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Editor Ken Harwood
November
Got News? Our Sponsors The Final Word The Final Word -- This is the all new economic development news for Greater Madison and beyond! Wisconsin Development News, (WDN) will be published weekly by Ken Harwood. This email is distributed free to commercial brokers, financial professionals, planners and officials, the press and others who have expressed an interest in Wisconsin economic development. Our new list, while smaller, still includes more than 1,000 professionals and should expand weekly. All stories should link to their original source in the original context. These pages may contain advertising, and I encourage patronage of both our sponsors and the related advertisers and publications I link too. Occasionally a computer system arbitrarily assigns a link other than that intended and for this I apologize. The focus for WDN is to create a positive view of economic development for the Greater Madison Region and the communities that are in the area. The publication will also feature news from around the state, nation, and world that offers insight to policy, trends, and projects that may be of interest to the reader. Please forward any information you would like included for consideration. I will do my best to include any non advertising stories, press releases, or articles from other sources that you feel would be of interest to the reader. Please feel free to forward WDN, or better yet a link to HERE where they can sign up for the weekly email. This publication is being distributed via new software and to new recipients. Please use the opt-in and opt-out feature at the bottom of every email to ensure correct distribution. I continue to develop this newsletter because of the positive feedback I have received in the past. Those emails are no longer available to me so -- I begin again. As always let me know what you think. Thanks again to the sponsors DSI Real Estate Group – Emmons Business Interiors and You? -- Please visit their sites. Ken Harwood “The Editor” |
 Development News for 01-24-08 to 01-31-08 This issue dedicated to Jerry Wuebben Economy stalls; another rate drop expected WASHINGTON — The economy nearly stalled in the fourth quarter with a growth rate of just 0.6 percent, capping its worst year since 2002. The Commerce Department's report on the gross domestic product, released today, showed an economy that had deteriorated considerably during the October-to-December quarter as worsening problems in the housing market and harder-to-get credit made individuals and businesses more cautious in their spending. Fears of a recession have grown, even as inflation remained elevated... Ken Notes: There is an upside to all of this I'm sure, I just haven't found it yet. I am thinking about selling salt – at least that will insure a warm snow-free winter next year. WED., JAN 30, 2008 - WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve delivered powerful new relief to people and businesses squeezed by the ailing economy Wednesday, cutting interest rates even deeper in an effort to avert or at least soften the blow of a recession... Ken Notes: Prime also fell to 6% a number I like... Public Split On Growth Plan - Many Comment On Panel's Proposal For Dane County Friday, January 25, 2008 - Dane County faces a balancing act as its communities grow over the next several decades. On one hand, city and village officials say they need a constant stream of new houses and businesses to pay for services and keep taxes down. But environmentalists note there is a finite amount of space and a need to preserve farmland. Environmentalists encourage walkable, dense development that will reduce automobile pollution. Developers respond by saying that forcing certain densities will increase the cost of housing, drive Dane County workers to live in other counties and lengthen automobile commutes. Those arguments were among several... Ken Notes: There are no easy answers here - we need planning not policy. New Commercial Listings from PropertyDrive.com All Commercial Properties By Community (an interactive map) John Biondi Is Incoming Thrive Board Chair 1/31/2008 - (MADISON, WI) John Biondi, President of C5-6 Technologies, stepped into his new role as Board Chair of Thrive last week as he led Thrive’s first Board of Directors meeting of 2008. He will serve as Thrive Board Chair through December 2008. A noted business and community leader, Mr. Biondi served on Thrive’s inaugural Board of Directors in 2007 as Vice Chair before assuming the Chair January 1, 2008. "We are very excited to welcome John Biondi as Board Chair of Thrive, continuing the strong leadership in that position," said Thrive President Jennifer Alexander...
UW-Madison's Art Lofts will house studios WED., JAN 30, 2008 - UW-Madison art student Pat Hobaugh doesn't mind that he has to work on his paintings in an 11-by-13-foot former accounting office in a nearly vacated physics building on campus... That will change in December, when the university plans to complete an extensive remodel of an existing warehouse just east of the Kohl Center. The warehouse, to be known as the "Art Lofts,"... Ken Notes: You can find the new facility by following the faint scent of burning sage... Building tougher Habitat for Humanity housing WED., JAN 30, 2008 - A building process designed to help homes survive Florida hurricanes has found its way to Wisconsin. Habitat for Humanity of Dane County is using the Fortified home-building process to construct a duplex in the Twin Oaks subdivision near McFarland. Using stronger materials ranging from heavier nails to impact-resistant roofing, a Fortified home is built to withstand various kinds of extreme weather...
http://www.cbre.com/USA/US/WI/Madison/pprofile/brianwolff Plan B For Cross Plains Plan Commission Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - About 24 hours before an eagerly anticipated public meeting on land use development, the town of Cross Plains chairman canceled it, citing discovery of a legal snafu that nullifies the Plan Commission that was scheduled to hear public comments. Because the Town Board never signed or published the ordinance that established the commission last February, "the Plan Commission that's been meeting for a year hasn't existed," said town Chairman Harold Krantz... Ken notes: Now thats a new twist, what happens to all the projects the PC approved??? Fisher foes can't halt Butler Street plan 1/29/2008 - Big changes are coming to the James Madison Park neighborhood downtown following approval of two major apartment projects by the Plan Commission Monday night. The most controversial was developer Cliff Fisher's plan to tear down two older apartment buildings, move another and construct a four-story, 38-unit apartment building fronting on North Butler Street. Parking for 38 vehicles would be provided underground, with the driveway accessed off North Hancock Street. The parking deck would be covered with grass and trees to create a plaza in the middle of the block... Third big box developer steps into fray - West end back for approval Verona's big box battle will get even more interesting next week. The long-awaited formal review of the first piece of the West End is set to be in front of the Plan Commission on Monday night, but it won't be alone. Last month, the initial review of that part of the shopping-office-residential complex along West Verona Avenue turned into a spitting contest with a competing development on the opposite side of the city, and now a third developer has stepped into the spotlight with eyes on building Verona's second and third big box stores. AIG, a Neenah development firm that has specialized in shopping centers for more than 20 years, has submitted a proposal that would fill the 28-acre northwest corner of the Verona Technology Park on Verona's southeast side. The project,... Ken Notes: The usual disclaimer here, I am an alderman for the community and am mentioned in the article... Also Jim, congrats on the new website it looks great! New Focus For Cda? Developers' Fees At Issue Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - Madison's Community Development Authority's role will be redefined, if several City Council members have their way. The council last week designated the CDA as the city's redeveloper for its Allied Drive property and agreed to pay it a developer's fee if the project makes a profit. However, in November, the council had to give the CDA $75,000 to hire experts to plan the $9.2 million first phase of the redevelopment. This was on top of the city staff time that had been used since September to do CDA work on the project and the $4.3 million the city paid for the so-called Hauk property in 2005 and the $3.9 million it plans to spend this year and next on streets, sewers and other public amenities in the 11-acre parcel... Ken notes: And all this time everyone thought development was cheap and easy! Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - A controversial housing development proposed in the town of Cross Plains will face public scrutiny. Developer Janice Faga has proposed a project that could comprise 66 houses on 337 acres, including 168 acres of open space - about 2.5 acres per lot - near the intersection of Old Sauk Pass and Timber Lane, along the town of Middleton border. Faga owns one 160-acre farm and has an option to buy the adjacent 180-acre property. She has asked the town board to change its land use plan for the two farms from agricultural preservation to residential without sewers. The land use map needs to be changed before Faga can submit a formal development plan. The change also requires County Board approval. Under the town's current land use policy, housing in agricultural preservation districts is limited to one unit for every 35 acres... Ken Notes: It may just be me, but 66 homes and open space makes more sense than 10 homes and no space currently allowed by the county and if we freeze our urban service area what are our options here... Foreclosures quadruple in 2007 TUE., JAN 29, 2008 - Foreclosures more than quadrupled last year compared with 2006 in Dane County, according to data compiled by RealtyTrac, an online marketer of foreclosure properties. The county had 1,169 foreclosure filings in 2007 — including default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions — up from 284... Diverse North Side Seeks Retail Growth - New Economic Development Is Overdue. Friday, January 25, 2008 - Barb Pratzel can feel the pulse of the neighborhood getting stronger. A diverse customer base at her busy Manna Cafe & Bakery, 611 N. Sherman Ave. in Lakewood Shopping Center, offers some proof. Other evidence can be found a few blocks away at Northside Town Center, home to Pierce's Northside Market, Coffee Gallerie, Benvenuto's Italian restaurant and a farmers' market. Most of the businesses, including Pratzel's eatery, were open a few years ago, but more additions to the North Side could be on the way as the potential of the Northport Drive and Sherman Avenue corridors continues to catch the eyes of small business owners... Saturday, January 26, 2008 - McBride Point, a project at 301 N. Hamilton St. that will demolish six rental properties for construction of a four-story 67-unit apartment complex, has city planners' approval as it goes back before the City Plan Commission on Monday. In December, the commission asked for more details on a proposal from owner Phil Hees of the McBride Cos. for the small Downtown block that now contains the Pinkus McBride Market and Deli. The project would preserve the building at the corner of North Hamilton and East Johnson streets that houses the market and three apartments, where a fire in May Landmark Status Disputed For Mifflin Street Building Madison developer Marty Rifken is delighted that his restoration of the International Harvester Building on South Blount Street is moving toward historic preservation status. But Rifken is opposing city landmark status for a 100-year-old building that Rifken's limited corporation bought in 2002 for $380,000. The site just off Capitol Square is another case in which the city and developers are trying to balance history and growth. The Madison Trust for Historic Preservation is proposing... Past Vs. Future Downtown - North Pinckney Development May Conflict With Preservation Interests Once again, tension is building between history and growth on Capitol Square. A proposed redevelopment could further a decades-long erosion of the Square's historical character or help preserve it. Urban Land Interests, one of the city's pre-eminent developers, is planning a major, high-rise project on the block of North Pinckney Street, which makes up an eighth of the Square. The project, still in the concept phase, will certainly involve the landmark American Exchange Bank, 1 N. Pinckney St., built in 1871, and perhaps more. As the proposal takes shape, the Madison Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking city landmark designation to protect three properties on the block that host some of the city's most popular restaurants - L'Etoile, Harvest and the Old Fashioned... Ken Notes: We need better options here, these are all GREAT vendors and deserve more than a mandate, how about a long range comprehensive plan for the area where the developers and preservationists are at the table. Need a Speaker Ken Harwood is available to speak on Economic Development in the Greater Madison Region to your group or associates. He can be reached at Editor@WisconsinDevelopment.com or (608) 334-2174. Ken Notes: I've heard him, he's ok... Points Elsewhere Development tops list for candidates Development tops list for candidates. 2nd District to get new fire station, too. Candidates for one of Brookfield's two districts with primaries next month are looking toward the city's future in terms of redevelopment and protective services... Cambridge to build laboratory in business park Cambridge to build laboratory in business park. A new three-story 116,700-square-foot laboratory and manufacturing facility will soon be added to Cambridge Major Laboratories, N10497 Washington Drive... New Delafield citizens group formed New Delafield citizens group formed. One of the founders of Conserving a Rural Environment (CARE) in Lake Country is organizing another citizens group, this one intended to promote and support projects that are considered beneficial to the city.. One of the founders of Conserving a Rural... Council approves Lawson Building demolition order Council approves Lawson Building demolition order. Portion of structure could be salvaged. The Common Council has approved a July 1 demolition date for the historic Lawson Building, with the caveat that ongoing discussions will keep in mind possibly saving part of the structure at 909 Menomonee Ave... Planners OK Quad expansion. Addition uncertain; printer continues to explore options. Quad/Graphics, one of the largest employers in West Allis, is considering a $14 million expansion of its Highway 100 plant that could create an additional 80 jobs - if the company follows through... Pabst Farms plans revised; Developers add gateway entrance and pond Pabst Farms plans revised; Developers add gateway entrance and pond. In response to city requests, Pabst Farms shopping center developers submitted a revised plan for the project last week that addressed a list of concerns and questions for the site.. In response to city requests, Pabst Farms shopping center developers... Development plan advances. Supervisors favor proposal for student housing, offices, retail space downtown. A $75 million downtown development for N. 6th and W. State streets that would include student housing, offices, retail space and a parking ramp won a preliminary endorsement... Miller executive was victim. Killing seen as unlikely issue in decision on headquarters. The weekend murder of a Miller Brewing Co. executive in the Walker's Point area is not expected to play a major role in determining the eventual headquarters location for the combined operations... Wilderness Resort Unveils Changes Monday, January 28, 2008 - The Wilderness Hotel & Golf Resort has unveiled renovations to its second largest waterpark resort, Klondike Kavern, which originally opened in 1998. Joe Eck, director of sales and marketing for the resort, said Klondike Kavern's Gold Mine Mountain was replaced by Bonanza Bluff, a play structure that includes 50 play and spray features on 12 different platforms, a 750-gallon tipping bucket, a 14 foot body slide and a 4 foot side by side children's slide. In addition, the Hurricane was upgraded to a "Category 5 storm," featuring fog machines and strobe lights along with sound effects that make riders feel like they are in the middle of a major hurricane... Another door to homeownership. Some residents renting to own with new Metcalfe Park program. Melody Jones found her two-bedroom apartment was running out of space after her third child was born. But her job as a nursing assistant doesn't provide much income to save up for a down payment... Developer plans boutique hotel in Walworth County Wednesday, January 30, 2008 - Jenison, Mich.-based Rookus Group wants to build a 100-room boutique hotel and spa southeast of Black Church Road and Fontana Ridge Road, just outside of the Village of Fontana in Walworth County. The site is in the Town of Walworth, but it also lies within Fontana's extraterritorial zoning area so the village must approve the development even if the property is not annexed to the village, Fontana village administrator Kelly E. Hayden-Staggs said. The property is zoned for business use... $23 million upgrade expected to help SCA Tissue stay competitive January 31, 2008 - Mike Bogenschutz walks a visitor over to a weathered section of the SCA Tissue plant floor in Menasha where compressed bales of wastepaper have been placed. At regular intervals, workers snip the bands of wires that hold the 1,200-pound bales together. Then lift-... Governor Doyle. Announces $4.5 million for Sargento expansion. Our Sponsors Brian Wolff CBRE MadisonJanuary 18, 2008 – Sperry Van Ness, one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate investment brokerage firms, today announced that the Sperry Van Ness Legacy Foundation, a fund of Public Health Foundation Enterprises, has invested $50,000 in the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC), an economic development corporation that provides quality business education and access to capital for entrepreneurs. Sperry Van Ness Advisors Jeff Jansen, Dan Roseliep and Karen Trieloff Development News for 1/17/08 – 1/24/08 New county land use commission less political? 1/23/2008 - Madison Ald. Larry Palm resides in a 800 square-foot house off North Street, within sniffing distance of the Oscar Mayer plant on the city's east side. Built on a small lot and close to a Metro bus line, Palm's modest home is what many planners envision when they talk about "traditional neighborhoods" or "compact growth." But Palm -- one of four city of Madison representatives on the powerful new Capital Area Regional Planning Commission -- also realizes that city living isn't for everybody... Ken Notes: Political is a relative term here... Doyle: Business incentives, health plan way ahead for state economy WED., JAN 23, 2008 - Warning that "challenging days are ahead," Gov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday that Wisconsin must face a national economic downturn by cutting state spending, boosting businesses and remaking the way individuals and small companies buy health insurance. In his sixth State of the State speech in the Assembly chambers, the Democratic governor laid out his course for steering the state through uncertain... Ken Notes: Some good ideas here and I now need the health care. I just hope that we remember that the answer is jobs, jobs, jobs... New Commercial Listings fromPropertyDrive.com All Commercial Properties By Community (an interactive map)
1/21/2008 - SUN PRAIRIE -- Woodman's wants to build its next supermarket in Sun Prairie. The Janesville-based company will seek approval from the Sun Prairie Plan Commission Tuesday night to build on 25 acres it owns along Highway 151 and County Highway C in this northeast Madison suburb. It would be the firm's third store in Dane County... EDITORIAL - Preserving Dane County Friday, January 18, 2008 - The Capital Area Regional Planning Commission is considering criteria for Urban Service Area extensions that would protect Dane County's farmland and ground water from poorly planned development. In particular, these extensions would protect Lake Waubesa and areas around it from threats of urban sprawl. Oranizations such as the Black Earth Creek Watershed Association, the Friends of the Dane County Parks, Friends of Badfish Creek, Friends of Cherokee Marsh, the Madison Audubon Society, the Sierra Club Four Lakes Group, Trout Unlimited, and the West Waubesa Preservation Coalition have already begun to weigh in on these proposals. And the general view is that the rules are wise and necessary. But developers are likely to disagree. So citizens need to show up at the public hearing on the criteria, which will be held Thursday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. in Room. 201... Ken Notes: My fear is that the Commission is looking for simple solutions to very complex problems. A project needs to be judged on its individuate merit -- not where it was located on an arbitrary date in 2008. 1/21/2008 - Houlihan's restaurant, 1262 John Q. Hammons Drive across from the Marriott Madison West, closed on Saturday. Owner Alfredo Teuschler, who also owns Eno Vino, 601 Junction Road, said the explosive growth of casual dining restaurants in the area, particularly at the nearby Greenway Center and Discovery Springs developments, just made for too much competition. "There's a lot of restaurant seats for not enough butts," Teuschler said. "There's just too many of us in that category of casual dining."... Big Plans In Works For Retail Project More retail is on the way for Orchard Pointe in Fitchburg. Tim Neitzel, one of the developers of Orchard Pointe, a large retail project near the intersection of McKee and Verona roads, said Friday he will construct two retail buildings on the property that at one time was home to a golf dome. The project, which includes a 15,675-square-foot building and an 11,000-square-foot building, will have a variety of national retailers. Besides a 1,750-square-foot Starbucks, the third in Fitchburg, the project will include a 6,500-square-foot Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, a Sherwin-Williams paint store, FedEx/Kinkos, Massage Envy, Sports Clips, a nail salon and an optometrist... http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=710243 Posted: Jan. 22, 2008 - Madison - Two movies and two film-related companies are taking advantage of new state tax incentives, Lt. Gov. Barb Lawton said Tuesday after returning from the Sundance Film Festival. Lawton also said an assurance by Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp. that it will show movies produced in Wisconsin will further boost efforts to draw the film industry to Wisconsin. Lawton announced the thriller "Blue World" will spend its $2.5 million budget in Milwaukee. "The Violinist," a $1 million film about Arab-Israeli immigrants... Great Wolf investor wants options explored, possible sale Jan 24, 2008 - MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- One of the largest shareholders of Great Wolf Resorts Inc. wants the board to consider options for the struggling company that could include a sale. A regulatory filing shows investor Eric Hovde talked about the water park operator's future last week with Great Wolf's chief executive officer John Emery. The filing said Hovde has "expressed concerns" about Great Wolf's performance and said the company should replace two of its eight members on the board of directors. Hovde said he should nominate at least one of the new directors. Hovde is president and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based Hovde Capital Advisors LLC, which has a 5.2 percent... Doyle touts small business health pool, economic development Jan 23, 2008 - MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- Saying challenging days ahead will require "deep cuts and hard sacrifices," Gov. Jim Doyle outlined a plan Wednesday of targeted tax breaks and a new health insurance pool for small businesses to blunt effects of a national economic downturn. Doyle's ability to follow through on the agenda outlined in his sixth State of the State speech will be complicated by the divided Legislature and the state's economy which continues to show signs of weakening. The Democratic governor is pushing a variety of economic development proposals targeting the state's small businesses, agricultural community and manufacturing sector. He is not advocating any type of income tax cut... Madison-based Marshall Erdman merging with investment company THU., JAN 24, 2008 - Marshall Erdman & Associates, a Madison-based health-care building and design firm, is merging with a Charlotte, N.C., real estate investment trust that invests in specialty office buildings for the medical profession. The transaction, expected to be finalized by the end of February, is valued at $247 million. Cogdell Spencer, which owns 115 medical facilities in 13 states, mostly east of the Mississippi River, will acquire 100 percent of ... Great Wolf investor wants board of directors change WED., JAN 23, 2008 - Questions over the future of Great Wolf Resorts are again percolating. One of the Madison company's largest investors has asked for a change on the company's board of directors and wants the company to explore "various strategic alternatives." Eric Hovde, owner of Hovde Capital Advisors in Washington, D.C., said he is concerned about the performance of the company... Financing fight halts construction of second Willy Street Co-op WED., JAN 23, 2008 - A fight over financing between a Downtown developer and his bank has halted construction of a second Willy Street Co-op. The 8,750-square-foot store was scheduled to open in March, but now officials say they don't know when the store, at the corner of Broom and West Mifflin streets, will begin selling its organic and locally grown produce, bulk grains and free-range chickens... EDITORIAL Vision And Cooperation Vital To Lake Cleanup Monday, January 21, 2008 - Kudos to The Capital Times for Rob Zaleski's reporting, and your recent editorial, on the status and future of the Yahara lakes. Besides the newfound sense of urgency you describe, we need one additional element to improve water quality in our lakes: a more imaginative and creative sense of the possible when looking for solutions. Yes, manure is the major source of nutrients entering the lakes. But more cost-sharing funds, more holes in the ground lined with concrete, or even more regulation are not the answer... Roads, Bridges, Dams In U.S. Falling Apart Monday, January 21, 2008 - The Cost Of Maintaining Infrastructure Has Far Outstripped The Will To Pay For It, Experts Say. The numbers are staggering. More than one in four of America's nearly 600,000 bridges need significant repairs or are burdened with more traffic than they were designed to carry, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. A third of the country's major roadways are in substandard condition - a significant factor in a third of the more than 43,000 traffic fatalities each year, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Traffic jams waste 4 billion hours of commuters' time and nearly 3 billion gallons of gasoline a year, the Texas Transportation Institute calculates. Dams, too, are at risk. The number of dams that could fail has grown... Business Takes On Atc Plan - Will Fight To Bury Line Along Beltline Concerned that a high-voltage transmission line next to the Beltline Highway will stifle development and dramatically lower property values along the busy corridor, a group of area business and civic leaders are pushing to have the line placed underground. Sub-Zero Freezer, Mortenson Investment Group, Culver's restaurant, the UW Arboretum and T. Wall Properties are among those supporting an underground line. They have formed an LLC, or limited liability corporation, to cover legal fees and other expenses of intervening in the case. "Everybody agrees there will be a need for more power but we're saying let's look seriously at undergrounding... Leasing Dorm May Be Option - UW-Madison Seeks Ways To Increase Student Housing Sunday, January 20, 2008 - UW-Madison may be able to get the new dorm it wants without waiting for Legislative approval to get the process rolling. As the university looks for ways to revive its bid for additional on-campus student housing, one possible option is a lease/purchase plan, according to UW System assistant vice president David Miller. Leasing a building - unlike buying - doesn't depend upon getting legislative approval, Miller said, although the UW Board of Regents and the State Building Commission must still OK such a project. Under a lease/purchase, when and if the university wants to buy the building, that would still require legislative approval... Thursday, January 17, 2008 - Historic consultant Gary Tipler is grinning Monday as he stomps on dusty floorboards. His feet hit the wood with a solid sound that echoes in the empty second floor of the 110-year-old McCormick-International Harvester Branch House, a three-story building at 301 S. Blount St., just east of the Capitol Square. "I am very talented at floor stomping for structural soundness," Tipler said. The floor he's stomping is 3-by-6 inch pine studs spiked into each other and covered over in maple, forming a seven-inch deep surface - a 1910 addition designed at the time to support turn-of-the-century tractors and farm equipment for salesmen to tout to customers. Tipler is part of a team put together by Madison developer Marty Rifkin to renovate the historic warehouse into offices and retail space and apply for a spot on the National Register for Historic Places... Points Elsewhere Milwaukee job growth slowing - Unemployment rate rises to 4.7% in metro area Posted: Jan. 23, 2008 - Metro Milwaukee added jobs in the last year, though at a thinner margin than in recent months, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development... Harley-Davidson Continues Epic Ride With Once-in-a-Lifetime Concert Events MILWAUKEE, Jan. 21 2008 - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Daughtry, Black Crowes, ZZ Top, Buddy Guy and More to Perform During the Motor Company's 105th Anniversary -- Harley-Davidson's 105th Anniversary Celebration in late August is shaping up as the music event of 2008 with today's announcement that Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, along with Billboard 200's top-selling artist Daughtry, will headline separate concerts over the course of the four-day event in Milwaukee. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will perform a concert on Saturday evening, August 30, at a venue Harley-Davidson has dubbed Roadhouse at the Lakefront, located just north of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Daughtry, who burst onto the music scene in 2006 to become today's hottest-selling artist, will perform at the Summerfest grounds, also on Saturday evening, August 30. Springsteen and Daughtry headline the entertainment line-up for Harley-Davidson's 105th Anniversary... Ken Notes: I'll be there... Key downtown office buildings are on the market Several key downtown Milwaukee office buildings are for sale, according to Daniel Jessup, president of Brookfield-based Grubb & Ellis|Apex Commercial Inc. Downtown Milwaukee buildings that are on the market include: the Milwaukee Center at 111 E. Kilbourn Ave., the 789 N. Water St. building, the Associated Bank building at 401 E. Kilbourn Ave., the Wells Building at 324 E. Wisconsin Ave. and the Clark Building at 633 W. Wisconsin Ave. Jessup talked about the buildings during the Institute of Real Estate Management's (IREM) annual forecast breakfast. Jessup spoke about the Milwaukee office market. The Milwaukee Center is about 94 percent occupied and is one of the largest office buildings in the state. The 21-year-old, 28-story building has about 378,717 square feet of space and an assessed value of $41.36 million... Building would be city's tallest if approved Brookfield building would be city's tallest if approved. Rezoning would be needed to allow 97-foot-tall office at the corner of Greenfield, Moorland. Brookfield residents and members of the city's Common Council last week got a closer look at a state-of-the-art development slated for the northeast corner of... Train station could be catalyst for redevelopment Train station could be catalyst for redevelopment. Perhaps the best hope for kick-starting a revival of downtown South Milwaukee is the possible extension of the Metra commuter rail line from Kenosha to Milwaukee... Turning Milwaukee Avenue into a Main Street Turning Milwaukee Avenue into a Main Street. One option for revitalizing older downtown areas such as Milwaukee Avenue is becoming part of the Main Street program... Shopping center may benefit from TIF twist Shopping center may benefit from TIF twist. The Hales Corners Community Development Authority has endorsed a financing method that could result in the remodeling and possible expansion of an aging shopping center in need of attracting new tenants... Developer looks to expand student housing complex Developer looks to expand student housing complex. 2040 Lofts plans to add 100 more units near MU. A Chicago development firm will soon begin building a $15 million addition to its apartment building that targets Marquette University students... Wisconsin job cuts forecast from home-building slump Wisconsin job cuts forecast from home-building slump. But economist sees good signs in state. Even though the housing construction downturn isn't as bad in Wisconsin as in some other states, it will ultimately cost jobs here, an economist said Tuesday... Village is preparing for an action-packed 2008 Village is preparing for an action-packed 2008. Year will feature major development, road work. Village President Carolyn Milkie says 2008 will be a busy year... Milwaukee can compete if it's willing to change Milwaukee can compete if it's willing to change. Earlier this month, I invited five of Milwaukee's senior businessmen to share with our Public Policy Forum membership their wisdom about the realities of functioning in a global economy - and some people didn't like what they heard... Developer buys St. Francis lake parcel for housing Developer buys St. Francis lake parcel for housing. An area development firm has purchased a lakefront parcel in St. Francis to build housing... Developer to turn St. Rita's school site into apartments A Brookfield developer is planning to build a multi-story apartment building on Milwaukee's east side. Sal Palmisano, who operates Palmisano Cos., has agreed to buy the former St. Rita's school, rectory and convent from Three Holy Women Parish. The vacant buildings are at N. Van Buren and E. Pleasant streets. The purchase does not include St. Rita's Church, 1621 N. Cass St., which remains in use. Palmisano said Thursday he is... DWD.Announces $1.8 million grant to assist displaced Delphi Corporation employees.
MIDDLETON, WI, January 21, 2007 – Sperry Van Ness, one of the nation’s
largest commercial real estate brokerage firms, has announced that Holley
Moulding signed an 83,220 sf lease in the Sun Prairie Business Park located
at Business Park Drive and North Bristol Street in Sun Prairie, WI. Jeff
Jansen, CCIM and Karen Trieloff of Sperry Van Ness in Middleton, WI
represented the building owner in the transaction. Holley Moulding is a
manufacturer of unfinished & prefinished wooden moldings that sell primarily
to large home improvement centers.
Development News for 1/10/08 – 1/17/08
Mark Bugher Is New Greater Madison Chamber
of Commerce Board Chair 1/17/2008 (MADISON, WI) Mark Bugher, Director of University Research Park, stepped into his new role as Board Chair of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors this morning as he led the Chamber’s first Board of Directors meeting of 2008. He will serve as GMCC Board Chair through December 2009. A prominent, longtime business and community leader, Bugher became the Director of University Research Park in the fall of 1999. He manages and directs all activities for the enterprise, a 525-acre research park owned and operated by the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “We are very excited to welcome Mark Bugher as Board Chair of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, continuing the strong leadership in that position,” said Chamber President Jennifer Alexander. “Mark brings a long history of selfless leadership… Ballpark Work Could Be Delayed Wed Jan 16 2008 - Despite strenuous efforts to meet a target date of 2009 to expand Warner Park stadium for the popular Madison Mallards baseball team, the city is preparing for the possibility that it will be delayed at least another year. A key argument for a 2009 opening is a recent study that said the existing bleachers would only be safe to use through this year's season. Parks Division Manager Simon Widstrand said Tuesday that as soon as weather permits, a professional will look at the existing bleachers to see if they really must be replaced that quickly… Ken Notes: If we
can wait a year or two why not look at putting the ballpark in the new
Central Park Downtown. AutoZone Park in the heart of Downtown Memphis is
considered to be the finest ballpark ever built below the major league level
-- and you thought I would not have time for economic development on my
honeymoon. Psc Backs New Power Line Fitchburg-verona Link Ok'd Wed Jan 16 2008 - A new power line connecting Fitchburg and Verona could be operational by June 2010, American Transmission Co. said after the line received preliminary approval from the state Public Service Commission. The three-member PSC on Tuesday unanimously agreed to issue a verbal order approving ATC's request to construct a new substation in Fitchburg and about six miles of 138-kilovolt transmission line connecting that substation to an existing substation in Verona… Ken Notes: Have I mentioned that Verona is a great place to do business. New Commercial Listings from PropertyDrive.com All Commercial Properties By Community (an interactive map) BUILDING PERMITS From Wisconsin State Journal, Thu Jan 10 2008 PM Woodman's submits plan for Sun Prairie development MON., JAN 14, 2008 - The fight for the grocery dollar in Dane County is about to get even more competitive. Less than a year after the opening of a Copps in Sun Prairie, a SuperTarget in Fitchburg and a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Monona, Woodman's Food Market, is proposing its third store in the Madison area. The Janesville-based company wants to build a 225,000-square-foot grocery store, a 2,000-square-foot convenience store with 10 gas pumps, an oil and lube center and a car wash at the intersection of Highway 151 and Highway C in Sun Prairie...
Lakefront Change? East
Side Club Considers Building Options Wed Jan 16 2008 - An east Madison institution is considering developing its lakefront site. The East Side Club has formed a committee that last spring began looking at possibly redeveloping the site of its clubhouse, which fronts 150 feet along the shore of Lake Monona at 3735 Monona Drive… Ken Notes: How
about a hotel with a restaurant and East Side Club space on top.
Famous Footwear Coming Home For Good? Tuesday, January 15, 2008 - Few events sting a community like losing a corporate headquarters to another city. There are the lost jobs, the lost tax base, the loss of prestige. And even if a company maintains operations in a city, losing the HQ means losing the top executives, along with local support services such as real estate, accounting or legal work. The Madison area has absorbed a few corporate HQ losses over the past few years. Companies such as Lands' End, Rayovac, American Girl and Nelson Industries were all victims of the corporate colonization of Wisconsin. Even losing Epic Systems to Verona was a blow to Madison's fragile business ego… Ken Notes: The CEO of Brown Shoes, Ron Fromm, is a Madison native and moved to St. Louis after running the Famous division. If you knew him when - call him now! Tell him we miss him. MON., JAN 14, 2008 - One of Madison's most popular night spots is up for sale. Craig and Kevin Spaulding announced today that they are selling Cafe Montmartre, 127 E. Mifflin St. In a news release, the Spauldings said that they hoped to find "energetic new owners" who will continue "to bring a diverse selection of customers, sights and sounds" to the corner of East Mifflin and Webster streets...
Doyle Launches Next Generation
Manufacturing Plan 1/15/2008 - MILWAUKEE – Governor Jim Doyle today announced a plan to propel Wisconsin manufacturers into the next generation by focusing on efficiency and lean manufacturing principles. The plan, called Next Generation Manufacturing, will target $85 million in existing and new tax credits to leverage $1.6 billion in private capital investment, creating 5,000 new jobs and training 4,000 workers for the jobs of tomorrow. “Wisconsin is home to the best manufacturing companies… Ken Notes: Let’s
hope the focus is jobs – jobs – jobs….
Operation Fresh Start Struggles With
Unsold Homes Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - After 37 years of
rehabilitating and building homes and young lives, Operation Fresh Start is
struggling with the slow housing market. The agency hires teenagers in
trouble for its work crews that build or renovate houses that are sold to
low-income buyers. But the houses aren't selling fast enough and Operation
Fresh Start relies on turnover to pay for new projects. The agency is under
contract with Madison and Dane County to build or rehabilitate nine houses a
year and 11 of its homes are unsold, priced from $77,000 to $176,000. "This
is the first time in our history we've had this large of housing stock,"
said Connie Ferris Bailey, the agency's executive director. "If by next fall
we have all these homes and our new ones, I just don't know how we get past
that."… Grocery Ok 'D For East Wash Kmart Site Tue Jan 15 2008 - If everything falls into place, shoppers could be buying Thanksgiving 2009 turkeys at a new Hy-Vee grocery on East Washington Avenue. The Madison Plan Commission Monday night OK'd a proposal from the West Des Moines, Iowa-based retailer to turn the long-vacant Kmart at 3801 E. Washington Ave. into Wisconsin's first Hy-Vee. The firm operates 223 stores in seven other Midwestern states…
Bankers say housing recovery may not
happen until next year Wednesday, January 16, 2008 - According to the latest Bankers Economic Index, sponsored by the Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA), demand for residential mortgages is low in most parts of the state and will likely stay that way until the housing market recovers in 12 to 18 months. For the index, 132 Wisconsin bank CEOs participated in the survey. Of the group, 41 percent predict it will take 18 months for the state's housing market to recover and 30 percent predict it will take 12 months. Also, 60 percent of the bankers say residential loan demand will be flat through the first six months of this year, 31 percent say mortgage demand will drop further and only 16 percent said demand will rise. Also, in a separate announcement, Doug Duncan…
'Like living in hell' Management
company faulted for its treatment of tenants Thursday 01/17/2008 - The apartment on Allied Drive didn't have a working stove. It was infested with cockroaches. But Kristen Benjamin, 41, and her four children needed a roof over their heads. She moved in, without signing a lease, and agreed to pay the owner rent when she could. "I gave him a few dollars here and there," says Benjamin. "I had to pay $20 for him to put a lock on the door." Benjamin's apartment building was… Pastry/Dessert Shop Opens Downtown Tue Jan 15 2008 - Sucre, a European-style patisserie by day and dessert lounge by night, opened last week at 20 W. Mifflin St. The restaurant is owned and run by Punky Egan, MATC's pastry arts and baking instructor. It features tarts, coffee, pastries, chocolates and hors d'oevres made with locally sourced ingredients… Ken Notes: This
will require serious development research… Tue Jan 15 2008 - Billboards have been targeted for extinction in Madison since at least the 1970s, but they've survived. Now, some are interfering with new housing and business development. Summer Opening Planned For Middleton's Costco Tue Jan 15 2008 - Q: What happened to the Costco that was supposed to open in Middleton? And what happened to the PDQ that was supposed to replace the former Sentry store on Allen Boulevard in Middleton? A: Be patient… Woodman's Plans New Store Company Proposes Grocery In Sun Prairie Tue Jan 15 2008 - The fight for the grocery dollar in Dane County is about to get even more competitive. Less than a year after the opening of a Copps in Sun Prairie, a SuperTarget in Fitchburg and a Wal-Mart Supercenter in Monona, Woodman's Food Market, is proposing its third store in the Madison area. Tue Jan 15 2008 - A costly plan to revitalize long-troubled Allied Drive passed some major hurdles Monday, setting up a Madison City Council vote on Jan. 22. The city's financial committee, the Board of Estimates, grilled proponents of the multimillion-dollar plan for two hours but only briefly discussed the proposal before voting 4-0 to endorse it. Two members were absent. Approval Sought For Revised Hotel Plan Mon Jan 14 2008 - After two-and-a-half years, four proposals and 44 meetings, veteran Madison architect Bob Sieger has almost given up on building anything on the corner of Regent and Monroe streets. Lofts. Condos. A hotel. A smaller hotel. No matter what he proposes for 1501-09 Monroe St., Sieger says, a small group of opponents in the Vilas Neighborhood Association will shoot it down. "I've got the feeling I could build a park here, and it wouldn't be good enough," Sieger said. Key Deadlines Near For Allied Plan Panels To Consider Redevelopment Proposal Mon Jan 14 2008 - In a flurry of final changes, plans for redeveloping troubled Allied Drive are coming together "like a Rubik's Cube," Madison Community Development Authority Chairman Stuart Levitan said. As key decisions and deadlines near, Levitan, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and Ald. Brian Solomon are confident in the multimillion-dollar plan, which would dramatically reshape the core of the Southwest Side neighborhood.
Hilldale Loses 2 Longtime Stores Friday, January 11, 2008 - Two longtime local specialty retailers have closed at the Hilldale Shopping Center, taking with them some of the mall's global appeal. Patrick's Look of the Isles went out of business last month after 24 years, and this week Oriental Specialties closed its doors after a 31-year run in Madison. Representatives of mall owner Joseph Freed & Associates said there's no lease yet signed for the spots - these stores were located next to each other - which could be used by one or more tenants. "It could very well be a national tenant," said Freed vice president of corporate marketing Jeff Renkert. "As far as announcing anything, we have nothing formal."… Local Home Building Hit Century Low In '07 Thu Jan 10 2008 - A slight uptick in December was not enough to save 2007 from being the worst year for home building in Dane County this century, MTD Marketing reported today. There were 78 permits issued for new homes and duplexes in Dane County in December, up from the 72 in December 2006, but well below the range for December of 125 to 216 going back to 1999, when MTD started keeping records…
Homeless Housing, Development Clash Thursday, January 10, 2008 - Proposals to provide housing on South Park Street for homeless people may clash with Madison's plans to redevelop the neighborhood. As a result, the city should negotiate with the federal government to relocate the housing elsewhere in Madison, said Ald. Tim Bruer, 14th District. But homeless service providers view the site as ideal for their needs and want to work with the city to accommodate everyone. The city has received four proposals from nonprofit organizations to redevelop the Truman Olson Army Reserve Center, 1402 S. Park St…
A Matter Of Course - Local Firm Finds
Success Building, Renovating Links Thursday, January 10, 2008 - If you watch golf on TV, it's a near certainty that you've seen the work of a local company. And although the company is regarded as one of the best in the business, it's also almost a near certainty that you've never heard of it. Waunakee-based Oliphant Golf Construction Inc. has been building and renovating golf courses for more than a decade, including shrines such as Pebble Beach, Oakland Hills and Inverness, meaning its work is on display every time a golf event is telecast from those famed layouts. Oliphant Golf also has built several courses that have garnered prestigious honors, including three of Golf Digest's top 10 new private courses in 2007…
Points Elsewhere
Development of former hotel could get boost Development of former hotel could get boost. Menomonee Falls could soon have a place to house its overnight visitors...
Council
approves zoning for mixed-use development January 17, 2008 - Council approves zoning for mixed-use development. Restaurant/brewery, condos and offices planned in first phase. The Mequon Common Council last week approved a zoning change that will make way for the development of the former Thermoset site on Mequon Road between Industrial Drive and Buntrock Avenue...
Developer
must repair, protect Indian mounds Developer must repair, protect Indian mounds. Tire ruts scar ancient figures at Pabst Farms. State officials have ordered Pabst Farms developers to repair and better protect American Indian effigy mounds near a large construction site after work crews damaged the panther-shaped burial sites...
Judge
scolds city over project Judge scolds city over project. Panel met in secret for Downer parking. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Elsa Lamelas took the City of Milwaukee to the woodshed Wednesday, comparing its handling of neighborhood concerns over the construction of a five-story parking structure on N. Downer...
Visioning session will explore four-story buildings Visioning session will explore four-story buildings. Redevelopment of East Silver Spring business district moves forward. Whether Whitefish Bay residents want more four-story buildings in the East Silver Spring Drive shopping district as it redevelops is one of the questions officials hope will be answered...
New owner
to shutter paper mill New owner to shutter paper mill. Niagara, Kimberly workers lose jobs in cutbacks. NewPage Corp., the new owner of paper mills in six Wisconsin communities, said Wednesday it is closing the pulp mill in Niagara, putting 319 employees out of work...
Beautification plan under time pressure Beautification plan under time pressure. Panel leader wants Silver Spring work largely done this year. Eager to keep momentum in the effort to beautiful the East Silver Spring Drive shopping district, a Whitefish Bay panel has told consultant Ken Saiki to deliver streetscaping plans by month's...
Rezoning likely in downtown Delafield Rezoning likely in downtown Delafield. Some businesses in downtown Delafield may be rezoned as a result of developer Bob Lang's sale of about a dozen buildings to the Steinergroup, a Milwaukee-based real estate and investment firm.. Some businesses in downtown Delafield may be rezoned as...
Plans
to reveal city's long-term future Plans to reveal city's long-term future. Traffic, transportation top list of concerns. The masses have spoken and this week their views will be made public as the city of Wauwatosa releases the initial draft of its updated long-term land use plan...
Residents question size of proposed medical office building
Residents question size of proposed medical office building. Northeast corner of Moorland and Greenfield called the corridor for tall buildings. Residents from the south side of Brookfield last week asked questions and expressed concerns about a 127,000-square-foot medical and office building planned for the northeast...
Live/work development planned for Packard Ave. Live/work development planned for Packard Ave.. Targets are artists, business owners. A live/work complex, encompassing upscale condos and professional businesses, will be constructed in upcoming months on a vacant lot in 4800 block of South Packard Avenue...
Developers show interest in Main Street Developers show interest in Main Street. The village's search for a developer for its Main Street property took a step forward over the last few weeks as three developers expressed interest in the parcel once occupied by the Sussex Steakhouse and the Lasota residence...
City
seeks residents' input on master plan, new goals City seeks residents' input on master plan, new goals. Residents are invited to a discussion of the city's master plan at 6 p.m. Jan. 30 at City Hall, 5050 S. Lake Drive...
Panel
backs five housing projects Panel backs five housing projects. 142 units would be created for homeless, others. A subcommittee to the city's new Housing Trust Fund recommended Monday that $1.4 million in assistance be granted to five new projects that would produce 142 units of affordable housing for the homeless...
Lawson building raze order approved Lawson building raze order approved. Proviso requires investigation into saving part of building. The future of the Lawson Building remains in limbo following a public hearing Jan. 14 in which the Community Development Authority heard compelling arguments for saving at least part of the...
More review of shopping center wanted; Relocation of anchor stores a 'deal
breaker' More review of shopping center wanted; Relocation of anchor stores a 'deal breaker'. The new developer of the Pabst Farms shopping center did not get its wish last Wednesday night, to pick up where the former developer left off in the project's approval process, as Oconomowoc plan comm. The new developer of the Pabst Farms shopping center... Sen. Kohl. Wisconsin to receive more than $17 million in emergency energy funding for low-income households. WisDOT. $420,000 project at Outagamie County Airport (safety and security). WisDOT. $150,000 project at Austin Straubel International Airport (snow removal). WisDOT. $900,000 project at Central Wisconsin Airport (safety equipment, weather system). WisDOT. $296,000 for projects at Madeline Island Airport (snow removal equipment). WisDOT. $126,500 project at Lancaster Municipal Airport (update airport layout plan).
Our Sponsors Ken Notes: Please thank our sponsors. Interested in sponsorship call (608) 334-2174. Brief Notes: I was married Saturday December 29th and priorities being what they are WDN was placed on hold. So Happy New Year! The FoodFight Gift Certificate was won by Stephanie Hammes who suggested: “I LOVE Tex Tubbs Taco Palace. I think up reasons to have to drive down University Avenue so I can go have my blackened tilapia and my shredded beef (#12) tacos. I drag my co-workers there, my family, anyone I can. I am a Tex Tubbs groupie.” Enjoy Steph and if you need to share, call me. This contest will return later January when we feed you to read... Development News for 12/27/07 - 1/10/08 Promoting The State Commerce Secretary Works To Help Old And New Businesses Tue Jan 1 2008 - Q: How has your private sector experience prepared you for this job? A: I guess if I look back over my 30 years, I've been involved in a lot of economic development opportunities. I was involved with the Chamber of Commerce for approximately 10 years and was vice chairman of economic development for them in the Fox Cities. Also worked with a great group of people that promoted the state of Wisconsin, and a number of agendas and initiatives that through that process gave me broad exposure in the economic development arena… Ken Notes: I have worked with Mr. Fischer in the past and Jack will be good for the state… New Commercial Listings from PropertyDrive.com All Commercial Properties By Community (an interactive map) Thu Dec 27 2007 - The listing of area building permits is gathered from records filed with planning officials in Madison, Fitchburg, Monona, Middleton and Sun Prairie… Wisconsin Bankers Association: Predict housing recovery in 12 to 18 months 1/9/2008 - (MADISON) – Economy is weaker than a year ago, but no recession predicted in 2008. Demand for residential mortgages is low in most parts of Wisconsin and will likely stay that way until the housing market recovers in 12 to 18 months, according to the latest Bankers Economic Index sponsored by the Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA). Overall, Wisconsin bank chief executives say the state’s economy is weaker than a year ago, but are not predicting a recession in 2008. Forty-one percent of the 132 Wisconsin bank CEOs who took part in the economic conditions survey… Ken Notes: Not great news but hey we take what we get. Hug your banker today! Falk To Sign Law Meant To Limit Sprawl Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk is set today to sign an ordinance that could change future rural development patterns. The "transfer of development rights" ordinance is designed to concentrate new housing closer to cities and villages, rather than have it scattered in rural areas. "It's one more tool to prevent sprawl," Falk said. Development rights were created in the late 1970s as a way to preserve farmland and prevent dense housing projects in unincorporated parts of the county. In most towns, property owners are allowed to create one new lot for every 35 acres of agriculturally zoned land… Ken Notes: As for me I’d opt for sound planning and a variety of lifestyle options. The 35 acre rule created more urban sprawl than it stopped and this will not help much. Architect Tests Guidelines With Student Housing Project Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - The Six-story Building Wouldn't Comply With Setback Guidelines. A local architect is testing the city's changing regulatory environment tonight before moving ahead with a proposal that would put six stories of student housing on four lots at the corner of Randall Avenue and Randall Court. City principal planner Bill Fruhling said the $5 million project meets most of the guidelines in a proposed master plan for Regent Street and the south campus area that was drafted in November but still needs city approval. But Potter Lawson Inc. - which is designing the building for developer Richard Fritz - is asking the city's Urban Design Commission to provide a heads-up on what exceptions to the guidelines would be acceptable… Council Approves High-rise Building Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - A $24 million high-rise apartment building near UW-Madison will move forward despite lingering concerns about the fate of two historic houses on the site. The Madison City Council on Tuesday approved the 14-story tower with 162 apartments and underground parking at 1022 W. Johnson St., satisfied with the developer's plans to relocate historic houses. The more architecturally significant home, the Conklin House at 309 N. Mills St., was built in 1887 and significantly remodeled by the famed Claude and Stark Architects in 1905. It will be relocated to a temporary site if a suitable site cannot be acquired by March… Incentives To Draw Filmmakers Start Jan. 1 Depp Movie Already Is Eyeing State Fri Dec 28 2007 -- Tax breaks for film production are already paying off, and they haven't even started: The makers of a big-budget Johnny Depp film are looking at locations in Wisconsin. The incentives, touted as some of the best in the nation, go into effect Tuesday… New home construction up month-on-month in Dane County THU., JAN 10, 2008 - More single-family homes and duplexes began construction in Dane County last month than in December 2006, but for the year, home building in the Madison area fell 16 percent… Ken Notes: Lets be thankful for small favors… Residents Like Revised Plan For Allied Area Tuesday, January 8, 2008 - Updated plans for the redevelopment of the Allied Drive neighborhood met with tentative approval from about two dozen neighborhood residents Monday night at a meeting hosted by the Allied Drive Task Force and the Community Redevelopment Authority. The plans included more details on the amount and placement of low-income housing and community spaces in the first phase of the redevelopment, as well as several layout changes based upon community input from the task force's last meeting on Dec. 16. The updated plans for the first phase of development feature 47 units for households making 60 percent or less of Dane County's median income… Governor Doyle Launches Innovate Wisconsin 1/8/2008 - MADISON – New Tax Credits and Exemptions to Leverage Investment in Research and Development. Governor Jim Doyle today announced a plan to help create jobs and grow the state’s economy by increasing investment in research and development. The plan, called Innovate Wisconsin, offers incentives for private businesses to focus on future breakthroughs… Ken Notes: let me guess all former marketing positions across the state are being relabeled research associate as we speak. Have I mentioned WDN is a research project on improving ED News in the state… OPINION - Spur Investment In Young Companies Wednesday, January 9, 2008 - To generate more high-paying jobs, Wisconsin must tap into the investment pipeline fueling the next generation of high-growth companies. That's why state lawmakers should make it a top priority early this year to offer tax incentives to encourage investment in fledgling companies and in the research and development that yields new products. Gov. Jim Doyle pointed the state in the right direction by announcing this week his plans to encourage investment with tax breaks and technology aid. Legislative Republicans previously announced a similar proposal… Local Airport Makes International List Sat Jan 5 2008 - PASSENGER TERMINALS Dane County Regional Airport in Madison has been recognized for a second consecutive year as one of the world's top 20 most noteworthy airports by Passenger Terminal World, a British-based trade magazine… Ken Notes: Now if we could just lobby for a few direct flights to places we need to go…
Tue Jan 1 2008 - Bringing a grocery store back to the north side was the highlight of his career with the Northside Planning Council, Jim Powell says. The two-year struggle, which brought Pierce's Northside Market to the Northside Town Center where Roundy's had closed a store, offered one of the biggest challenges and most satisfying outcomes of Powell's seven years as facilitator for the city's oldest neighborhood planning council… Mark Olinger Allied Drive Redevelopment Is At The Top Of His List Eight In '08 Sun Dec 30 2007 - Leading an ambitious, $28 million redevelopment of the troubled Allied Drive neighborhood is only the first item on Mark Olinger's to-do list for next year. Add to that the redevelopment of the Villager mall on South Park Street, the first update of the city's economic development plan in 25 years, the first update of the city's Downtown plan in almost 20 years, a rewrite of the zoning code and the oversight of the new economic and community development divisions… Ken Notes: I hope East Washington and a downtown hotel make the list as well. Local Firms Partner In New Waterpark Resort Fri Dec 28 2007 - Planning Design Build and Virchow Krause Capital of Madison are partners in an indoor waterpark resort being built near Great America theme park in northeast Illinois. KeyLime Cove, which is just off Interstate 94 north of the Grand Avenue exit in Gurnee, Ill., is scheduled to open Feb. 29, spokeswoman Sheena Quinn said today. Central Park Foundation Goes National Tue Jan 8 2008 - The Urban Open Space Foundation, the group behind the development of Madison's central park, is changing its name and has landed a contract with the U.S. Forest Service to help cities across the nation revitalize their urban cores. The Center for Resilient Cities, as the group is now called, was renamed because it has a new focus on how to create environmental, economic and social benefits in depressed areas. Rather than creating "sustainable" cities, the group wants to help "redesign and rebalance cities" in a way that will help them address current problems and better anticipate future challenges as they develop, said Heather Mann, executive director for the group. Tue Jan 8 2008 - More tax breaks and more state funding - those are some of the tools Gov. Jim Doyle will recommend as a way to encourage investment in young technology companies. Doyle told a meeting Monday of the steering committee of Thrive, the economic development arm for the eight-county Madison region, that he is proposing a plan called Accelerate Wisconsin… Tue Jan 8 2008 - The Allied Area Task Force and the Community Development Authority seemed to pass another hurdle Monday night in their effort to redevelop the Allied Drive area when representatives from both groups presented an updated vision for the plan to neighborhood residents and task force members. The hurdle? Gaining the tentative trust and approval of the community… Gov's Plan Increases Help For Start-Ups Mon Jan 7 2008 - Gov. Jim Doyle today announced a package of tax breaks and other incentives to encourage start-up businesses in Wisconsin. The package, which will be further outlined in Doyle's "State of the State" speech later this month, includes additional state money for technology grants and loans and additional tax benefits for investors in start-up companies… Wisconsin Isn't As Rural As Some Might Think Economic Snapshot Sun Jan 6 2008 - Many people visiting Wisconsin for the first time are surprised. To them, Wisconsin is synonymous with America's Dairyland. Calendar photos of rolling hills, red barns, green pastures, and Holstein cows define Wisconsin. These rural icons are important parts of Wisconsin's history and future. However, the majority of the state's residents no longer live in rural Wisconsin. Most people with jobs work in urban Wisconsin and most of the income and wealth is concentrated in urban areas. How many Wisconsin residents live in urban areas? That depends on the definition of urban and rural. The answer may be different depending on whether you ask the U.S. Census Bureau, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) or the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The most commonly used definition is OMB's Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). An MSA is defined by the OMB as "an area having at least one urbanized area of 50,000 or more population, plus adjacent territory that has a high degree of social and economic integration with the core as measured by commuting distance." Sat Jan 5 2008 - Dane County Habitat for Humanity executive director Brian Miller, who more than doubled the number of homes constructed by the group in his short tenure, is leaving his post to take a position in Atlanta with the international Habitat for Humanity. Miller has been in his current post since 2003, and during that time Dane County Habitat for Humanity home construction for low-income families has gone from an average of four to six a year to about 16 a year… Denver Firm Renovating Two Middleton Buildings Tue Jan 1 2008 - A Denver development firm is spending $2 million to renovate a pair of office buildings totaling 150,000 square feet on Deming Way in Middleton. Old Vine Acquisitions Corp . of Denver bought the buildings at 1800 and 1850 Deming Way for $9.5 million from Fidelity National Information Services , a financial services company that moved most of its operations out of the two buildings last year… Mon Jan 7 2008 - The Madison Mallards and the city of Madison have been thrown a $1.6 million curveball in their efforts to reconstruct the Warner Park baseball stadium. The City Council approved a $4 million financing package for the project in its 2008 capital budget, including $800,000 in city money to renovate the aging bleachers and a $1.2 million city loan to the Mallards, with the remainder to be covered by the team… Builders Line Up For '08 Parade New Home Event Sees Resurgence Fri Jan 4 2008 - The Parade of Homes is poised to gain back some of its former glory this year. The 2007 event featured just three sites with 21 homes, the first time the number was less than 30 in more than a decade and the fewest since 1982… Construction Spending Rebounds In November Wed Jan 2 2008 - U.S. construction spending edged up slightly in November as a continued steep slump in housing was offset by record spending on government and business projects. The Commerce Department reported that spending on construction projects rose by 0.1 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.165 trillion, a better performance than what economists expected. Spending had fallen by 0.4 percent in October… Housing Experts Predict An Even Uglier Year Top Story: Housing Sun Dec 30 2007 - The head of one of the nation's largest homebuilders made headlines early this year by bucking his industry peers' projections of a housing turnaround by spring and instead predicting the market would struggle throughout the year. He was right. The housing market has gone from a "correction" to a "slump," and as 2007 comes to a close, there are signs 2008 will get worse… Great Wolf Resorts: Lodge splashes into the new year with a star-studded grand opening event 1/10/2008 - GRAPEVINE, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Great Wolf Lodge®, the highly anticipated, year-round family destination resort, officially opened its door today with the help of Hollywood’s hottest young family stars, including teen heartthrob Drake Bell as well as special appearances by Disney Channel star Cody Linley from Hannah Montana and cast members of the Wizards of Waverly Place. The resort was full of howls when… Despite Growing Economy, State Uses Less Energy Tue Jan 8 2008 -- Don't tell the people who get rich stringing overhead wires and building coal-fired power plants, but energy use in Wisconsin is trending downward. A combination of milder weather, higher fuel prices and increased efficiencies sent overall energy use in the state down by 2.1 percent in 2006, according to the new Wisconsin Energy Statistics report… Excellent Food, Service At Stunning New Samba Sun Jan 6 2008 - The first impulse when entering the new Samba Brazilian Grill is to gasp. It epitomizes dining as theater in a way that's never been seen before in Madison. What was once the auditorium of the historic Woman's Building has a dramatic staircase, the original stage, long velvet draperies, a stunning salad bar - actually a salad shrine - and the scattered sparkle of pieces of geometric glass that cut the air above the banquettes in the glowingly lit, two-story dining room. The actors in this stage set are the "gauchos," servers dressed as if they've just dismounted from horses on the pampas of Brazil, and wielding long skewers of meat and gleaming knives… Minneapolis Enjoys Riverfront Revival Sun Jan 6 2008 - With the Mississippi River as a glimmering backdrop, the Wild Goose Chase Cloggers were kicking up their toes and heels to the accompaniment of the Yard Buzzard String Band - entertainment that would be considered niche if you were anywhere but in the upper Midwest. At farmers market booths nearby, the folks at Edna's Caramels were dispensing superb artisanal candies that had been "handmade in small batches," according to the label, while the guys from Town Hall Brewery were dispensing samples of Petunia's Pumpkin Ale from little brown jugs… Gander Mountain West Store To Move, Too Fri Jan 4 2008 - Gander Mountain is closing its West Towne store, along with its East Towne location, and moving both operations to a new megastore expected to open this spring in the town of Burke, a company spokesman said Thursday. Liquidation sales are now under way at both stores, which will close March 29, said spokesman David Ewald… After Slow Start, Gray's Proves It's Fit To Be Tied House Thu Jan 3 2008 - When Gray's Tied House opened in Verona a little more than a year ago, the reviews were ugly, downright brutal. Brutal enough to have kept me away until this month. And now, I think it's fair to say, the food has risen to a redeemable level and can compete with the popular Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co… Diners Learn To Expect The Unexpected At Eldorado Grill Thu Jan 3 2008 - The Eldorado Grill opened 10 years ago in an old industrial building that over the years had been a candy factory and a machinery shop. It's been lovingly buffed up, retaining brick, wood floors and heavy beams. A massive, wooden freight door original to the building dresses up a wall and gives a nod to the building's hardworking past. The decorations are a dead giveaway of the Southwestern cuisine that executive chef and Texan Kevin Tubb champions. Miss Kitty would feel right at home among the vintage Western collectibles - bottles, photos of cowboys, branding irons and cowboy boots. Giddyup… Wed Jan 2 2008 - For the early morning regulars at Rennebohm's on University Avenue, the smell of coffee, eggs and sausage has been just a pleasant memory since 1981, when UW-Madison bought the building and turned it into offices. Now it's time for the building itself to go… Points Elsewhere Pabst Farms unveils new regional mall plans The Oconomowoc Plan Commission will review the new plans for a regional mall at Pabst Farms tonight. Originally, Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc., one of the nation's largest mall operators, had planned to build the regional mall at Pabst Farms, but that company dropped out of the project, prompting Pabst Farms to look for a new partner. Pabst Farms then selected Beechwood, Ohio-based Developers Diversified Realty Corp. to replace General Growth as the regional mall developer. Developers Diversified's new plan for the regional mall at the Pabst Farms calls for an open-air town center… Setbacks can't deter economic initiatives Setbacks can't deter economic initiatives. It's hard to get excited about the effectiveness of the wide range of economic development efforts in Wisconsin in the face of some less-than-thrilling metrics. Manufacturing employment dipped below the half-million mark at year-end, down almost 100,000... Developers keep plugging away. The new year will likely meet Milwaukee area condo developers' expectations, largely because they are expecting less... Strawberry Hills plan approved Strawberry Hills plan approved. The Village Board approved the final development plan for the proposed condominium development at 309 S. Wales Road on Monday.. The Village Board approved the final development plan for the proposed condominium development at 309 S. Wales Road on Monday... More residential units proposed for Village Area More residential units proposed for Village Area. Brookfield's Plan Commission this week approved a revised plan for a key development in the city's Village Area neighborhood... Eminent domain action moves forward Eminent domain action moves forward. A city plan to buy three parcels on Milwaukee's north side to help a business expand won approval Tuesday from the Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee... Bank building proposed on site of 1869 stone house Bank building proposed on site of 1869 stone house. The village Architectural Review Board on Thursday night will review plans to construct a North Shore Bank on 1.55 acres near the southwest corner of 1st and Wisconsin avenues... Five questions with Director of Economic Development Bob Duffy Five questions with Director of Economic Development Bob Duffy. QWhat are your main duties as economic development director?AMy primary focus is to ensure continued economic vitality for Oconomowoc... Falls Inn project proposed. Madison firm seeks to redevelop site. A Madison firm is trying to strike a deal with the village that would lead to the redevelopment of the Menomonee Falls Inn on Main St., just off of Highways 41/45... Condominium plans reined in. Developer says he will reduce number of units. A compromise plan is in the works for the Springbrook Landing neighbors who had opposed rezoning that would have paved the way for the construction of condominiums in their neighborhood... Old World 3rd St. to add another German venue Old World 3rd St. to add another German venue. Milwaukee Brat House opening where club closed. Another bit of Gemütlichkeit is coming to downtown Milwaukee... Senior housing units sought for King Drive Senior housing units sought for King Drive. Half of building would be assisted-living facility. A non-profit group and a central city church hope to develop a 62-unit apartment building for seniors on Milwaukee's north side... A balancing act for condos. In slow market, boards accommodate needs of renters, owner-occupants. Carrie Diener didn't want to be invited to the loud parties that carried on night after night in the condo above hers, courtesy of a popular young man renting the unit. She just wanted...
Development News for 12/20/07 - 12/27/07
OPINION Put The Focus On Job Growth Thursday, December 27,
2007 - Wisconsin policymakers ought to confront the following question with
a new sense of urgency: How will the state's economy generate the
high-paying jobs to keep the next generation prosperous? Two recent reports
ring the job growth alarm loud and clear. * Wisconsin ranked 43rd among
states in job growth over the past 12 months. * For 2007 the average number
of factory jobs in Wisconsin is expected to fall below 500,000 for the first
time since recordkeeping began. The evidence emphasizes the need for
Wisconsin to refocus its economic development strategies to suit the new
knowledge-based economy. Granted, the state is making efforts to adapt to
the new era, including Gov. Jim Doyle's Grow Wisconsin initiatives. Groups
such as Competitive Wisconsin Inc. and the Wisconsin Way are promoting new
strategies…
Ken Notes: I agree! Jobs, growth, new
markets, and working with existing companies will keep Madison on the map!
Big Verona Donor Fills Army Kettle Tuesday, December 25,
2007 - Thanks to an unknown benefactor, a mom-and-pop grocery store has
beaten out the big malls to be the top earner for the Salvation Army's Red
Kettle Campaign this year. "We had several large donations by an anonymous
donor," said Barb Miller of Miller & Sons Supermarket in Verona. "Whoever it
is, is remaining anonymous to us as well." Miller said the giver has dropped
"several" $5,000 donations with the bell ringers posted at the store. The
Salvation Army's development director, Ruth Ann Schoer, said publicity over
the largesse has probably rubbed off on others. "People in Verona…
Ken Notes: Thank you! I knew I loved this
city…
New Commercial Listings
from PropertyDrive.com
All Commercial Properties By Community
(an interactive map) Monday, December 24, 2007 - The average number of factory
workers in Wisconsin will fall below 500,000 this year for the first time
since such data have been recorded, according to preliminary payroll counts.
The dip is due to the movement of workers to cheaper labor markets,
outsourcing of factory jobs to temps and business service firms, and
technological gains to labor. Since hitting a November peak of 594,400 jobs
in 1998, Wisconsin manufacturing employment has dwindled by 99,400 jobs, or
16.8 percent, according to preliminary payroll counts released last week by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the same period, the rest of the United
States has lost 3.4 million manufacturing jobs, or 20.7 percent…
Ken Notes: With a diverse workforce we cannot overlook
the need for a diversity of employment opportunities. Sunday, December 23, 2007 - Privately Held, The
Design/build Firm Marshall Erdman & Associates Is Growing Fast And Getting A
New Home. Four years ago, Marshall Erdman & Associates took a giant step
when the Erdman family decided to sell the design/build company to
private-equity partners. A few weeks ago, the company took another big step
when it moved out of its longtime headquarters at 5117 University Ave.,
where the late founder, Marshall Erdman, once walked the hallways, and into
a new building at 1 Erdman Place, along Deming Way in the Old Sauk Trails
Office Park on Madison's Far West Side. Since the sale, the company has
flourished under the new ownership. When it was sold in late 2003, Erdman
had about $600 million worth of active projects, ranging from the analysis
to the construction stages. Today, the company has 125 current projects
nationwide worth $1.4 billion…
Ken Notes: I wonder if they need a community relations
guy?????
Erdman Holdings Has Prime Property Sunday, December 23, 2007 - The old headquarters building
of Marshall Erdman & Associates is part of prime land for development near
University Avenue and Whitney Way. The 15-acre property, owned by Erdman
Holdings, also includes land occupied by the recently closed Irish Waters
tavern, 702 N. Whitney Way, and the Merrill Springs Inn, 5101 University
Ave. "There are a lot of possibilities and we're not in a rush," Tim Erdman
said. "We are looking for the kind of creativity we had in the Middleton
Hills project. We want to do something that shows a good way of developing
that someone else may not be able to do." Since selling the Erdman company
four years ago, Tim Erdman has continued to run Techline, a commercial
cabinet and office furniture manufacturer in Waunakee that was spun off from
the Erdman company…
Allied Drive Going With Plan B Saturday, December 22, 2007 - Agreement Reached On
Concept For Redeveloping City-owned Property. The Allied Drive Task Force,
the Community Development Authority, and the design, marketing and financial
packaging consultants are finally all on the same page in terms of
redeveloping the city-owned properties on Allied Drive. All further planning
will be focused on what has been called "Concept B" for the sloping 11.5
acre site southwest of the Boys & Girls Club between the east side of Allied
Drive and the Madison-Fitchburg border. The city bought the property,
currently occupied by nine apartment buildings with 129 units, from Troy
Hauk in May 2005 for $4.3 million. As a result of CDA policy decisions
Friday, if the City Council approves CDA as the developer…
Beloit Has Lost A Community Gem Saturday, December 22, 2007 - The Popular Billionaire
Died After Falling Through An Uncompleted Addition To His Home. Ken
Hendricks favored the homemade soup at Skip's Friendly Village and the ribs
and the chicken and dumpling soup at the Afton Pub. He could have eaten
anywhere, but he preferred the two rural taverns near his town of Rock home,
north of Beloit and just west of the Rock River. "If you didn't know who he
was, you would never know who he was," said Diane Liptow, co-owner of the
Afton Pub. "He was a very down-to-earth man."…
Meriter Planning Remodeling Project Friday, December 21, 2007 - Hospital Executives Say A New
Physician Office Building Is Needed Within Five Years. Meriter Hospital
plans to remodel some of its facilities beginning next year and add a
physician office building and possibly a parking ramp within five years,
hospital staff have started telling neighborhood groups and city planners.
The hospital, which has bought several residential rental properties
adjacent to its Park Street campus in the past year, also plans to replace
its main inpatient tower within about 15 or 20 years, said Fred McGee, the
hospital's vice president for planning. The new inpatient building could go
up just south or just north of the existing hospital, he said. "We've maxed
out the footprint of the hospital," McGee said…
Ken Notes: Do we know how great our health care is in
the region?
Points Elsewhere Condo plan to be downsized. A
planned four-unit condominium at 1710 Rawson Avenue faces some design
hurdles and will likely be downsized before the Plan Commission approves
construction... Five questions with … City Planner Jason Gallo Five questions with … City Planner
Jason Gallo. Q: What do you do as Oconomowoc city planner/zoning
administrator?A: As city planner/zoning administrator, my primary duty is to
review the site plans for everything that is built within the city to ensure
that the development conforms with the zoning... Wave facility, Wal-Mart would anchor development Wave facility, Wal-Mart would anchor
development. Project also would allot space for retail and restaurants.
Dozens crowded City Hall on Dec. 18 to hear a presentation about the
proposed Cudahy Station at the former Iceport site at 3275 E. Layton Ave...
Ken Notes: This one is interesting!
Wal-Mart teams up with a sports facility to gain community approval. I think
we will see more co-branding like this. So start thinking what would you
like in your community… and is it worth a Wal-Mart to get it. Game on!!! Sale of Park East site fulfills county Christmas wishes Sale of Park East site fulfills
county Christmas wishes. The year is ending with another milestone in
efforts to redevelop the Park East area: Milwaukee County has finally sold
its first parcel in that barren strip along downtown's northern edge... Lang's Delafield buildings sold Lang's Delafield buildings sold.
Milwaukee firm buys 13 buildings for $20 million. Numerous buildings in
downtown are under new ownership as a Milwaukee-based firm has purchased 13
buildings for $20.5 million... Our
Sponsors
Ken Notes: Please thank our sponsors. Interested call (608) 334-2174. The
Final Word
This is the all new economic development news
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Editor” Development News For 12/14/07 - 12/20/07 12/18/2007 - UW grads, grants will help state students with college costs. A couple who graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison more than 50 years ago said today they would give $175 million to help high school graduates in the state further their education. The donation from John Morgridge, former chairman of Cisco Systems, which supplies computer networking products, and his wife, Tashia, a retired elementary special education teacher, will provide about 2,000 grants of $1,000 to $5,000 for the 2008-09 school year and more than 3,000 grants annually after that… The Editor Notes: Wow! Thank You! Now we need to keep these grads in Wisconsin and for the record we could use a Cisco Systems facility in Madison. New Commercial Listings from PropertyDrive.com All Commercial Properties By Community (an interactive map) From www.FutureWisconsin.Com your “One Stop” source for community economic development data for the communities of Greater Madison. Demolition clears way for more Hilldale development WED., DEC 19, 2007 - The pile of rubble on University Avenue at the Hilldale Shopping Center will soon be replaced with the six-story, 140-room Hotel Indigo. The Madison Plan Commission on Monday approved the project, which will include a 100,000-square-foot office building and a 50,000-square-foot health club. A Whole Foods grocery is also being built on the property at Segoe Road and University Avenue. Construction of the $100 million development... Awards in Business. Construction - Vogel Bros. Building, Madison, was selected by the Associated General Contractor of Wisconsin as a 2007 Build Wisconsin Awards winner in the Design Build/New Construction category for the Oakwood Village West-Heritage Oaks Project... The Editor Notes: Well done and well deserved! Editorial A bright spot for local jobs MON., DEC 17, 2007 - Dane County businesses and workers are producing enviable results this year. Nearly two-thirds of 528 Dane County companies polled in a recent survey expect similar or higher profits this year, compared to last year. Even better, many of those companies expect profits to increase next year. And more Dane County businesses plan in 2008 to spend on long-term investments, such as buildings and equipment. The upbeat results come from the 2007 First Business Economic Survey of Dane County released this month. The UW-Madison School of Business and First Business Bank sponsor the annual assessment... The Editor Notes: Commercial, retail, and industrial growth is good for the region, the economy, the communities, as well as the developers. Go figure. The full report can be found here. Get Fed to Read This Newsletter! Ralph Kamps of M&M Real Estate & CIREX is offering a $25 dollar gift card (a great Christmas Gift idea by the way) to any Greater Madison foodFight Restaurant. One winner drawn randomly from those who email their favorite FoodFight restaurant and why they like it to: enter@WisconsinDevelopmentNews.com. As always, emails and info remain confidential and are not used for any other purpose. The Editor Notes: Premiere issue. Good odds. I'm in. What not eligible, that bites I'm starving – Fish Tacos at Tex Tubb's Taco Palace mmmmmm... Study: State Loses Millions - Companies Dodge Taxes, Report Says Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - Some of the nation's biggest companies are ducking out on the corporate income taxes they should be paying the state of Wisconsin, a Milwaukee think tank says. A study by the Institute for Wisconsin's Future says "corporate tax leakage" cost Wisconsin $643 million in 2006 through exemptions, credits and loopholes - often, by internal transfers from one subsidiary to another. The figure comes from a publication called State Tax Notes, published Nov. 26, which contends that nationwide, states are missing out on $14.5 billion in corporate income tax revenue. That's based on profits that corporations report to individual states compared to the profits they report to the Internal Revenue Service, said Jack Norman, research director of the Milwaukee nonprofit group... Accounted For Arbor Gate - Wipfli To Move To Todd Dr. Space
Friday, December 14, 2007 - One of the
region's largest accounting firms is the second major tenant to lease office
space in the new Arbor Gate development at Todd Drive and the Beltline.
Wipfli LLP announced Thursday it will relocate its Madison office when the
twin six-story buildings are ready for occupancy in the fall of 2008. The
Wisconsin Heart and Vascular Institute announced in October it would be
leasing space at Arbor Gate. "We've got two anchor tenants now so we're
getting pretty excited," said Brad Hutter of Mortenson Investment Group
which is developing Arbor Gate...  Truly Epic Dining - Software Firm's Cafeteria Is More Like A Restaurant Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - We are examining leftovers in the fridge, and each container is marked: Oriental noodle salad, potato salad, gyro meat, Italian chicken soup, mashed potatoes. Nice assortment, but it hardly skims the range of what you can eat. The choices would fatten after the lunch rush ends. We're here just for the food at Epic Systems Corp., the rapidly growing manufacturer of medical software, and we'll leave with a to-go container of "Ants Climbing a Tree," a zesty Asian entree that's one of two daily specials. Employees who work later than 7 p.m. are welcome to raid the cooler of leftovers, which reportedly can be enticing enough for some workers to restructure or lengthen their workday... The Editor Notes: I am available and will blog for food call me. Doyle Sees Gridlock Ahead - Gov Fears 2008 Will Bring Do-nothing Legislature Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - Gov. Jim Doyle said he's afraid the Legislature may do nothing of substance in 2008. His comment, made Monday in an interview with The Associated Press, came after the Legislature failed to pass a smoking ban or require insurance coverage of autism as Doyle urged this year. Lawmakers also didn't act on campaign finance reform. All three issues are expected to be back next year along with other major proposals that divide the political parties... The Editor Notes: Is a do nothing Legislature always a bad thing???? Tuesday, December 18, 2007 - After hearing that developers had secured a new location for the historic "Conklin House," the Madison Plan Commission Monday night OK'd plans for a new $24 million, 14-story apartment building at the bustling corner of West Johnson and Mills streets on the UW-Madison campus. Close to the UW chemistry building, the Ten Twenty-Two West Johnson apartment is aimed at students, professionals and researchers with families... Monday, December 17, 2007 - The Question: What Income Level Should Be Targeted For New Buildings? The eight easels at the front of the room presented visions of the possible new apartment buildings, single-family homes, greenways and neighborhood layout that could be the cornerstone of the city's efforts to rejuvenate an area of Allied Drive long troubled by poverty and crime. But most of the nearly 100 community members who attended the public meeting Sunday afternoon at the Allied Drive area Boys & Girls Club to see those plans for the first time were more interested in who would and should be living in those new buildings. And on that issue, they were divided. While some expressed support for maximizing access for low-income residents, an equally vocal group called for making sure the project was a place where people whose incomes rise can and do stay on... In this village, known for its Heidi and Wilhelm Tell festivals, a hopped-up cow is taking center stage. About 17 miles to the south, a dog with Canadian roots is trying to upstage Limburger cheese. Over the past year, the bovine and the canine have helped pump millions of dollars into the Green County economy and the numbers are likely to grow. A new $21 million brewery for the New Glarus Brewing Co. is nearing completion. Designed to look like a farm and blend into its rural setting on the village's south side, the new plant is needed so the 14-year-old company owned by Deb and Dan Carey can keep up with demand for its most popular brew, Spotted Cow... The Editor Notes: You have to love a story with a hopped-up cow! U.S. Bank Cares About Madison, President Says Sunday, December 16, 2007 - Scott Lockard, who recently succeeded longtime Madison market president Londa Dewey at U.S. Bank, said he doesn't see the bank changing dramatically in this market. "We've had great leadership and the legacies that we have in this market. We're going to focus on our community and focus on our customers." The bank, commonly identified by many people as the big glass bank on the Capitol Square, first opened its doors in 1854 as Dane County Bank. Later, it became the First National Bank of Madison, First Wisconsin National Bank and Firstar Bank before merging with U.S. Bank in 2001. Last week, the landmark bank building was sold to Urban Land Interests of Madison... Points Elsewhere PSC accepts Alliant coal plant application The state Public Service Commission finally has accepted Alliant Energy's application to build a new coal power plant in Cassville as "complete." The move formally starts the PSC's regulatory process for the proposed plant, meaning that it will either approve or deny its construction within the next 360 days -- 180 days plus an optional 180 day extension. In June, the PSC rejected Alliant's application as incomplete, providing several pages of shortcomings, including questions about the plant's effect on the river bed, how Alliant plans to assess effects on wildlife, cost details and details of how burning biomass would work there. Alliant wants to add a 300-megawatt... GM to cut production at Janesville plant WED., DEC 19, 2007 - General Motors will cut production by 15 percent at its Janesville assembly plant in March. GM-Janesville makes 52 full-sized sport utility vehicles an hour; that rate will drop to 44 an hour. "In the auto industry, we've been hearing a lot of projections about a slow economy next year and slow market sales. Decisions like this are made in response to current sales and what we forecast for the future," GM-Janesville spokeswoman Mary Fanning... State Paper Industry Continues To Shrink Saturday, December 15, 2007 - The closing of Canadian-based Domtar's paper mill here continues the downsizing of one of Wisconsin's major industries by global competition and a changing society, an industry spokesman said Friday. "The industry is still going through a lot of evolution," said Jeff Landin, president of the Wisconsin Paper Council, which represents 21 paper companies with factories in the state. "It reminds us again that it is a difficult environment right now for the industry." The closure of the Port Edwards mill, expected before next summer, will eliminate about 500 jobs, the company announced Thursday. A decline in demand for the mill's products, rising costs for such things as pulp and energy and the mill's proximity to markets drove the decision to close it, the company said... Resort Planned Next To Dells Natural Area Wednesday, December 19, 2007 - The scenic sandstone bluffs of the Wisconsin River Dells would get a new neighbor - a luxury resort with waterparks, town homes and condos - if the state approves permits needed to build it next to a publicly owned natural area. The developers, Cambrian Development, are to make a presentation on the project at a public hearing Thursday evening by the state Department of Natural Resources. Hiroshi Kanno, a leader of the Concerned Citizens of Newport, said he wants to find out why the state would even consider granting permits for the project on 62 acres on the Lower Dells - next to the DNR-owned... Shopping and soccer proposed for Iceport site Shopping and soccer proposed for Iceport site. Continental Properties Company has partnered with the Milwaukee Wave to propose a soccer training and multi-use facility at the former Iceport site, in addition to a Wal-Mart... Condos proposed for 17th and Rawson Condos proposed for 17th and Rawson. A planned four-unit condominium building at 1710 Rawson Ave. faces some design hurdles before the South Milwaukee Plan Commission is ready to approve construction... Apartment plan moves forward. With three of its harshest critics giving cautious support, a zoning change recommendation for a 60-unit apartment complex known as Canterbury Court received Glendale Plan Commission approval last week... Condo, retail development gets green light Condo, retail development gets green light. A mixed-use condominium project targeted for the 4500 block of Oakland Avenue has received the backing of the Shorewood Village Board and Community Development Authority... State chases $46,000 owed on stalled development State chases $46,000 owed on stalled development. Loan was for building's conversion to mixed use. State officials are trying to collect around $46,000 lent to a Milwaukee developer for a major central city housing project that has stalled... TIF district eyed for Town Center TIF district eyed for Town Center. Special financing would cover improvements. A tax-incremental financing district that would help develop the city's Town Center appears to be economically feasible... Lang sells off 13 Delafield buildings Lang sells off 13 Delafield buildings. Williamsburg-style properties bring $20.5 million. Developer and investor Robert Lang, who helped transform Delafield into a boutique shopping destination, has sold 13 buildings in that community's downtown area for $20.5 million... Developer gets prison for tax evasion Developer gets prison for tax evasion. Pewaukee man did not pay taxes for a decade. A four-story condominium that was to be built on the former Sentry site on Oakton Avenue in the Village of Pewaukee is now only a memory as the promoter of the project will be spending 18 months in federal... Developers push for affordable housing Developers push for affordable housing. Most of project is likely supportable by city staff. Two area developers looking to build an affordable housing neighborhood south of Oconomowoc are working through the preliminary stages of the project's approval process. As with most proposals, there... Grafton board approves planned Aurora hospital Grafton board approves planned Aurora hospital. Columbia St. Mary's president raises objections. At a standing-room-only meeting with more than 200 people present Monday night, the Village Board unanimously approved three measures needed by Aurora Health Care to build a four-story hospital with 400,000... Affordable rental units win approval Affordable rental units win approval. 2 projects proposed for city's north side. Two separate proposals for affordable apartments on Milwaukee's north side received approval Thursday from the city Redevelopment Authority...
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