milwaukee has encountered the same type of transition pains that other Great Lakes cities have face, like Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Toledo. The move from manufacturing jobs to service and information-oriented jobs has been tricky, if not difficult.

I'd even agree that Milwaukee has done some things well in transition. However, throw in a paid sick leave law and higher and higher taxes, and you have the recipe for disaster when coupled with job loss. And, unless city and county elected officials get control of their wasteful spending habits, I believe an exodus from the county is inevitable.

That could all be true but just to shead some good light amongst the doom and gloom...
http://www.jsonline.com/business/37503759.html

Johnson Controls, Milwaukee and Wisconsin are fortunate, he said. "We have a good chance to continue to be at the center of this technology in the U.S.," Molinaroli said.

Milwaukee alderman battle to win UWM campus

http://www.onmilwaukee.com/politics/articles/hissom0109.html

This looks like a pretty BIG and worthy thing to fight for. Milwaukee could use a Mayor Daley right about now--we all can say what we want about his corrupt methods, but the guy knows how to win fights like these.

Good luck, Milwaukee!

Milwaukee is a city with incredible amounts of potential growth. It has an enormous amount to offer that other rust belt cities do not. I don't know why Wisconsin residents like to rip Milwaukee, but I like it much more than Madison or any other city. It just needs that spark.

I sincerely hope that I can someday be a part of its transformation, but until it moves a bit further long, I'll spend my time somewhere warmer.

@The Urban Politician Check out http://www.uwmdowntown.org for more information regarding our efforts to convince UWM that a downtown expansion is a better fit for all parties. And I'm very glad to see Alderman Bauman and Alderman Kovac keeping the fight alive.

I don't know why Wisconsin residents like to rip on Milwaukee.

You're so 90's.

^^ LOL

http://images.forbes.com/media/2009/01/05/hire_05.jpg

#5: Milwaukee

Unemployment rate: 4.8%

Milwaukee's unemployment rate is barely changed from a year ago, when it was 4.7%. The aging population has helped health care jobs multiply; they've grown by almost 30,000 in the past 12 months. Many health care, energy and environmental companies that were based in Chicago have been moving to Milwaukee for its cheaper expenses. The city is only about an hour from Chicago by train.

FORBES (http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/05/cities-jobs-employment-leadership-careers-cx_tw_0105cities_slide_6.html?thisSpeed=15000)

http://www.biztimes.com/nf/uploads/Image/1.9.09issue/zimmerman.jpg

Zimmerman Architectural Studios Inc. plans to move its corporate headquarters from Wauwatosa to an historic building in the Menomonee Valley in Milwaukee.

The firm plans to occupy a 30,000-square-foot building owned by Milwaukee-based Mallory Properties, located southeast of West Greves Street and North 25th Street.

Biz Times (http://www.biztimes.com/news/2009/1/9/architectural-firm-has-designs-on-valley-site)

http://www.biztimes.com/nf/uploads/Image/12.19.08issue/ck-LOBBY.jpg

Cramer-Krasselt, a Chicago-based advertising agency, recently moved its Milwaukee office from 733 N. Van Buren St. in downtown Milwaukee to its new home at 246 E. Chicago St. in the Historic Third Ward.

Cramer-Krasselt is occupying almost 50,000 square feet of office space on the second and third floors of the Third Ward building. The company has about 160 employees in its Milwaukee office.

Biz Times (http://www.biztimes.com/news/2008/12/19/c-k-moves-into-new-digs)

http://www.biztimes.com/nf/uploads/Image/1.9.09issue/zimmerman.jpg

Zimmerman Architectural Studios Inc. plans to move its corporate headquarters from Wauwatosa to an historic building in the Menomonee Valley in Milwaukee.

Biz Times (http://www.biztimes.com/news/2009/1/9/architectural-firm-has-designs-on-valley-site)


Fantastic, I love that building. Can't wait to see how it shapes up.

I thought this was an interesting quote from the article:

“There are so many other issues associated with running and moving a company,” he said. “I noticed (the sick leave mandate), but with all of the other brush fires and fish to fry, it seemed like a minor point.”

Zimmerman might adjust its benefits package, including vacation days, to comply with the sick leave law and make it work for the company, Stroik said.

“All it becomes is another part of the HR package,” he said. “It will just be something we factor in. It gets factored into an overall package.”

Well, they've gone ahead and ruined Jazz In The Park now too!

http://www.onmilwaukee.com/buzz/articles/nomorejazzcarry.html

Wow... with the good news of another company moving from the 'burbs to the valley I was flying high. Then Doomer... you had to ruin my entire day with the Jazz in the Park story.

I'm sure some people will be happy because it will have much smaller crowds, but as bad as it sounds, being able to bring in your own bottle of wine (or whatever your preference) was inexpensive and was integral to the popularity of this event.

That's just it. It was a nice way to get a large group of people together and enjoy some nice bottles of wine/food without having to drop $100 on a Thursday night. Now people will have to pay $5 for a mediocre plastic cup of wine.

I gaurentee you someone brought this up because they figured if they outlaw letting people bring their own stuff in, they can make more money charging for it. Typicall American greed looking for the bottom line instead of leaving well enough alone and letting the escense of the event pay the dividends. Whats next? Move it out to the shore and charge $10 a head and call it JazzFest?

The news about Jazz in the Park is complete bollocks. I can't believe they'd let that happen. Although like ronin said someone can make a few more pennies this way. I will not attend anymore if it requires paying 4 bucks a cup, instead of 8 bucks for a bottle of wine, which is thoroughly disappointing as that was a regular thurs event for us. It 'technically' being against a city statute makes it all the more frustrating as its gone without bother for so long

Tailgating at Miller Park w/ booze was apparently illegal too. A statute that existed for several decades was found and repealed in 2007 I believe. No problems overturning THAT one!

Tailgating at Miller Park w/ booze was apparently illegal too. A statute that existed for several decades was found and repealed in 2007 I believe. No problems overturning THAT one!

That was a city statute, considering the law concerning JITP is a state law, I doubt it will be that easy.

I know there was a plan to build some green homes in riverwest
before the realestate crash and that plan was obviously put on hold
but it looks like this is a more scaled back plan
i know the location was on hadley just north of center
and between pierce and fratney

anyways they are cool designs
http://www.pragmaticconstruction.com/Riverwesthomes.html

this is an excerpt from website "NEW! RIVERWEST LEED HOMES
UNDERWAY. Pragmatic has designed and has begun construction on two LEED Platinum level green spec homes in Riverwest. "

wow someone building spec homes now, thats impressive

And how not to improve the community or city



Slumlord bankruptcy leaves 2200 Booth in disrepair, 3 years behind on taxes
Source: Dan Knauss


2210 N BOOTH ST (taxkey # 354-0014-000), a multi-family apartment building, is owned by Troy M. Jahkne and is part of the Tim Brophy slumlord operation. This particular property is one we have not seen before in Brophy's holdings. City records indicate is is part of bankruptcy proceedings and is delinquent on three years of taxes, for a total of $22,564.71.

A recent service request there submitted to the City Dept. of Neighborhood Services:

Complaint description: INTERIOR OF BUILDING IN DISREPAIR; The front door does not open! There is no way in or out the front door! As of 12/27 there was stills a note on the front door indicating that repairs will be made 12/26.\.. .\.. .The door to the back stairwell does not lock and the back stairwell is littered with combustible materials.\.. .\.. .This is a serious safety hazard. In case of fire or need for emergency medical assistance there would be a real problem.

This building has recently and at earlier times been the subject of litigation for unabated building code violations.

In September 2007 I reported with Nik Kovac, now alderman for the 3rd district, on Tim Brophy's current situation in the courts and with his properties in the Riverwest area.

In 2008 Brophy was under FBI investigation in connection with his real estate activites. In December 2007, the Journal-Sentinel reported that Timothy J. Brophy, Jr. and his partner Troy M. Jahnke are the #2 and #4 biggest debtors to the City in unpaid municipal court judgements: "About 91% of the $1.9 million due traces back to building and zoning violations. [...] The leading debtors are people dubbed by the city as notorious slumlords - such as James Miicke and Tim Brophy Jr. - who have racked up hundreds of of thousands of dollars in judgments after failing to meet city standards on their properties."

Also not sure if anyone notice the fire and subsequent
demolition of clarke foods after its fire at clarke and bremen
oohh about a month or so ago

so good things in riverwest and bad....

Anyone else think Milwaukee is starting to have a "look" to it? Whether it is the new condos along the river, or the highrises, or even some of the older buildings, Milwaukee is really starting to have a "look." Best of all, I think its almost a hip, coastal look...

Anyone else think Milwaukee is starting to have a "look" to it? Whether it is the new condos along the river, or the highrises, or even some of the older buildings, Milwaukee is really starting to have a "look." Best of all, I think its almost a hip, coastal look...

I agree. Coastal, maybe not. But hip, yes. Even though it's only two buildings, the University Club and Kilbourne towers made Milwaukee's image 10x better. It takes focus off of the US Bank building, which now seems as a compliment to the two new towers since it is the same height but a much simpler design. The Moderne (which I pray still gets built) is going to be 30 stories, and it carries along the some familiar lines from UClub...and a familiar color, white.

That is one of the things about Milwaukee that is pretty cool- some of the major structures downtown are white, keeping a sort of uniform feel...not such a random mish-mash. The art museum addition, Discovery World, US Bank, University Club, the Northwestern Mutual building with the columns, the courthouse, and hopefully the Moderne. It's a cool and classic look, in my opinion.

Jesse276 Actually the Miller Park situation was a state law as well. Liquor license laws are state laws. I'm not sure the same move by the Common Council will work, they made it a permanent special event, but both cases were state laws.

Jesse276 Actually the Miller Park situation was a state law as well. Liquor license laws are state laws. I'm not sure the same move by the Common Council will work, they made it a permanent special event, but both cases were state laws.

The way liquor is regulated is split between the state and other units of government in WI. That's why there are different cutoff times to when you can buy alchohol at retail stores depending where you are in the state.

Click on the legislation text or details, it explains how the Miller Park situation was a city ordinance:

http://milwaukee.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=160665&GUID=A807F442-1B6E-4786-B2A2-53E3672936CF&Search=miller+park+tailgating&Options=ID%7cText%7c

I'm sure it's a moot point though because even if the state would change the law, JITP would probably still want to sell the alchohol themselves. It seems this will help offset some of their rising costs of the event and if any sponsors pull out because of tough times in business.

Anyone else think Milwaukee is starting to have a "look" to it? Whether it is the new condos along the river, or the highrises, or even some of the older buildings, Milwaukee is really starting to have a "look." Best of all, I think its almost a hip, coastal look...

Only someone from that area would think that way!
Ofcourse Milwaukee has its own "look".
Its a great city with some wonderful architecture... my personal faves are much of the more hidden stuff on the east side :)

I like Milwaukee. The city has a great museum projected by Calatrava ( he works with dash :cheers:), but I want to know how people in Milwaukee notice Chicago which is "neighbouring" city. I"m interested about differences between these two cities, and if Milwaukee "depend" on Chicago or is separate with strong economy (?)

I actually think they still feel really separate, although it is becoming less so. At some point in time I'm expecting Milwaukee to "boom," and for Chicago-ans to fuel that boom, so the connection should be much greater in the future.

http://assets.bizjournals.com/story_image/218980-0-0-1.jpg

Gorman & Co. plans to acquire two more buildings at The Brewery Project LLC that was once the 20-acre Pabst Brewing Co. complex on the west side of downtown Milwaukee.

The Madison residential development firm revealed that it has options to purchase the 47,257-square-foot Brew House and the 34,435-square-foot Mill House. The two four-story buildings are adjacent to each other and are listed on the federal register of historic sites. They can be redeveloped individually or as a single mixed-use property.

Gorman plans to add one floor to both buildings, said Chris Laurent, president of the company’s Wisconsin market. In addition, the company will build 60 market-rate apartments in the two buildings with an estimated 10,000 square feet of retail space.
Laurent said the acquisition of the buildings would be partly financed by Milwaukee developer Joe Zilber, who is undertaking The Brewery project, and through the sale of historic tax credits.

Biz Journal (http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/01/19/story7.html)

I like Milwaukee. The city has a great museum projected by Calatrava ( he works with dash :cheers:), but I want to know how people in Milwaukee notice Chicago which is "neighbouring" city. I"m interested about differences between these two cities, and if Milwaukee "depend" on Chicago or is separate with strong economy (?)

Milwaukee has an independent economy.

Most of the Chicago run-off we experience is seen in the real estate and tourism markets. Chicago residents buying second homes in our river-front condos (because of the boat docks), or baby boomers retiring because of the value.

Tourism is affected by day or weekend trips to visit our warehouse districts or to attend baseball games or summer festivals.

Some suburban residents of Milwaukee also commute daily to Chicago. I'm sure it goes the other way but on a smaller scale.

Completion Spring 2009:

http://www.mandelgroup.com/data/properties/ne-apt-1-lg.gif

http://www.mandelgroup.com/data/properties/ne-apt-2-lg.gif

Also, Condo renders:

http://www.mandelgroup.com/data/condos/ne-render-5-lg.gif

wasn't quite sure where this belonged, but it sounds good.

Oconomowoc backs high-speed rail proposal
By Scott Williams of the Journal Sentinel

Jan. 21, 2009 2:18 p.m. | Oconomowoc - Elected leaders here have thrown their support behind a proposed network of high-speed commuter trains linking Milwaukee and Madison.

The Oconomowoc Common Council voted Tuesday to support the Midwest Regional Rail System, which would pass through Oconomowoc.

Gov. Jim Doyle and other proponents of the system envision it as part of a 3,000-mile network linking Milwaukee and Chicago to many other Midwestern cities.

The mayor of Winona, Minn., has been soliciting support from communities along the route between the Twin Cities and Chicago.

In addition to Oconomowoc, those communities include Milwaukee, Watertown and Wisconsin Dells.

^^ I hope that doesn't mean Oconomowoc would expect the train to make stops there.

^^ I hope that doesn't mean Oconomowoc would expect the train to make stops there.

Hey, I'll take all the support we can get. If we need to pander and put a stop there, so be it. We can always have every other train stop there, with the alternate whizzing through at 200 mph.

Hey, I'll take all the support we can get. If we need to pander and put a stop there, so be it. We can always have every other train stop there, with the alternate whizzing through at 200 mph.

I like the way you think.

I hope that doesn't mean Oconomowoc would expect the train to make stops there.

Well, if you read the corridor study (http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/d1/hsrail/docs/ea-execsum.pdf), you'll see that Oconomowoc is planned to get a stop. The other stops are Milwaukee, Brookfield, Watertown, and Madison.

The developer of the proposed Palomar Hotel and condos wanted $18 million in city financing assistance for the $158 million project - a request city officials rejected.

$3 million for a park, landscaping, street lights and other public improvements.

• $5 million for demolition of the Sydney Hih Building; removal of underground Park East Freeway foundations; utility relocations and other site work.

• $10 million for financing construction of 66 high-end condos, a 175-room Kimpton Palomar Hotel, retail space and a parking structure.

JSonline.com

The Department of City Development announced today that seven development firms responded to a request for proposals for the former Army Reserve site in the Bay View neighborhood. The City of Milwaukee solicited proposals for the purchase and development of the 5.6 acre site at 2372 South Logan Avenue.

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said he was encouraged by the response by development firms, noting that despite the economic slowdown, this parcel attracted the same level of interest as the city’s parcel in the Park East and previous development opportunities in the Beerline B Neighborhood along the Milwaukee River.

This is the first time the City of Milwaukee has requested development proposals in which the development must produce the same amount of renewable energy as the energy that’s consumed on-site. This means development proposals should contain alternative energy sources, such as solar panels.

Full Article (http://www.mkedcd.org/news/2009/NetZeroEnergyDev.html)

Looks like Lake Pointe Tower will never happen --

U.S. Bank working on redevelopment plan for parking structure

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp is examining the possibility of redeveloping the 900-space parking structure located to the south of its 42-story office tower in downtown Milwaukee.

U.S. Bank hired Brookfield-based Hammes Co. to help create a redevelopment plan for the parking structure. U.S. Bank has been working on the project with Hammes since last fall.

"We are investigating the possibility of replacing our parking structure," said U.S. Bancorp vice president Joe Ullrich. "In doing so we are investigating how we might re-build it to allow for the best chance for a redevelopment, the highest and best use, rather than just a replacement. Hammes is helping us determine what we should be looking at."

Stuart Zadra, vice president of Hammes Co., declined to disclose details about the development that could be incorporated into the parking structure site.

"We are in the initial stages of establishing that plan," he said.

The property's location near Lake Michigan and next to the U.S. Bank building and near other major downtown firms, including Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. and Johnson Controls, makes it very attractive for development, Zadra said. The recession makes a major redevelopment difficult, but the involvement of a major financial institution such as U.S. Bank is a major plus, he said.

A few years ago U.S. Bank partnered with JBK Properties on a proposed 40-story mixed use building for the site of the garage annex, located southeast of the U.S. Bank office tower and next to the tower's parking structure. That project, called Lake Pointe Tower, never moved forward because JBK could not obtain an anchor office tenant.

The garage annex would be incorporated into the master plan for the parking structure redevelopment, Ullrich said.

U.S. Bancorp hopes to begin work on the project this year, Ullrich said.

"We're looking at a plan to do significant repairs to the parking structure or to start a redevelopment project before the end of the year," he said.

^^That's too bad.

But on a good note, I had a guy come into my work last night who had just signed a lease on an apartment at "The Brewery," the former Pabst Brewing Co. Apparently he moves in at the end of February. I didn't know that the redevelopment was that far along.

What's the rent on those apartments?

I figured LPT would never happen. This city has a long way to go before it gets another 40 story tower.

I think by the time this city is "healthy enough" to get another tower like that, we'll already have quite a few reasonably tall nonresidential buildings in our skyline.

I dont know Badgers... It seemed like they had the hotel already planned, there were very viable office tenants out there that just decided to go other places, and the rest would have been in the bag. With only the anchor left to get for the building, I'd say it was pretty close to being done... especially since a Bank was organizing the project.

yeah.. I didn't think anything would happen for a year or two.. but figured it could have been easily revived and built. I am very interested to see what they come up with for redevelopment now.

Home prices fell in all but one of the top 25 metropolitan areas in the United States in November, according to a national study released this morning.

The exception was Milwaukee.

According to Radar Logic Inc., a New York-based real estate data company, Milwaukee home prices on a square-foot basis rose 2.4% in November 2008, compared with November 2007.

The same company reported last year that Milwaukee was the lone exception in July when prices rose 2.9% on a square-foot basis, compared with July 2007.

In the City of Milwaukee last year, foreclosure filings were up 70%, according to city officials.

In the new study, the San Francisco area recorded the biggest drop, with the average price per square foot falling 36.8%. The next biggest decline belonged to Phoenix, falling 34.6%. Las Vegas was down 32.4%.

Radar Logic also reported that four metropolitan areas – Charlotte, Denver, San Jose, Calif., and Tampa – had their largest monthly price declines since the company began keeping records in 2000.

Fantastic news for the city, considering the circumstances. Milwaukee will be fine.

http://www.jsonline.com/business/38678652.html

Ruvin sues Palomar developer over failed condo/hotel plans
By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Jan. 30, 2009

In September, Gatehouse Capital Corp. CEO Marty Collins bluntly assessed his firm's attempts to develop the $158 million Palomar Hotel and condos in downtown Milwaukee.

Dallas-based Gatehouse would bolt without city funding of at least $10 million, Collins said.

"It is not a viable project as evidenced by zero (condo) sales," Collins wrote in a Sept. 9 e-mail to Gatehouse's local partner, Ruvin Development Inc.

That's among the juicy tidbits revealed in a recent lawsuit filed by Ruvin against Gatehouse. It claims Gatehouse required Ruvin to raise money - totaling $1.57 million - that provided "exorbitant" development fees to the Texas firm.

The lawsuit, filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, also claims Gatehouse kept Ruvin in the dark about project delays. Those delays caused Ruvin to fall behind on paying back cash it raised from local investors to help fund the failed project, which called for a 175-room Kimpton Palomar luxury hotel and 66 high-end condos in the Park East area. Those investors have sued Ruvin.

Collins, in a statement, said he was disappointed and surprised that Ruvin has sued Gatehouse, which he called "senseless."

............

I found the statement about 0 condo's being sold kind of bothersome... how could they sell any condo's when they did no advertising I'm aware of and who knows where the sales office was... I mean, who even knew about this project besides people who follow these developments?? :ohno:

They advertised in several local magazines as well as websites. Their sales office was under half a mile away on McKinley.

Bah, I remember now... I was thinking that was a sales center for something else. Sorry!

After over decade of dormancy, there's now life at the former Pabst keg house.

That's not just a figure of speech.

On Friday, the first new residents of the 95-unit Blue Ribbon Brewery Lofts apartments - created within the keg house - moved into their new home. Thirty to 45 apartments, ranging from one to three bedrooms, are expected to be filled by the end of February, even as workers are in the final stages of the $16.2 million project at 901 W. Winnebago St.

Developer Gorman & Co., based in the Dane County community of Oregon, financed the project mainly with federal affordable housing tax credits, provided through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, and an authority loan, as well as federal and state historic preservation tax credits.

To receive affordable housing credits, developers must lease apartments - at below-market rents - to people earning no more than 60% of the Milwaukee area's median income. For a one-person household, that maximum income is $28,440, and $32,520 for a two-person household, with the limits increasing as the household size increases.

At Blue Ribbon Lofts apartments, 69 of the apartments are available for income-qualified rents, with monthly rents ranging from $545 to $795, said Chris Laurent, Gorman's Wisconsin market president. The 26 market-rate apartments rent from around $900 to over $1,200.

Full Story (http://www.jsonline.com/business/38734702.html)

It is great to see the former Pabst Brewery finally be used again for multiple uses. UW Milwaukee and Cardinal Stritch University also have plans for satellite school centers there too and many others. So which is the next vacant industrial areas in the city that haven't gotten any attention that are in a great location for redevelopment.

One of those areas is S. Water Street From Florida Street south to National Avenue. A lot of vacant land and the National Warehouses is a prime location for any developer that is willing to either save buildings or put in new construction. Also very prime river frontage with views of the 3rd Ward near the Summerfest grounds will revive this area once the economy gets better.

Another area near there that I think would benefit for redevelopment is south of Greenfield Avenue, east of Barclay Street, south along KK Avenue and north of Stewart Street southwest of Jones Island. Much of this are on the southeastern edge of Walker's Point and the northern edge of Bayview is underutilized land. This would be a great dock yards for a mixed use of businesses. A new harbor for boaters and for fishing charters as well as restaurants would be great in this area if brownfield grants are offered to clean up the area.

These two areas are where the next step in economic recovery and growth will take place in Milwaukee.

Well SkylineDude, the Pabst project is only just now getting started... there is a long way to go before that project is near being complete. Plus, right next door the park east area is completely barren throughout the entire Mckinley district (and well, most of the rest of the park east too...), and now they're talking about tearing down 794 and opening up that land for development. Most of the areas you've mentioned are already undergoing some transformation... it gives me a headache to think about adding even more.

Well SkylineDude, the Pabst project is only just now getting started... there is a long way to go before that project is near being complete. Plus, right next door the park east area is completely barren throughout the entire Mckinley district (and well, most of the rest of the park east too...), and now they're talking about tearing down 794 and opening up that land for development. Most of the areas you've mentioned are already undergoing some transformation... it gives me a headache to think about adding even more.

We've seen what the city can do when they create a strong vision and execute a plan. With outside organizations they turned a hugely polluted and vacant swampland into our biggest economic boom in decades (The Valley), and 'the Brewery' is in the mid-stages of resembling that project.

I think city planners lost their way a little bit with Park East. They were so focused on catalytic projects they forgot to incorporate things like parks and streetscaping, aspects of authentic neighborhoods. They did the same with the old Brewery plans, Pabstcity anyone?

We have the trendy restaurants and boutique hotels downtown, plan for the things we'd use on a regular basis. Like a gas-station that's not shady at night, or a new green space (dog park)? It's annoying that I have to drive to a McDonalds, where's the fast food (Qdoba and Noodles don't count)? The quality of life improved in the PE area when places like grocery stores and Blockbusters came in. But we need more!

...rant over.

@Eastsider I could be wrong on this but I believe the big issue with the Park East is that its plan isn't being followed when it comes to land sales. This is because the County owns the land, not the city who does the planning.

correct, the plan would prefer to see blocks developed in quarter or half block increments. Whereas, the county is just trying to sell entire blocks for mega-developments that have a hard time being financed (see: RSC #1, RSC #2, Palomor)

correct, the plan would prefer to see blocks developed in quarter or half block increments. Whereas, the county is just trying to sell entire blocks for mega-developments that have a hard time being financed (see: RSC #1, RSC #2, Palomor)

Now it all makes sense, the County should stick to business parks and airports.

With the slowdown of projects, does anyone else think we should scrap some of the development pages and start posting project updates on this thread?

I'd like to see that. Just post both topics for now I'd say.

Plus the fact that the County put socialist mandates on any developers wanting to go in there.

Riverwest Yogashala needs a new home and wants your input!
Source: Riverwest Yogashala
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
Come to a brainstorming/listening session to help us envision our new building and its use!

FRIDAY, 23 JANUARY 2009, 7-9PM AT RIVERWEST YOGASHALA, 731 E LOCUST

Riverwest Yogashala needs a new, larger home, and hopes to construct a straw-bale building in Garden Park at Bremen and Locust.

• What are our next steps as we grow?

• How can our growth benefit the community of Riverwest and beyond?

• How shall we make our building a destination site for more than yoga?

• If we build at Garden Park, how shall we enhance the community gardens and community use of the park?

We invite all Riverwesties, lovers of yoga, lovers of Garden Park, fans of green building and urban agriculture, community organizers, artists and activists, and anyone else interested in an exciting green community project to this session

A new study at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee released Wednesday claims to dispel some popular myths about the recent condo boom in Downtown Milwaukee.

UWM's Center for Urban Initiatives and Research (CUIR) conducted the study, "Milwaukee's 'Condo Boom': 2008 Survey of Perceptions and Perspectives of Condominium Owners," between October and December, collecting responses from 804 city condo owners in Downtown, a portion of the East Side and the Third and Fifth Wards

"Surprisingly, the results indicated that condo owners in these parts of the city are not mostly retirees and young singles. We found that while the popular assumption about who is behind condo growth had some merit, condo owners in this area were on average middle-aged professionals, many of whom have children."

"Also, the notion that visiting Chicagoans or others from out of state are fueling the Milwaukee condo boom is not well-supported. Only a small fraction of owners primarily reside outside the Milwaukee area. Most owners use their condo as their primary residence, and the vast majority of resident owners previously resided in Milwaukee or its suburbs."

Full Story (http://www.onmilwaukee.com/market/articles/condoboomreport.html)

Some good news on the Moderne

http://www.biztimes.com/news/2009/2/6/real-estate-the-moderne-gains-more-financing

Some good news on the Moderne

http://www.biztimes.com/news/2009/2/6/real-estate-the-moderne-gains-more-financing

I think this is great news for the City of Milwaukee. With the recent failures and the decrease in proposed condo's available in Milwaukee combined with the shift too more apartments at the Moderne; I think this has a real shot at getting off the ground.

First, banks, builders, contractors, politicians, and wealthy investors need to realize this recession/depression will not last forever, and see past the front of their noses. This isn't the end of the world, our economy will recover and when it does demand for better downtown living will increase. As stated in the article, this project will take almost two years to build, and chances are the economy will be recovering by then.

Second, the City of Milwaukee should do everything possible to make sure this project gets built. With their recent reluctance to provide additional assistance to certain projects, they are projecting a negative image for any company or developer considering Milwaukee. And for five years the Park East area has laid unused and barren. This is exactly what the Park East area needs, a major anchor development that could prompt other developments in the future.

As citizens of Milwaukee and the greater metro area I think it's time for us to let the politicians know that development only improves a city and is better than barren, unused land. As a taxpayer and someday hopefully a property owner in the City of Milwaukee, I would rather my tax dollars be spent on supporting trendy upscale housing developments that increase the value of property in the city than many of the other projects our money is spent on.

Goddamit! This is the same thing that happened the last time.

Friday, February 6, 2009
Postal center delayed for Oak CreekRecession, deficit cause Postal Service to rethink new center
The Business Journal of Milwaukee - by Pete Millard

The U.S. Postal Service is delaying plans to construct an estimated $80 million mail processing and distribution center in Oak Creek until the nation’s economy improves.

The Postal Service’s Arlington, Va.-based manager of facilities, Paul Purcell, said the 64-acre site on the southwest corner of South Pennsylvania and West College avenues just south of General Mitchell International Airport will remain unused through 2009 and maybe longer. The Postal Service expected to begin construction of the 871,000-square-foot building in 2009 with plans to move in by 2011.


At the end of January, Postmaster General John Potter told Congress the Postal Service was operating at a $2.8 billion deficit for the current fiscal year and suggested cutting mail delivery from six to five days a week to save $2 billion to $3.5 billion.

FYI, some Rience (sp) guy who is evidently Wisconson GOP Chair is adamantly opposed to any rail in Milw. He was just on MSNBC saying "we don't need to be laying down rail in Milwaukee that will be empty and have to be subsidized for the next 30years..."

He seems like a real character...

FYI, some Rience (sp) guy who is evidently Wisconson GOP Chair is adamantly opposed to any rail in Milw. He was just on MSNBC saying "we don't need to be laying down rail in Milwaukee that will be empty and have to be subsidized for the next 30years..."

He seems like a real character...

Actually, he's a very intelligent and insightful character. That would be Reince Priebus, Wisconsin state GOP Chairman. He is correct.

I think this is great news for the City of Milwaukee. With the recent failures and the decrease in proposed condo's available in Milwaukee combined with the shift too more apartments at the Moderne; I think this has a real shot at getting off the ground.

First, banks, builders, contractors, politicians, and wealthy investors need to realize this recession/depression will not last forever, and see past the front of their noses. This isn't the end of the world, our economy will recover and when it does demand for better downtown living will increase. As stated in the article, this project will take almost two years to build, and chances are the economy will be recovering by then.

Second, the City of Milwaukee should do everything possible to make sure this project gets built. With their recent reluctance to provide additional assistance to certain projects, they are projecting a negative image for any company or developer considering Milwaukee. And for five years the Park East area has laid unused and barren. This is exactly what the Park East area needs, a major anchor development that could prompt other developments in the future.

As citizens of Milwaukee and the greater metro area I think it's time for us to let the politicians know that development only improves a city and is better than barren, unused land. As a taxpayer and someday hopefully a property owner in the City of Milwaukee, I would rather my tax dollars be spent on supporting trendy upscale housing developments that increase the value of property in the city than many of the other projects our money is spent on.
I agree, this is great news! I've long thought that this was the most important proposal on the table for downtown Milwaukee. Thanks Dre625 for the good news!

Someone here a while ago posted this pic showing what kind of impact The Modern will have on the skyline.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h237/paule17/Lambeau/moderneskyline.jpg

Actually, he's a very intelligent and insightful character. That would be Reince Priebus, Wisconsin state GOP Chairman. He is correct.

How, exactly does he know it will be empty? Because he, personally, won't use it? Brilliant!

As previously predicted on this site, looks like St. John's will be the next Milwaukee high rise:

http://www.biztimes.com/news/2009/2/6/milwaukee-county

As previously predicted on this site, looks like St. John's will be the next Milwaukee high rise:

http://www.biztimes.com/news/2009/2/6/milwaukee-county
Great, more good news, but I think everybody expected St Johns to be built. As for whether it will be the next, construction on The Modern is supposed to start this May depending on financing, which looks very promising. from the Biztimres article:
It will take 22 months to build The Moderne, so its developers expect the recession to be over when the building project is complete. The site will be ready to begin construction in May, subject to financing.

Great, more good news, but I think everybody expected St Johns to be built. As for whether it will be the next, construction on The Modern is supposed to start this May depending on financing, which looks very promising. from the Biztimres article:
It will take 22 months to build The Moderne, so its developers expect the recession to be over when the building project is complete. The site will be ready to begin construction in May, subject to financing.

I agree. This report by Weilland suggests some positive development in Milwaukee in the next two recession-laden years: The 21 story St. Johns, the 31 story Moderne, the 26 story Transera, plus developments at the Brewery, the North End, and the Aloft. If all of this moves forward there will be ongoing activity and momentum for downtown living and business development. If they are able to increase the time from downtown Chicago to downtown Milwaukee to 1 hr on Amtrak, I think this will only continue to help facilitate a good buzz about Milwaukee. Hopefully other transit efforts go forward KRM and Milw-Madison. Not bad for a couple of recession-laden years.

How, exactly does he know it will be empty? Because he, personally, won't use it? Brilliant!

No, it's called f-e-a-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y studies and common sense. There. Pretty brilliant, huh?

Most of the time when I drive on I-94 it looks pretty empty to me, did they ignore the feasibility study when they built it?

We also have so many high speed rails in the United States to draw comparissons to.

Not to mention, the Hiawatha service is the MOST populated run that Amtrak has, and I can vouch from experience myself, that thing is PACKED nearly everytime I am on it. Even the very early morning runs.

Yes, definatly there is precident that a high speed rail would be an utter failure. :lol::lol::lol:

I agree. This report by Weilland suggests some positive development in Milwaukee in the next two recession-laden years: The 21 story St. Johns, the 31 story Moderne, the 26 story Transera, plus developments at the Brewery, the North End, and the Aloft. If all of this moves forward there will be ongoing activity and momentum for downtown living and business development. If they are able to increase the time from downtown Chicago to downtown Milwaukee to 1 hr on Amtrak, I think this will only continue to help facilitate a good buzz about Milwaukee. Hopefully other transit efforts go forward KRM and Milw-Madison. Not bad for a couple of recession-laden years.
The Transera? I'm not familiar with that development. Is that a probable thing or is it just a proposal that came out a while ago and no one has heard anything from it since? I admitt I don't keep up on all these proposals that come out, I rely on you guys to keep me up to date. ;)

Oh, nevermind, yes I remember this one.

http://www.thetransera.com/

Interesting article on the sale of the Mitchell, Mackie, and Loyalty buildings.

http://www.jsonline.com/business/39246492.html

No, it's called f-e-a-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y studies and common sense. There. Pretty brilliant, huh?

Nothing too personal, and no great offence intended, but with your consistently expressed mindset and smug assurance that NO public spending is the panacea for all life's dilemmas, you essentially pretend that there is no need for government, or maybe just a fantasy voluntary government that has NO expenses and therefore mustn't collect taxes. This passes as wisdom (and gets votes for those who, ironically, get paid to be in government) when in fact it's as infantile a desire as your wish for fantastic super high-rises magically appearing for no good reason in downtown.

While there can be serious economic objections to rail investment, my sense in this region is that obstructionism is more motivated by social mobility fears, rationalization of the lifestyle and self-image chosen by car-dependent suburbanites, and, always a consideration, fear of competition from the road construction community.

Simply quashing all serious discussion of alternatives to more highway building and ignoring the very serious competitive disadvantage a feeble public mass transit infrastructure places the Milwaukee REGION in is not an exercise in "f-e-a-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y", it is a total ABSENCE of V-I-S-I-O-N.

So i did a little digging and found on Rinka Chung Architecture webpage a new Lake Pointe Tower design. Has anyone else seen this?


at top left click projects, use scroll bar all the way to right, the LPT renderings are 3rd from right.
http://www.rinkachung.com/RCA.htm

Umm that building is efffin amazing!!! Great find if we could get that built i would be so happy. I was a little worried about the "redesign" that it would be a 20 story thing but if anything else at least they are still thinking big.:banana: Can we please find some tenants?:cheers:

^^
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v425/looksee/LakePointeTower-1.jpg

Nothing too personal, and no great offence intended, but with your consistently expressed mindset and smug assurance that NO public spending is the panacea for all life's dilemmas, you essentially pretend that there is no need for government, or maybe just a fantasy voluntary government that has NO expenses and therefore mustn't collect taxes. This passes as wisdom (and gets votes for those who, ironically, get paid to be in government) when in fact it's as infantile a desire as your wish for fantastic super high-rises magically appearing for no good reason in downtown.

While there can be serious economic objections to rail investment, my sense in this region is that obstructionism is more motivated by social mobility fears, rationalization of the lifestyle and self-image chosen by car-dependent suburbanites, and, always a consideration, fear of competition from the road construction community.

Simply quashing all serious discussion of alternatives to more highway building and ignoring the very serious competitive disadvantage a feeble public mass transit infrastructure places the Milwaukee REGION in is not an exercise in "f-e-a-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y", it is a total ABSENCE of V-I-S-I-O-N.

You need to send that to the Journal Sentinel.

Umm that building is efffin amazing!!! Great find if we could get that built i would be so happy. I was a little worried about the "redesign" that it would be a 20 story thing but if anything else at least they are still thinking big.:banana: Can we please find some tenants?:cheers:

If you read the fine print in the photos, it says the design was done when Rinka was working at Kahler Slater...which was back a couple years ago I think...before he left to start his own firm...and before US Bank and it's developers dropped plans for Lake Pointe Tower.

So it is "new" in the sense that it's something that hasn't been posted here before, but it is an old version of a dead proposal, not an active new redesgin.

That said, it's probably the best looking out of any other designs for LPT that have been shown here previously.

So i did a little digging and found on Rinka Chung Architecture webpage a new Lake Pointe Tower design. Has anyone else seen this?


at top left click projects, use scroll bar all the way to right, the LPT renderings are 3rd from right.
http://www.rinkachung.com/RCA.htm
Yeah, that looks real nice, better than the original IMO but now you got me feeling worse that the project has been killed.. What's the point of digging up renderings if the project has been killed? You Jschmuck! :lol:

If you read the fine print in the photos, it says the design was done when Rinka was working at Kahler Slater...which was back a couple years ago I think...before he left to start his own firm...and before US Bank and it's developers dropped plans for Lake Pointe Tower.

So it is "new" in the sense that it's something that hasn't been posted here before, but it is an old version of a dead proposal, not an active new redesgin.

That said, it's probably the best looking out of any other designs for LPT that have been shown here previously.
Agreed!

:nuts:lol i am a jschmuck!
i hate reading fine print thus i DIDN'T read it.

not so new, but still good....

Stritch receives go ahead to "come home" to St. Francis

posted Feb. 3, 2009

The St. Francis High School gymnasium was “standing room only” Monday night when the city council held its public hearing on Cardinal Stritch University’s rezoning request.

The original Jan.5 hearing had to be postponed because the crowd was too big for the council chambers in St. Francis City Hall.

An estimated 350 people jammed the gym at the high school to listen to Stritch’s proposal to build a new campus on the Cousins Center grounds and adjacent WE Energies land, and offered their opinions on the proposal. After listening to 60 people, the council voted minutes later, approving Stritch’s request for rezoning by a unanimous vote of 6 to 0.

“This was a positive first step in our journey back home to St. Francis,” said Stritch President Helen C. Sobehart. “That is where we began, as St. Clare College, in 1937, and where we hope to develop a vibrant, 21st century university campus serving St. Francis and the South Shore communities of Milwaukee County.”

Next, Stritch will look for a project coordinator and begin the actual planning of the buildings and grounds of the new campus. St. Francis Mayor Al Richards reminded the crowd that many more hearings, negotiations and discussions will be held over the next few years to make the vision of the campus become reality.

Stritch will also reach out to residents and friends of the Seminary Woods and environments on and around the sites for their ideas and input in the plans. At a meeting with these groups in December, a tentative date for the third week in February was chosen to begin those discussions.

wow, that would have been some building if that (LPT) was going to be breaking ground. Sooooo disappointing... again. sigh*

So i did a little digging and found on Rinka Chung Architecture webpage a new Lake Pointe Tower design. Has anyone else seen this?


at top left click projects, use scroll bar all the way to right, the LPT renderings are 3rd from right.
http://www.rinkachung.com/RCA.htm

That building is absolutely gorgeous. And I notice how it is in a different location from the initial Lake Point Tower design. It is not directly south, over the parking garage (which is now supposed to get remodeled), but to the southeast. Perhaps they just wanted to post a new design just out of their own desire with no intent of a current demand but it is still very, very interesting. I absolutely love it.

Nothing too personal, and no great offence intended, but with your consistently expressed mindset and smug assurance that NO public spending is the panacea for all life's dilemmas, you essentially pretend that there is no need for government, or maybe just a fantasy voluntary government that has NO expenses and therefore mustn't collect taxes. This passes as wisdom (and gets votes for those who, ironically, get paid to be in government) when in fact it's as infantile a desire as your wish for fantastic super high-rises magically appearing for no good reason in downtown.

While there can be serious economic objections to rail investment, my sense in this region is that obstructionism is more motivated by social mobility fears, rationalization of the lifestyle and self-image chosen by car-dependent suburbanites, and, always a consideration, fear of competition from the road construction community.

Simply quashing all serious discussion of alternatives to more highway building and ignoring the very serious competitive disadvantage a feeble public mass transit infrastructure places the Milwaukee REGION in is not an exercise in "f-e-a-s-i-b-i-l-i-t-y", it is a total ABSENCE of V-I-S-I-O-N.

Look, I appreciate your comments, but quit living in the past, man. I haven't talked about high rises downtown for a long, long time. As for attempting to make a case for government, please don't waste your time. The smaller the government, the better off we'd all be. Most politicians aren't worth a damn, and many don't even pay taxes! Or go to work! Or, they take trips on our dime! Or... I honestly believe we do need to allocate some public funding to rail, but not to the degree that it doesn't make sense.

That building is absolutely gorgeous. And I notice how it is in a different location from the initial Lake Point Tower design. It is not directly south, over the parking garage (which is now supposed to get remodeled), but to the southeast. Perhaps they just wanted to post a new design just out of their own desire with no intent of a current demand but it is still very, very interesting. I absolutely love it.

Yeah I like this design a whooooole lot more than the "junk in the trunk" design previously. :)

That building is absolutely gorgeous. And I notice how it is in a different location from the initial Lake Point Tower design. It is not directly south, over the parking garage (which is now supposed to get remodeled), but to the southeast. Perhaps they just wanted to post a new design just out of their own desire with no intent of a current demand but it is still very, very interesting. I absolutely love it.

the only way a different rendering was developed and completed was because it was called for by the client. its all about chargeability here. no architect/architecture firm does something for the hell of it. :bash:

btw the lpt project is not dead, its just not moving forward until economic conditions improve. when and if the project reappears it will probably be similar but scaled back -just a guess. btw it should be no secret that ks and other local firms have plenty of "shovel ready" projects lining their shelves.

And I notice how it is in a different location from the initial Lake Point Tower design. It is not directly south, over the parking garage (which is now supposed to get remodeled), but to the southeast.

No. Lake Point Tower had always been proposed for that spot--a bit southeast and across the street from the US Bank Building (between the US Bank parking garage and the County Transit Center).

Perhaps they just wanted to post a new design just out of their own desire with no intent of a current demand but it is still very, very interesting. I absolutely love it.

Again, it is not a new design, but a previously unseen design from a few years ago. Think of it as something dug up out of the archives, an example of past work put into the portfolio for others to see.

btw the lpt project is not dead, its just not moving forward until economic conditions improve. when and if the project reappears it will probably be similar but scaled back -just a guess.

US Bank and JBK Properties dropped their plans for Lake Point Tower because they could not land any anchor tenants for the project after putting it out there for a few years. So LPT as we all knew it is dead. Since then, US Bank has decided to, instead, refocus on creating a master plan for the potential redevelopment of it's parking garage and the garage annex (the old LPT site), hiring the Hammes Co. to work with them. They've been working on it for several months now. They have not yet revealed what any redevelopment could include (building uses, features, tenants...) or how it could look (high-rise, low-rise, merely a rebuilt garage...), but they are essentially starting from scratch.

As for attempting to make a case for government, please don't waste your time. The smaller the government, the better off we'd all be.

Truer words have never been spoken. Skyking i know nothing about you except your staunch, very conservative position on rail but to know you believe that makes my respect for a name on an internet board i've never met increase ten-fold. I wholeheartedly agree on the funding issue, as with the way our economy works, borrowing more money out of thin air is dangerous. It seems that money creation will continue through the roof regardless though, so we may as well take our chunk if its there. I still however firmly believe that it would be very beneficial for the growth and connectivity of our metro. Its a difficult proposal.



And that rendering of LPT is a beauty! Too bad its long gone :(

Those are some spiffy renderings but really I think that design of LPT is pretty banal and subpar. It looks like an afterthought design; for such a premier building it's very boring. Kilbourn, UCT, Moderne, hell just about any other proposal or recent building reflects greater celebration of craft than this.

Look, I appreciate your comments, but quit living in the past, man. I haven't talked about high rises downtown for a long, long time. As for attempting to make a case for government, please don't waste your time. The smaller the government, the better off we'd all be. Most politicians aren't worth a damn, and many don't even pay taxes! Or go to work! Or, they take trips on our dime! Or... I honestly believe we do need to allocate some public funding to rail, but not to the degree that it doesn't make sense.

As a conservative, small government type myself, but who is in favor of expanded transit and rail, I'd be interested to hear what your specific ideas are for public funding of rail.

As a conservative, small government type myself, but who is in favor of expanded transit and rail, I'd be interested to hear what your specific ideas are for public funding of rail.

I think it's great that we are all having such a lively debate on the future of public transportation in Milwaukee. However, there are some realizations we must recognize and understand. First, lets drop the notion that Milwaukee will ever have an "L or el" system similar to Chicago's. Not only is the political environment of Milwaukee lacking but so is the population base; as many of you know Chicago's L System continually bogs Chicago down financially even with a metro population in the several millions. Second, it is reasonable to assume that within the next 10 to 15 years Milwaukee will see some form of regional passenger rail; either on existing lines (High speed rail to Chicago) or possible new lines. This is largely contingent on Obama's infrastructure spending making it through D.C. as the state of Wisconsin is near or is already bankrupt and does not have the wherewithal to get a project like this off the ground.

However, the Milwaukee metro area is still left in the dark even with regional passenger rail projects. So what should Milwaukee peruse? As someone who lives on the East Side, and went to school at Marquette for 5 years, I can honestly say some alternative to the Milwaukee County Bus System would be nice. I personally like the idea of some form of guided street car (or train, light rail, what ever you want to call it) similar to what Dallas has. It could start out very small; such as a small downtown loop that hits a few major destinations. (Water Street, BC, Art Museum, US Bank area) As the public and politicians warm up to this idea the system can gradually be expanded in a hub and spoke pattern. Maybe extend it south into the Third and Fifth ward and Summerfest; West down Wisconsin Avenue to Marquette; and North up the east side ending at UWM. I think this would greatly increase the desirability of Milwaukee as it would create an alternative to the bus or driving, while providing a different mass transit option at a cheaper cost than a full fledged light rail system. That's just my two cents.:banana:

MilwaukeeMike, what you describe is precisely Barrett's transit proposal: http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/transit

So the DCD (http://www.mkedcd.org/parkeast/index.html) posted a new image of the Aloft design, and I'm hoping it's not a redesign. It's shorter, and uglier:

http://www.mkedcd.org/parkeast/images/header/header3.jpg

What happened to this?

http://www.ruvindevelopment.com/images/aloft/aloft05.jpg

Tell me it's an error.

So the DCD (http://www.mkedcd.org/parkeast/index.html) posted a new image of the Aloft design, and I'm hoping it's not a redesign. It's shorter, and uglier:

What happened to this?

Tell me it's an error.

No error...yes it was redesigned. Plans to put condos in on the upper two floors, above the retail and hotel, were dropped many months ago, thus resulting in a shorter building.

http://www.mkedcd.org/parkeast/images/header/header3.jpg



Looks like something I would excpect to see along I-94 in Waukesha. This design is terrible.

This design is terrible.

Agreed.

The original stank too. In this case, maybe less is better.

Still smells though.

So the DCD (http://www.mkedcd.org/parkeast/index.html) posted a new image of the Aloft design, and I'm hoping it's not a redesign. It's shorter, and uglier:

http://www.mkedcd.org/parkeast/images/header/header3.jpg

What happened to this?

http://www.ruvindevelopment.com/images/aloft/aloft05.jpg

Tell me it's an error.

It is an error, and error because it looks so horrible!!!!!!

Looks like something I would excpect to see along I-94 in Waukesha. This design is terrible.

I Agree

If the Moderne keeps progressing towards reality and doesn't get scaled back at all then I could care less about this project. It's not that major of a thing anyway, more of an arguably above-average Park East filler.

Yes, it is ugly, but it is still better than nothing.

As a conservative, small government type myself, but who is in favor of expanded transit and rail, I'd be interested to hear what your specific ideas are for public funding of rail.

I may be obligated to chip in something, but first I want to see what businesses are going to do to support an infrastructure that would primarily benefit them. Then, I want to see a sizeable user fee established that would be based on initial ridership forecasts -- and raised according to increased expenses from year to year. So far I haven't seen any commitment from major employers along the proposed route, and that concerns me. Likewise, I'd want to see the communities where the track runs through -- and stops in -- stepping up with funding ideas specific to their exposure along the rail line. I also want to see how upgrade, maintenance and administrative costs are going to be funded three, five, ten, 20 years from now.

Yes, it is ugly, but it is still better than nothing.

Ya, but what about in 10 years when we are fighting to ahve it torn down so something else can go in its place. I suppose we can cross that bridge when we come to it, but ugh, that thing is ugly. But if we need it to advance everything else, I suppose I will suffer it :P

I may be obligated to chip in something.You are being very sensible. Please allow me to draw an analogy or two from your thoughts. but first I want to see what businesses are going to do to support an infrastructure that would primarily benefit them. .
Thusly, all the suburban enterprises should have committed to build BEFORE the interstate was constructed.

Then, I want to see a sizeable user fee established that would be based on initial ridership forecasts -- and raised according to increased expenses from year to year.... Likewise, I'd want to see the communities where the track runs through -- and stops in -- stepping up with funding ideas specific to their exposure along the rail line. Logically, then, gasoline taxes (user fees) should be based on the number of occupants in a car at fill-up time, and, also, gas taxes in each community should be proportional to the benefits gained from the interstate. And, of course, they should be indexed and updated constantly to meet expenses.

Your standards sound appropriate. Let them be uniformly applied. That would be a real recipe for progress.

While it's a little hard to tell from the postage stamp image, it looks like Aloft could rival Breakwater for "Worst Building of the Year."

It's high time they break up the the Park East parcels into smaller pieces. We don't need a series of disappointing super-block developments. Let Park East unfold like a real city would --- piecemeal growth, human scaled.

DOH! And they're still expanding...

http://www.jsonline.com/business/39370407.html

While it's a little hard to tell from the postage stamp image, it looks like Aloft could rival Breakwater for "Worst Building of the Year."



I agree 100% !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hmm i thought the breakwater turned out just fine, sure its nothing to write home about but it does the job and fills a market much like Park Lafayette with affordable Lake View condos and i believe thats why these sold well in both cases. But yes that Hotel is awful but to compare it to the Breakwater is a little extreme. I remember a few people comparing PL to the projects in chicago at first :nuts:lol and that development came out great!

DOH! And they're still expanding...

http://www.jsonline.com/business/39370407.html

Thank God. At least someone will be offering non-stop service from this town on mainline aircraft.
R.I.P. Midworst.

Hmm i thought the breakwater turned out just fine, sure its nothing to write home about but it does the job and fills a market much like Park Lafayette with affordable Lake View condos and i believe thats why these sold well in both cases. But yes that Hotel is awful but to compare it to the Breakwater is a little extreme. I remember a few people comparing PL to the projects in chicago at first :nuts:lol and that development came out great!
Seeing that you stepped out and said it, I'll join you in saying too. I don't think the Breakwater sets any records or makes any statements of anykind but it is not the ugly disaster some people predicted it would be. Yes it is plain and simple, but sometimes plain and simple is all you need. Like NorthernIL Mike I say it turned out just fine.

It still makes me angry that they spell it Break Water... I don't know what pregnant women have to do with that tower.

But I agree with you all, it's there, it works, whatever. I'm glad it filled a gap.

Sorry if already posted, but more info on the Moderne (which also secured more financing last week):

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/39494402.html

Where exactly is the Moderne? Park East?

I'm afraid I haven't changed my opinion of the BreakWind since I first saw its renderings.

For the tenants it may represent great value, with spacious interiors and those generous balconies, to say nothing of the million dollar views. All well and good.

But none of those qualities is matched by the don't-give-a-damn exterior, and unfortunately, I think that matters too: One too many projects like this will have a negative impact on the surroundings, and aesthetic appeal and uniqueness has A LOT to do with Milwaukee's current re-creation.

Sadly, Milwaukee has far too many examples from its past of partially appealing blocks and districts crudely interrupted by the slap-dash, the third rate, and the ignorantly pretentious. When competing for residents with cities less prone to these concrete expressions of "so you think you're better than me?, I'll show you-ism", I'm pretty sure that such things matter.

Comparison with the Park Lafayette is very apt. One development is successful both inside and out. The other is not.
I think a little more thought about proportions, a better integrated base, would have demonstrated a level of caring more appropriate to it's estimable setting. BreakWater could have uplifted it's surroundings considerably more than it does, and not just, perhaps at most, filled a gap.

I'm not sure if Park Lafayette is successful inside...they have some really goofy interior layouts because of the shape of that building. It is clear that Breakwater was deisgned inside out, whereas Park Lafayette was more outside in.

I'm not sure if Park Lafayette is successful inside...they have some really goofy interior layouts because of the shape of that building. It is clear that Breakwater was deisgned inside out, whereas Park Lafayette was more outside in.

The thing about interiors, they're much more of a personal and private affair, and don't impose on strangers. Inside-out, upside-down, doesn't matter. Goofy to one may be charmingly individualistic to another. You like it you take it; you don't, you won't ever have to look on it again.

Poster said Park Lafayette was filling up, so in my book, that's a success.

I hate the inside of the BreakWater. The floor plans give a third to a half of the space to the "master suite" which is simply ridiculous in my opinion. IT'S A FRICKEN BEDROOM!!! And unless you host "Eyes Wide Shut" parties every week you really don't need that much space. Whatever, I guess people like that and that's why I've decided to avoid becoming a home builder with my degree.

Also, the "detail" they gave to the lobby is just plain weird. I guess the columns that don't support anything are supposed to make it feel old and historic, like some Greek ruins? Then they're capped with domes make of leaves which I can't place anywhere contextually. And the layout just seems cluttered for no reason. Why we haven't figured out how to incorporate wheel chair ramps into staircases elegantly is beyond me.

Here are some renderings if you don't know what we're talking about:

http://www.breakwater-condominiums.com/images/lobby/lobby_2.jpg

http://www.breakwater-condominiums.com/images/lobby/lobby_3.jpg


Also, part of me is excited to see people moving back into cities, but we sure as hell better not pander to the aesthetic decay suburbanization has created to expedite that shift. If they want to maintain their veritably cheap culture then let them do it on land that is worth less in the suburbs.

On my last visit to Milwaukee I didn't get close enough to look inside, but did they actually go ahead and build the lobby to that idiotic design?

Real touch of class.

You may be (unintentionally?) right about this place appealing to the "Eyes Wide Shut" crowd. Yet another feather in its cap.

Excellent point about bringing the suburban aesthetic into the city. It certainly was more of a problem a few decades ago, as can be seen in the "townhouses" round-about Juneau Village and vicinity. Milwaukee seems to have moved well beyond that kind of desperation (one fervently hopes).

BreakWind's the exception , not the rule.

Worst case scenario, The Moderne needs to sell 10 more condo's before construction...
http://www.jsonline.com/business/39534392.htmlModerne condo project will add more apartments

By Tom Daykin of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Feb. 12, 2009 10:58 p.m.

True, "condo" is a five-letter word.

But given the oversupply in downtown Milwaukee, some developers and lenders think otherwise.

"With the market the way it is, it's virtually impossible to use the four-letter word 'condo' to get financing," said Rick Barrett, the housing developer behind the proposed 31-story Moderne.

So Barrett will soon relaunch his marketing campaign for the Moderne, which would be at the southwest corner of N. Old World Third St. and W. Juneau Ave. The building, which was to feature about 80 condos and a similar number of apartments, has been redesigned for 154 apartments and 33 condos.

The Moderne has tentative sales agreements for 11 condos, but three of those prospective buyers might drop out because of the redesign, Barrett said. The project needs sales agreements for 18 condos to obtain a $40 million construction loan....

I don't think the Breakwater is THAT bad except for the balconies, which are just hideous.

Looksee's critique eloquently explains Break Water's shortcomings. For further reading, check out http://urbanmilwaukee.com/ to see Milwaukee Magazine's editorial along with the developer's curious response.

I'm glad to welcome more folks to the city. I only wish they were moving into a building that gave something back to its beautiful surroundings.

In my opinion, The breakwater is in a very prime location, and a very visible addition to our extended skyline (from the lake). I just wish they had spent a little more time on design and created something that stands out, like UCT, and even the proposed transera which gives a little more for the eye to look at.

Stimulus Spending: UWM...Downtown?
Source: Dan Knauss


Listed as a line for Milwaukee in the US Conference of Mayor's report on "shovel-ready" (i.e., "stimulus ready") projects:
http://usmayors.org/mainstreeteconomicrecovery/documents/mser-report-200901.pdf

(the pdf gives you a break down of a ton of projects state by state city by city)

UWM‐Engineering School ‐‐ Purchase downtown land and prepare land for the new location of the UWM Engineering School. [$5 Million]

Hat tip: Paul Seifert

Here's the breakdown of projected federal stimulus spending in the rustbelt.

http://www.gluespace.org/blog/?p=318

They need to forget about trying to force UWM to put the E school downtown. It's a waste of time and effort.

@Eriol Why in the world would you think keeping the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Engineering School, you know in Milwaukee, would be a waste of time and energy?

This is an extremely important effort as getting the Engineering school downtown could encourage business to locate nearby.

It will keep students and professors spending and potentially living in the city. This would support local businesses.

It should help UWM work more closely with Rockwell, JCI, We Energies, Marquette University, MSOE, and MATC.

It is more environmentally friendly than the Tosa option even if every building UWM were to build in Tosa was LEED certified.

It would likely spur additional development.

Quite frankly it is most certainly in the cities best interest to fight for this and Mayor Barrett should be applauded for finally making this effort.

Because they want to be part of the research engine that has developed at the County Grounds area. No one is going to talk them out of it.

Downtown gets the School of Public Health. The School of Freshwater Science is virtually downtown as well. That's pretty good.

UWM is a regional university, just as Parkside serves Kenosha and Racine. Wherever they put it, it will benefit the entire Milwaukee area.

It's still absolutely absurd to split up the campus into a half hour commute between the two parts if the thing goes to Wauwatosa. From a student perspective, it just burns me that they think that it is a good idea to move a major part of campus so far away. From a researcher's perspective, either location has a good argument. But if they want to continue to make UWM a relevant campus that students actually want to go to and not transfer away from, don't create UW-Tosa. Stupid.

Because they want to be part of the research engine that has developed at the County Grounds area.

Madison's Research Parks are miles away from any campus facilities and seem to be fuctioning successfully.
Whatever synergy develops in Milwaukee will be the result of long term collaboration not dependent, (and possibly interfered with given the presence of time consuming commuting undergraduates -- I presume some prereq. courses will still have to be taken at the current campus) on physical proximity to the Research Park. Much more productive would be the presence and informal socializing of a large pool of engineering students and faculty from UWM, MSOE and Marquette, to say nothing of Rockwell, literally within a stone's throw of one another in and about downtown, and minutes from the main campus.


Any sites available at Schlitz Park?

http://www.eua.com/data/portfolio/manpower13.jpg

Manpower building on sale block

Riverbend Place LLC, which is led by Milwaukee developer Gary Grunau, has hired a Boston real estate brokerage firm to find a buyer for its Manpower World Headquarters building in Schlitz Park in downtown Milwaukee.

The $78 million, 280,000-square-foot, four-story office building was completed in September 2007 and houses more than 920 Manpower Inc. and Jefferson Wells International employees.

“We’re just curious to see what the market may offer for a building of this caliber,” said Sam Denny, an executive vice president and general manager for The Brewery Works SC, a sister company of Riverbend Place LLC.

Full Story (http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/16/story4.html?b=1234760400^1778413)

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and Mayor Tom Barrett are discussing a plan that would transfer ownership of all county-owned land in the Park East development corridor to the city in an effort to expedite the review and approval processes.

In the past five years, developments in the 64-acre Park East corridor have not lived up to expectations and some real estate observers have questioned having two governments involved in approving projects for the site.

Selling about 12 acres of county-owned land at market rates makes sense because the Department of City Development has the framework and expertise to get projects approved, said a Walker aide. Walker’s staff recently approached the city about the deal.

Full Story (http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/16/story5.html)

Thank God!

I still wish Manpower would have located downtown. Damnit.

I still wish Manpower would have located downtown. Damnit.
I consider where they're at as downtown, or at lewast on the fringe. I just wish they would've built a much more interesting building. This building is the equivilent of the Breakwater only with office space instead.

It would have been nicer if they had just signed on to LPT. They wouldn't have had to worry about all this building business.

This building is the equivilent of the Breakwater only with office space instead.

I must have too much time on my hands to waste it in petty disagreements like this, but here goes again:

Manpower is no great shakes, but it looks better in the flesh than it did in renderings, and its bad, or actually bland, is pretty equally balanced by its pretty good. It is in a very visible location, but unlike BW, (1.)It doesn't clash and seriously detract from its surroundings, and (2.)It doesn't stick out like a blistered thumb visible for miles around.

Kind of seems like I'm obsessing about the BW. Might be a good time for an extended coffee break.
http://c3creativedesignz.com/signalysis/Tim%2520Horton%2520pot%2520of%2520coffee%2520animated.gif

I agree with looksee. It actually looks way better than its renderings, which made it look like some thrown together office out in the suburbs. Like he said, at one moment its "It should be taller... or more downtown," yet this feeling is being constantly yanked by a "It's actually pretty good."

Well, to each his own I guess. We all have opinions and we can't always agree.

I think the county should just hand the land over to the city, it's clear that any sale process with the county will take 2 years and cause even more development to never happen. Just get that land out of the county's hands ASAP....


By the way, i saw a segment on PBS NOW on Friday talking about Charlotte, NC's light rail system started by... A CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN MAYOR... Anyways it was really interesting and nice to see a guy who isn't bound by party lines, he saw a need and he saw potential... now property values are going up and the system is a success. Maybe he could convince Scott that light rail just might work.

By the way, i saw a segment on PBS NOW on Friday talking about Charlotte, NC's light rail system started by... A CONSERVATIVE REPUBLICAN MAYOR... Anyways it was really interesting and nice to see a guy who isn't bound by party lines, he saw a need and he saw potential... now property values are going up and the system is a success. Maybe he could convince Scott that light rail just might work.

Does anyone know the history of why trains are a party line issue? It doesn't seem to make sense to have one party that only favors cars. Just wondering if there is some background to that.

Does anyone know the history of why trains are a party line issue? It doesn't seem to make sense to have one party that only favors cars. Just wondering if there is some background to that.

I don't think it's that one likes trains and one doesn't, it's that one is for funding it and one is not. Just as in most things, Democrats are more for raising taxes to cover costs of things such as public transportation and many Republicans are generally not. I for one am a conservative guy who would love to see rail from TC-Madison-Milwaukee-KRM-Chicago, as well as an improved and more efficient transportation system in Milwaukee. Whatever gives the most benefit for the money.

I don't think it's that one likes trains and one doesn't, it's that one is for funding it and one is not. Just as in most things, Democrats are more for raising taxes to cover costs of things such as public transportation and many Republicans are generally not. I for one am a conservative guy who would love to see rail from TC-Madison-Milwaukee-KRM-Chicago, as well as an improved and more efficient transportation system in Milwaukee. Whatever gives the most benefit for the money.

Well, your choice of funding usually is in sync with some political influence. I'm not talking about general spending philosophy. I'm just saying that if we had 100 imaginary dollars a Democrat might split that 70-30 between roads and rail. A Republican would probably break that 98-2. So, it this really a discussion of which is more cost-effective or beneficial? Or, more likely, is this more a matter of constituents?

Maybe I'm answering my own question, but I don't fully understand the *cultural* divide on road vs rail. Is it just urban vs suburban/rural?

I live in the exurbs, but I'm a huge rail proponent. There are many people I know that simply reject rail out of hand though. It's strange.


-------
Side rant:

I'm sure Walker's proposal to not invest in any infrastructure at all and just eliminate sales tax for a couple months would have the amazing multiplier effect of fixing all of our problems though. Maybe everyone would pool their money voluntarily and just form private coalitions to rebuild their neighborhood roads. It's revolutionary really.

UWM just did a study of condo owners in milwaukee to see what demographic is really buying up all the condos in town. http://www4.uwm.edu/news/

The link gets updated regularly with new articles but it should be valid atm.

Is it just urban vs suburban/rural?


Exactly.

In 2008, transactions involving 554 condominium units in downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods closed. Here's how your neighborhood performed:

Lower East Side

Total Units Sold: 191
Number of Units Owned by Condo Developers: 91
New Development: Cambridge Heights, Cambridge Terrace, Gallun Tannery Row, Hamilton Town Houses, Jackson Street Townhomes, Lake Bluff, Landmark on the Lake, London House, Marshall Street Condos, & The Flatiron
Average Sold Price per Square Foot: $214.69 (Range: $127.26 - $399.20)

Third Ward

Total Units Sold: 48
Number of Units Owned by Condo Developers: 21
New Development: 320 Condos, Cityside Plaza, Warehouse 525, & River Renaissance
Average Sold Price per Square Foot: $249.68 (Range: $117.65 - $382.20)

East Town

Total Units Sold: 118
Number of Units Owned by Condo Developers: 53
New Development: 601 Lofts, The Blatz, City Green, Courtyard Square, Terrace Row, & University Club
Average Sold Price per Square Foot: $253.11 (Range: $130.43 - $554.64)


Just highlights, for full neighborhood list: click (http://milwaukeecondo.blogspot.com/2009/02/downtown-condo-market-results-for-2008.html)

Well, your choice of funding usually is in sync with some political influence. I'm not talking about general spending philosophy. I'm just saying that if we had 100 imaginary dollars a Democrat might split that 70-30 between roads and rail. A Republican would probably break that 98-2. So, it this really a discussion of which is more cost-effective or beneficial? Or, more likely, is this more a matter of constituents?
While I agree that there would be a split similar to your numbers and that constituents have a lot to do with that, I disagree about it not being about spending philosophies. You say "100 imaginary dollars", but there is no such thing. If the government has 100 dollars, it came from taxes and that is a very important consideration for many conservatives.

I'm a small-government conservative and believe that generally government should only get into providing services that the private sector can't. National defense is #1 in my book. And #2 is transportation. Of all kinds. Roads and rails. For private use (cars) and for public use (transit). I'm a pro-transportation guy and just don't understand how so many people can be so one-sided in their transportation philosophy. We need a good balance of all kinds to provide redundancy, effiiciency, and choice. And IMO transit is lagging behind in this country.

And IMO transit is lagging behind in this country.

YOU ARE CORRECT!!!

I know this isn't big news, but I'm pretty stoked about it:

Sonic is planning to open its first Milwaukee-area drive-in on Feb. 24 in West Milwaukee at 2080 Miller Park Way.

Sonic has more than 3,500 drive-ins coast to coast and plans to open 20 in metro Milwaukee.

Biz Journal (http://milwaukee.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/stories/2009/02/09/daily35.html)

That's awesome news, now I can run over and get a cherry lime freeze to go with my brats on the grill. Score! Sonic is amazing.

Yeah, I miss them.

Milwaukee-based Marcus is moving forward on the projects despite the travel industry's downturn, said Bill Otto, president of Marcus Hotels and Resorts, the company's hotel division.

"By beginning these renovations immediately, we will be able to provide a significantly enhanced experience for our guests in time for our upcoming peak summer season,” said Otto, in a statement.

Renovations at the 730-room Hilton will begin with lobby and guest room remodeling, including new high definition LCD televisions, bedding, carpeting, furniture and art work. The project's next phase, expected to begin later this year, will include upgrades to the meeting rooms, restaurants, gift shop and exterior elements.

link (http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/business/39715777.html)

You say "100 imaginary dollars", but there is no such thing. If the government has 100 dollars, it came from taxes and that is a very important consideration for many conservatives.

It would be great if all state money came from taxes but the reality of it is that most money is 'borrowed' from the fed. Income from taxes never seem to add up to the money spent (not even close) and this missing link is borrowed. Taxes become especially damaging when taxes are raised, but the value of money is constantly plummeting. It's fundamental to understand that all money in circulation exists because it was borrowed out to someone/some business by a bank at some time. If all debts were eliminated, there would be zero money in circulation. And under the rules of fractional-reserve banking, most money borrowed is created, out of thin air, the moment the loan agreement is signed by both parties, because the bank is only required to hold 1/10 of the money on reserve (fractional-reserve) it is allowed to borrow out This paradox only works if bank-runs don't occur. This occurs on a national scale as well. The nation trades $100000 in bonds for the same in reserve notes. And since money is perpetually being created from one source - independent of the gov't - at interest, the money to cover the interest can only come from the same place the principle was borrowed from, meaning there is more debt owed than exists in principle. In addition since the 30s when the gold standard was abolished our money has no value beyond the paper it was printed on and the amount in circulation. Thus since inflation is perpetual and currency devaluation is inevitable 'imaginary dollars' is actually a pretty accurate description.

I'm also a small-govt conservative as well, but more old-school conservative than todays pro-war, faux-conservatives. Conservatives as of the last decade seem to have lost touch with all conservative values. There are a plethora of examples of gov't intervetion screwing things up more than actually helping them. Also the expansion of gov't is expensive, and the private sector typically shows more success in raising money and positively influencing a given cause than the gov'ts counterpart for the same cause.

When you say national defense is your number one issue, do you support or reject the war on terror? I'm going off on a tangent, but economically speaking its utterly disastrous for our country, and the realism of terrorism being a serious threat to national security is highly suspect, yet our society is completely saturated with mainstream media, who pumps out terror and propaganda on a daily basis. Heart disease kills over 400,000 people every year, yet the gov't allocates about $3billion a year towards research. Terrorism kills less than 2000 people worldwide every year, between 50 and 100 of those people being American - less than peanut allergies - yet we spend hundreds of billions of dollars fighting this foe. Robert Pape of the U of Chicago compiled a database of 462 suicide terrorist attacks between 1980 and 2004. His research suggests that dogmatic beliefs and a contempt for western values was actually NOT as much a motivating factor as we're spoon-fed on a daily basis. The leaders in suicide bombings was actually a secular Marxist group from Sri Lanka known as the Tamil Tigers. The largest Islamic fundamentalist countries were not responsile. For example Iran and Sudan were the source of ZERO suicide bombings. The strongest motivation for suicide terrorist was actually found to be a desire "to compel modern democracies to withdraw military forces from the territory the terrorists view as their homeland." Until 2003 (and US invasion) Iraq had not once in their entire countries history, had a suicide bombing. On a human level those people resent our meddling and interfering in their affairs, simple as that. Thus our biggest detriment to the economy and our safety is our 'police-the-world, isolationist, do-as-we-say-or-else foreign policy. If we withdrew troops from the 130 countries we currently have a presence in, we'd save BILLIONS and be far safer than we've been in a long time. However the very notion of non-interventionism is never even brought up in debate. It's always either A or B, no consideration of C and beyond. Of course this isn't a friendly idea to super-wealthy elites, who reap massive benefits from companies like Haliburton who get the contract to rebuild a country we destroy, or Monsanto, who lobbied to have laws passed so Iraqi farmers have to throw out their seeds at the end of the growing season and purchase seeds from Monsanto which contain the suicide gene (meaning the plant doesn't produce it's own seeds and the farmers are forced to purchase new seeds every year). National security takes a back seat to corporate interest it seems. :bash:


[/end rant]

Sorry that got extremely off-subject. On subject, I wholeheartedly agree that infrastructure should be near the top of gov't investments. Density, smart-growth, and a proper connection of people to jobs using MULTIPLE mediums is key to sustainable expansion of population. However we as a country must shed this notion that every person must own an acre, a big house, a white picket fence and two cars, because this simply is NOT sustainable or realistic, but this fundamental idea is wholly overlooked.

Sorry that got extremely off-subject.

Actually that was more like hijacking this thread to post half-baked pseudo-economics and widely available conspiracy b.s. I won't waste bandwidth with a real world economic and history refutation of this nonsense (yes, there is some real world data in the rant, and yes the world actually does look flat.)

Perhaps the moderator could edit out the way way off topic stuff? Wouldn't mind my own response to that stuff being cut too.

Actually that was more like hijacking this thread to post half-baked pseudo-economics and widely available conspiracy b.s. I won't waste bandwidth with a real world economic and history refutation of this nonsense (yes, there is some real world data in the rant, and yes the world actually does look flat.)

Perhaps the moderator could edit out the way way off topic stuff? Wouldn't mind my own response to that stuff being cut too.

lol. yeah not sure what happened with that one. A refutation would be appreciated however understandably its completely irrelevant. One need not waste time editing it either since we're on a new page any how-for me at least. I just believe in sound money, which doesn't seem to exist anymore. All the advertisements urging people to send in their gold,etc for FAST CASH kills me. Ah hell that's life :cheers:

Actually, I didn't read everything he said, LookSee, but from what I did read, it wasn't just "conspiracy BS." In fact, it was actually reality which also happens to be utter bull****. So I'd recommend toning down the vitriol and condescension, picking up some books, and learning about how America's monetary system actually works.

The people who are orchestrating many of things depended on the fact that most people would be like you, too naive and unwilling to accept anything that isn't fed to you as consensus reality via the little box of flashing lights you pray to every night.

^^I yield, as do all the rest of us, always, to your great wisdom Badman.:master:

yowza.

On subject, I wholeheartedly agree that infrastructure should be near the top of gov't investments. Density, smart-growth, and a proper connection of people to jobs using MULTIPLE mediums is key to sustainable expansion of population. However we as a country must shed this notion that every person must own an acre, a big house, a white picket fence and two cars, because this simply is NOT sustainable or realistic, but this fundamental idea is wholly overlooked.

It doesn't matter where you stand on the political specturm, that was a great statement.

Are you sure you're a republican?

It doesn't matter where you stand on the political specturm, that was a great statement.

Are you sure you're a republican?

Heavens no. I'm really not sure how to define my political philosophy. I'm very progressive minded, secular, yet conservative when it comes to money and foreign policy, and govt as a whole. Techinically I suppose I'm a Libertarian or something around there.

Nice to hear some people finding some relevance :)


Let me put it this way. When I think conservative I don't think Mark Green or *shutter* Scott Walker. Their.... crazy. Barry Goldwater was a good man as far as I could tell. Ron Paul is amazing. Thats true conservatism. And if we're going to centralize our economy around a central bank and send ourselves into debt, we may as well invest all these monies into infrastructure, education (although state-funded education is another questionable topic: Read John Taylor Gatto) and the general improvement of the homeland. We should not be wasting trillions in nation building. Why do our foreign affairs come first to our domestic affairs? We as a whole sit back and fret about how to fund infrastructure improvements such as light rail in Milwaukee and it always comes back to taxes. If we as a nation hadn't driven ourselves into an inescapable debt by investing in foreign affairs and building an empire, we could have allocated that money to the homeland. Its the selfish agendas of private interests, and we've taken most of the world with us. The World Bank for example, a US corporation, has loaned out billions of dollars to developing nations all over the world. There are more examples than I'd wish to mention. However these loans for example will include agreements saying that if country X borrows $100b from the world bank to fund the building of a seaport or a highway system, etc they have to hire american contractors to build the project, so the whole country gets the debt, a few rich people in the country benefit from the project and very few if anyone in the 'working class' of people get anything, but added debt. Look what Bechtel did to Bolivia or Texaco to Ecuador (anyone read the Shepard ten worst corporations). Its interesting how we've now overthrown Sadam, when Iraq wasnt an issue and replaced him with democracy.... thats privy to our oil interests and permanent military presence.

OK I'm done. There needs to be a midwest skybar

Actual news this time.... A while back (last summer I believe) someone posted about a luxury car dealership on Green Bay featuring Maserati's, Aston Martins and eventully Ferrari. I drove past it a couple times after it was built to check out the cars but went past it recently and its completely empty. Curiously the showroom lights were still on. Anyone know what happened? Did this move or was it a miserable failure made worse by our economic downturn?

Anyone know what happened? Did this move or was it a miserable failure made worse by our economic downturn?

Closed. It was a miserable failure made worse by our economic downturn.

I'm going off on a tangent, but economically speaking its utterly disastrous for our country.

Although I in no way support the war, I would just like to point out that economically, the war is far from disastrous. I don't know the exact statistics, but almost all the money spent on the war goes straight to the economy. Everything needed to supply the war is provided from American companies and even the soldiers will spend their salary on items in the U.S. when they return. Here in Wisconsin, Oshkosh Truck gets a substantial part of its work from the army, which allows them to employ more people. Also, as shown on the front page of the business section a fews days ago, Marinette Marine relies on Navy orders. The article went on to say if they did not get the contract, 200 jobs could be lost. In somewhat different circumstances, WW2 helped pull us out of the Great Depression. I know that this probably wont change anyone's opinion, and I don't intend to take away from the overall negetives, but the idea that the war is economically "disastrous" just doesnt make sense.