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Production Notes Every week I pull together several news articles and press releases on economic development and government issues affecting real estate and development in Dane County and Wisconsin for the staff at Park Towne Development. The links should take you to the original article and should remain active for a few months (depending on the source).
To include a development related press release forward a PDF, MS Word document or active link to me by 1PM Thursday for inclusion in that Friday's release. We do not include offers of property for sale or other solely promotional material. Occasionally I include Editorial or Opinion pieces from other publications. Unless I am the actual author, these articles do not reflect my personal opinion or that of Park Towne Development. My goal is to make my colleagues aware of opinions being expressed in the media.
If you would like a copy every
Friday drop me a note and I will add you the list. If you
would like others to receive this data you may email me
their address and I will add them to our list. If you are
really interested I have “back issues” from June 1st
2005, but hey that’s old news. Please let me know what you
think. Ken
Mail Link Previous Links
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News&Notes Development News for Dane County and WisconsinProvided
by:
Development News
for the week of 10/20/06 to 10/27/06
THU.,
OCT 26, 2006 - WASHINGTON - Is this what a housing bust
looks like? New home prices fell last month by the largest
amount in 35 years and owners are being warned to brace for
further declines, especially in formerly hot markets.After
years of increases, some buyers say prices are still out of
their range.The Commerce Department reported that the median
price for a new home sold in September was $217,100, a
decline of 9.7 percent from September 2005.That was the
lowest median home price in two years… Editors
Note: Happy Halloween! THU.,
OCT 26, 2006 - Wisconsin's new Right to Cure Act, which took
effect this month, aims to resolve defects with homebuilding
projects without going to court. Homeowners and builders
must follow a specific procedure to discuss problems with a
construction or remodeling project before seeking relief
from the courts… Devoted
to doers: 'Cliff' brings 'Made in America' to Sub-Zero
Thu
Oct 26 2006 - John Ratzenberger earned fame as a performing
artist playing Cliff the mailman on the legendary sitcom
"Cheers." These days he devotes himself to
honoring those who make it possible for artists to perform
with "John Ratzenberger's Made in America" - the
Travel Channel show Ratzenberger hosts and produces that
profiles American companies. Most of those companies are
manufacturers like Sub-Zero Freezer, which is where
Ratzenberger and his crew were Tuesday to film… Editors
Note: I wonder if Cliff knows that you can make dry ice in a
Sub-Zero freezer by filling it with carbon dioxide and
hooking it up directly to a 351 kV power line. T.
Wall seeks opinions on Verona’s West End Do you have an opinion about how the former Thompson farm should be developed? Whether you hate big box stores or welcome the competition, Madison-based developer T. Wall Properties will be looking for your input at a public comment session Nov. 1 at the Verona Senior Center. Two weeks ago, T. Wall, the largest commercial developer in the county, gave a presentation to the Verona Common Council … Farm and Fleet planned on Verona’s east side The
same Plan Commission meeting that will review the T. Wall
plans on the west side will also have an agenda item for
large retail stores on the east side. Blain’s Supply, the
parent company of Farm and Fleet, has submitted a proposal
to build one of its retail stores on the
Hometown Village property just east of McDonald’s on East
Verona Avenue. Verona
Council approves TIF to keep JT Packard Though
some members of the Verona Common Council disagreed with the
ultimate destination of the money, they all conceded Monday
night that it was worth half a million dollars to keep JT
Packard in the city, voting to approve a TIF package for the
9-year-old company. JT Packard – a meaningless name
invented by owner and Verona resident Jeff Cason – sells
and services uninterruptible power supply (UPS) equipment
and is one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation.
Its explosive nationwide expansion has left its 275
Investment Court headquarters… Midwest
schools a hotbed for research
Posted:
Oct. 23, 2006 - Chicago - When one of China's top-ranked
research institutions decided to compile a list of the
world's top 100 universities - to identify China's main
rivals in an emerging research-driven economy- it often
landed in the American Midwest. The Shanghai Jiao Tong
University found that nearly one in five of the world's
leading universities - 19 of the top 100 - were in the Great
Lakes region. The report listed the University of Chicago at
No. 9; University of Wisconsin-Madison, No. 16; and
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, No. 21.
"The Great Lakes states are home to… Local
fleet vehicle firm going national with sale
Thu
Oct 26 2006 - A Madison-based company that seeks clients in
just a dozen states will expand across the country with its
acquisition by a French firm at the end of this month. ULTEA
Inc., a unit of Heartland Financial USA Inc., was acquired
by ALD Automotive Group, a unit of Societe Generale of
Paris, the third largest corporate and investment bank in
the Euro Zone. Terms of the deal… Gorman
named developer of year
Thu
Oct 26 2006 - Madison-based Gorman & Company, which has
been active in affordable housing and urban renewal efforts
statewide, has been named developer of the year by the
Wisconsin Builder and The Daily Reporter. The award was
presented Wednesday night in Milwaukee. The firm was
selected for its neighborhood revitalization efforts plus
its effective use of state funds through partnerships with
public entities… Panel
May Rule Tonight On 3 Arboretum Houses Thursday,
October 26, 2006 - From their homes perched on the edge of
Lake Wingra in the UW Arboretum, residents can sometimes
glimpse deer running through the woods, a rafter of
strutting turkeys or the glimmer of the reed-fringed lake.
And lately, one can also see small white signs that read,
"protect the arboretum, oppose the developers."
The Arboretum Neighborhood Association is fighting… Mifflin
St. Co-op May Close Doors - The Grocery's Board Recommends
That Members Shut It Down Wednesday,
October 25, 2006 - When the board of directors of the
Mifflin Street Co-op previously recommended closing the
historic store, the idea was always accompanied with another
option like taking out a loan or creating a new business
plan. This time, there is no other recommended option, and
the store at 32 N. Bassett St. may be on its way out. Citing
mounting debt, delinquent taxes… Central
Park Evolving - Corridor Plans Move Forward Tuesday,
October 24, 2006 - Madison's proposed "Central
Park" isn't much more than a plan at this point, but
redevelopment is already moving forward along the east side
corridor. Monday night, developer Scott Lewis unveiled to
the Madison Plan Commission a $4.3 million retail and
apartment project at 301 S. Livingston St. Situated across
East Wilson Street from the Madison Gas & Electric
Blount Street generating plant, the project includes 6,600
square feet of commercial space and 39 apartment units in a
two- and three-story building… Neighbors
May Get New Tool For Preservation Friday, October 20, 2006 - More often than not, Marie Caulfield hops on the Beltline to go shopping. "Why do you go to East Towne or West Towne or Hilldale? Because you have choices. Here, you don't have choices," explained the Madison resident, referring to nearby South Towne Mall… Fleming's Opens Today At Hilldale Friday, October 20, 2006 - The transformation of the Hilldale Shopping Center takes another step today as Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar opens at 750 N. Midvale Blvd. The 7,094-square-foot restaurant has seating for 266 people, an outdoor patio and a private dining room. The restaurant features steaks in sizes… Developer Brink Eyes City Council Seat Friday, October 20, 2006 - Developer Curt Brink, who dropped jaws by proposing Madison's tallest building and transformed the old Buy & Sell shop into a trendy Near East Side nightspot, intends to run for City Council… News&Notes is now also available & archived at www.WisconsinDevelopment.com.
Around
The State Wisconsin
ranks 38th for state business tax climate The
Tax Foundation, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit,
non-partisan research and public education organization,
monitors tax and fiscal activities at all levels of
government. The foundation recently issued its 2007 state
business tax climate index, which is designed to measure the
competitiveness of each state’s tax system. According to
the index, Wyoming has the best business tax climate and
Rhode Island has the worst. Wisconsin ranked 38th best… Ogden
forms commercial construction group
Find Friday 10/27 FRIDAY,
Oct. 27, 2006 - Ogden & Co., a Milwaukee real estate
firm, has opened a new division, Ogden Construction Group
LLC. The division will focus on commercial design/build and
general contracting, serving clients throughout southeastern
Wisconsin. Joel Cook was named president… 15
Chili's Grill & Bar restaurants sold Dallas-based
Brinker International Inc. announced this week that it has
sold 15 Chili's Grill & Bar restaurants to a franchisee
with development commitments to build 31 new restaurants in
Wisconsin and the St. Louis markets. No details were given
on specific state locations and calls to Chili's media
relations department were not returned. There are Chili's at
4344 East Towne Blvd. and 7301 Mineral Point Road. THU.,
OCT 26, 2006 - Thousands of dollars in rent paid by tourists
for condos and homes in vacation-magnet Door County never
made it to the owners of those residences, and the broker
who pocketed the money was sentenced last week to a short
jail stay and less than $35,000 in restitution… Median
new home sale prices drop 9.7% THURSDAY,
Oct. 26, 2006, U.S. median new-home sales price fell
$23,300, or 9.7%, to $217,100 in the year ending Sept. 30,
the Census Bureau reported today. September's single-family
price level slipped not just below the $240,400 median a
year earlier but below the $221,000 median in September
2004, census figures show. Volume plunged 14.2% year over
year to 1,075,000 sales in September. Every region of the
nation slumped, but hardest hit was the Midwest, where sales
plummeted 36.6%… ShopKo
to build first new store in 6 years TUESDAY,
Oct. 24, 2006 - ShopKo, the Green Bay discount chain, will
start construction next year on its first new store in six
years. The store will be part of a 28-acre development in
Suamico, north of Green Bay. The 80,000-square-foot store
will be an example of the new prototype for future ShopKo
expansion… WAC
fitness center coming to Schlitz Park WEDNESDAY,
Oct. 25, 2006, Wisconsin Athletic Club plans to open a
35,000-square-foot fitness center in the Schlitz Park office
park, an investment that taps into the future Manpower Inc.
headquarters building under development there… 'grand
Old Lady' Getting Makeover - $2 Million Facelift In
Evansville To Feature Shops, Apartments Thursday,
October 26, 2006 - From his office in the Union Bank &
Trust building off Main Street, Vice President Steve Eager
has a bird's-eye view of the old "Economy Store"
that bears his family's name. "It's a beautiful, grand
old lady," said Eager, whose great-great-grandfather
originally owned the building that housed a general goods
shop at the turn of the 20th century. "And it'll be
beautiful when they're done with it."… Harley
Case A Study For The Region Tuesday,
October 24, 2006 - Nothing exemplifies the challenges facing
Wisconsin's economy like the vote by workers at Milwaukee's
Harley Davidson plant last week not to cave on wage and
benefit cuts in exchange for more jobs. More than two-thirds
of some 1,500 members of the United Steel Workers union
rejected the company proposal, which would have lowered
wages for new hires by as much as one-third and reduced
health and pension benefits for all workers. The vote does
not put jobs in Milwaukee in jeopardy. But Harley --… Dept.
of Commerce.
Announces $550,000 for Sertari Food Corporation, Antigo. DWD.
Awards $128,000 to Oneida tribe as part of governor's KidsFirst
initiative. Governor.
Announces $174,000 for Prairie Industries, Inc. expansion. Governor.
Announces $2.8 million in Stewardship purchases. Governor.
Announces $700,000 to create affordable housing for
Outagamie County. Governor.
Announces $750,000 to redevelop lakefront property in
Racine. Governor.
Announces $87,000 for Glen Oak Lumber and Milling expansion. Development News for the week of 10/13/06 to 10/20/06 Tommy
Thompson’s heading development group --Oshkosh’s
Waterfront project proposed October
17, 2006 - A familiar face has new plans for an old site.
Former Gov. Tommy Thompson heads a development group that
wants to oversee The Waterfront, a mixed-use development on
the Fox River in downtown Oshkosh with residential and
commercial units and retail, entertainment and recreational
facilities. “In our estimation, the challenge ahead is to
set a realistic course of action that will strengthen the
local economy and enhance the livability while integrating
new architecture with the existing spirit of the area,”
Thompson wrote in a letter to the city of Oshkosh. “We are
confident that our Waterfront plan provides the solution to
this challenge.” The group, a partnership of Akcess
Acquisition Group LLC and Cherokee Investment Partners, will
present its proposal to the city’s Redevelopment Authority
on Wednesday. Thompson, listed as the president of Akcess
Acquisition, was not taking… Commongood:
Monroe Street development opens Friday
For
three years, Craig Hungerford and Dave Keller drove past the
dilapidated building that formerly held a neighborhood
grocery store. "I thought, something has to happen
here," Hungerford, of Trio Development Inc., said of
the former Ken Kopp grocery site on Monroe Street. Despite
the fact the site had become a political touchpoint, when an
opportunity came in spring 2004 to buy the property - held
in ownership for several years by High Pointe Properties of
Fort Atkinson - Keller, Hungerford, Burt Slinde, and their
respective Madison firms were more than interested… Editors
Note: I spend some time in the San Francisco Bay area and
want to personally welcome Trader Joe’s, a great store. I
hope this is one of many. Ken Area
Housing Market Continues To Cool Wednesday,
October 18, 2006 - The local real-estate market continued to
slow down, with home and condominium sales in Dane County
decreasing 34.7 percent in September and the median sales
price falling 2.2 percent from a year ago, according to
South Central Wisconsin MLS. There were 443 sales in
September compared with 678 a year ago. The median sales
price declined from $216,700 to $212,000. The inventory of
unsold homes and condos increased 48.8 percent, from 3,636
to 5,411… 5
Local Firms Qualify For Special Tax Credits Thursday,
October 19, 2006 - Five small Madison companies are among
seven from the state that the Department of Commerce has
qualified for investor tax credits under the new Angel
Investor and Venture Fund Tax Credit programs. The programs
offer Wisconsin income tax credits to investors in
seed-stage venture capital funds with the aim of boosting
the supply of qualified angel investors and investors in
qualified venture capital funds. The tax credits are
available only for investments made in technology businesses
qualified by commerce. The qualifying Madison companies are… Uw
Professor Heads Development Project Thursday,
October 19, 2006 - Michael Carter, a professor of
agricultural and applied economics at UW-Madison, will
direct the $10 million Assets and Market Access
Collaborative Research Support Program aimed at
understanding and curbing poverty in developing nations… Big
Spending To Aid Parks - $7.1 Million Effort Eyes
Acquisition, Conservation Monday,
October 16, 2006 - Dane County leaders are prepared to spend
the most ever in one year on land acquisition for park and
conservancy space to preserve and protect the local
landscape of Wisconsin's fastest-growing county. Two plans,
one tried and true and the other brand new… State
Cuts Cash For Bike Paths - Federal Money Used For Highways
Instead Monday,
October 16, 2006 - Millions of dollars in federal money that
could be used to create bike and pedestrian paths are being
used instead to fund state highways, stalling many projects
that could bring tourism and other benefits to communities
across the state, bicycle advocates say. Completion of the
Badger State Trail and other bike paths in Fitchburg and
Madison are among 92 planned bike and pedestrian projects
that won't receive federal money through the state
Department of Transportation in 2007-09… What
To Do At 24? Buy A Brewery - Ravinder Minhas Hopes To Expand
Beer Production In Monroe. Saturday,
October 14, 2006 - Ravinder Minhas shaved off his mustache
and goatee about nine months ago. He looks younger without
the facial hair but that's fine with him, since he no longer
worries about trying to appear older. Minhas, whose
German-sounding name is actually Sikh, certainly doesn't
have the profile of most 24-year-olds… Danisco
To Build Addition In City Friday,
October 13, 2006 - A 100-year-old Madison business continues
to find the ingredients for growth. Construction is getting
under way on a Southeast Side building at 3325 Agriculture
Drive that will house more offices and research labs for a
division of Danisco, a Danish corporation that's one of the
world's largest producers of food ingredients… New
City Land Plan Can't Foil Vet Clinic Tuesday,
October 17, 2006 - Dr. Joseph Valenta has long operated a
veterinary clinic behind the Rolling Meadows shopping center
on Madison's east side. So when Valenta went searching for a
new space, he looked in the same neighborhood he's served
for more than 25 years. Valenta thought he'd found a
suitable location in a single-family, 1950s ranch house… WisDOT.
Governor approves $5.9 million for projects at Dane County
Regional Airport. Around
The State Union
rejects H-D's proposed pay cuts October
17, 2006 - Milwaukee - A union has rejected Harley-Davidson
Inc.'s request for lower wages for new hires and reduced
benefits in exchange for expanding facilities in the
company's home state of Wisconsin. The United Steel Workers
Local 2-209 rejected the proposal Monday, the motorcycle
maker said. The vote does not put jobs in Milwaukee in
jeopardy, but it does mean Harley will be looking to expand
elsewhere, a company official said. Messages left for union
leaders were not immediately returned Monday. But union
president James Wheiland told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
that more than two-thirds of the union's 1,500 members voted
against the proposal, which would have lowered wages for new
hires by as much as one-third and reduced health and pension
benefits for all workers. In return for the cuts, Harley had
promised a $120 million expansion in Milwaukee… THU.,
OCT 19, 2006 - Chula Vista Resort in Wisconsin Dells is
moving forward with a plan that will add 400,000 square feet
of space for athletics and conventions to the company's
hotel and waterpark over three years. The two-phase plan
will begin with construction of a 150,000-square-foot
building just south of the hotel along the Wisconsin River.
(By comparison, the Alliant Center's Exhibition Hall in
Madison is 125,000 square feet.)… Posted:
Oct. 18, 2006 - With Milwaukee's convention business in a
holding pattern, the chairman of the Wisconsin Center
District said Wednesday that it's time to revive the idea of
expanding the Midwest Airlines Center. Franklyn Gimbel said
the region's ability to attract what he called a
"gangbuster" convention was diminished compared
with recent years because of the lack of hotel rooms in the
area and the size of the convention center… Apache's
Sale Should Benefit Employees Wednesday,
October 18, 2006 - Apache Stainless Equipment Corp. of
Beaver Dam has been sold to The Dexter Co. of Fairfield,
Iowa, a move that is expected to add between 30 and 50
employees at Apache by the end of 2007 and allow the
company's workers to take part in a stock ownership program.
"We anticipate there will be employment growth (at
Apache)," said Patrick Albregts, Dexter's president and
chief executive officer. "It's definitely a business
that's in expansion mode."… Tuesday,
October 17, 2006 - Military and commercial vehicle maker
Oshkosh Truck Corp. on Monday said it is buying JLG
Industries, a maker of aerial work platforms and booms, for
about $3 billion in cash. Robert G. Bohn, Oshkosh chairman,
president and CEO, said the deal continues Oshkosh's
transformation into a global specialty vehicle maker… Banta
suitor says his offer is firm THURSDAY,
Oct. 19, 2006 - Robert Burton Sr. Thursday reminded
Stephanie Streeter that he has not gone away. Burton,
chairman and chief executive officer of printer Cenveo Inc.,
(CVO) released a letter to Streeter, his counterpart at
Banta Corp., (BN) saying that his offer of $50 a share for
the Menasha-based printing and supply-chain management
company still expires on Halloween. City
panel recommends Pabst project THURSDAY,
Oct. 19, 2006The redevelopment of the former Pabst brewery
would receive nearly $29 million in city financial
assistance under a plan that received preliminary city
approval today. The Redevelopment Authority voted 5-1 to
recommend approval to the Common Council. The only vote
opposing… Published
October 12, 2006 - For 85 years, the Barry family has been
right in the middle of the commercial real estate
developments that have shaped and reshaped metropolitan
Milwaukee. For
most of those years, the family’s company was known as
James T. Barry Co. Inc. During World War II, James T. Barry
Sr., who founded the company, stopped his residential
brokerage work and focused on industrial brokerage to help
the government find properties to use for military supplies
production for the war effort. He also handled all of the
real estate matters for First Wisconsin National Bank (today
U.S. Bank) for many years. His son, James T. Barry Jr.
helped… Chase
Tower price tag: $46 million Downtown
Milwaukee's 22-story Chase Tower sold for just under $46
million when a Canadian investment fund acquired it earlier
this month. The 450,000-square-foot building, at 111 E.
Wisconsin Ave., was sold to Brookfield Asset Management
Inc.'s Real Estate Opportunity Fund for $45.8 million,
according to documents filed Wednesday with the Milwaukee
County Register of Deeds. The purchase price included Chase
Tower's adjacent parking structure, at 543 N. Water St… State
awards technology development funds MONDAY,
Oct. 16, 2006 - The state Department of Commerce said today
that two Wisconsin businesses will receive funding for
technology development projects from its Technology Venture
Fund and Technology Matching Grant programs. The projects
are… Governor.
Announces $75,000 for expansion of Precision Innovations. Dept.
of Commerce.
Evansville to receive $300,000 for historic building
rehabilitation. Milwaukee
County Executive Walker.
Signs resolution for Park East development. Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel.
Midwest Airlines Center upgrade touted again. Forward
Wisconsin.
State marketing team in Twin Cities seeking business
expansions. Governor. Announces $1.4 million to open Racine County Aging and Disability Resource Center. Development
News for the week of 10/06/06 to 10/13/06 California
firm acquiring fast-growing JT Packard
FRI.,
OCT 13, 2006 - Fifteen years ago, Jeff Cason was adrift: a
high school dropout living on the wild side of one of the
country's great college party towns. Today, at 34, he's the
owner of a Madison-area company he built from nothing into a
235-employee business that this year probably will rack up
$65 million in sales. Tomorrow, he'll wake up as a rich man.
Cason is the improbable founder and sole owner of JT Packard
& Associates Inc., a Verona company that maintains and
services sophisticated battery systems designed to ensure
that computer servers and other crucial corporate equipment
are never without power… High-tech
firm sold in Verona JT Packard acquired by California's
PowerPlus! FRI.,
OCT 13, 2006 - One of Verona's fastest-growing high-tech
companies is being sold to a southern California firm. JT
Packard & Associates - which services power supplies
that prevent computer problems from electric blips - said
today it was being acquired by PowerPlus! of Anaheim,
Calif., a supplier of temporary power to the construction
industry. The deal, to close Friday, will leave JT Packard
founder Jeff Cason… Minneapolis
Shows Success Of Light Rail Wednesday,
October 11, 2006 - Even skeptics who fought the 12-mile
system -- which began operating in 2004 and links downtown
Minneapolis with the airport and the Mall of America -- have
been won over, locals say. Now, Minnesota voters are
contemplating an even bolder step to alleviate the gridlock
that paralyzes rush-hour commuters in both Minneapolis and
St. Paul. They will vote next month on a proposed
constitutional amendment that would provide $100 million or
more per year for a network of new rail lines… Madison
into the Twin Cities by 2011 In
a related story, Mayor Dave announced a new corridor
annexation plan allowing for the expansion of Madison into
the Twin Cities by 2011. The Mayor suggested, “Not only
will we be able to piggy back on their light rail, but we
will get a pretty decent major league baseball team as well.”
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett suggested concern that this new
plan may slow the planned creation of Madwaukee and may
thwart development along the I 94 corridor. Mayor Tom also
questioned, “What about the Brewers… 10/10/06
- Madison, Wis. - Gov. Jim Doyle, as part of a directive to
provide $5 million in state funding to companies involved
with stem cell research, has announced the state will
provide $1 million in state loans and grants to a company
co-founded by stem cell researcher James Thomson. Thomson,
the University of Wisconsin-Madison professor who first
isolated human embryonic stem cells, is a partner in Stem
Cell Products, Inc., and Cellular Dynamics International… PROPERTY
TRANSACTIONS
Sun
Prairie plan brings more retail
October
11, 2006 - SUN PRAIRIE - Plans by a developer to nearly
triple the amount of retail space in a proposed mixed-used
project on this city's west side is drawing fire. But
residents who turned out for a public hearing Tuesday night
agreed to hold their comments for two weeks so owners of a
120-acre chunk of the emerging West Side Neighborhood can
continue negotiations with city planners. The city announced
it would recess the Plan… Saturday,
October 7, 2006 - Certco, a Fitchburg wholesale grocery
distributor, has purchased the former Newell Rubbermaid
distribution center at 4802 Femrite Drive, on the Southeast
Side. The property -- a 348,000-square-foot building on 35
acres -- was sold in a transaction valued at $7.25 million
and could be one of the largest industrial building sales in
the Madison area in five years, said Grubb &
Ellis/Oakbrook, the Madison commercial real-estate company
that handled the sale. Certco provides food, equipment and
services… Spectrum
Looks To Recharge Batteries Tuesday,
October 10, 2006 - When the West Beltline office building
occupied by Spectrum Brands hit the commercial real estate
listings last month -- with an asking price of $27 million
-- the easy assumption was the former Rayovac was preparing
to skip town for good. After all, this was the company that
has been slipping away from Madison ever since it was
purchased by the Boston-based Thomas Lee investment group in
1996. By 2002, it had closed its local manufacturing
facility and two years later shifted its global headquarters
to Atlanta… Mayor
Wants To Save Old Mill Near Olbrich - Would Cost $1.2m To
Stop Decay Thursday,
October 12, 2006 - It's the kind of building that usually
stands on the edge of an aging town, its crumbling
industrial brick walls surrounded by prairie. No real road
leads to it, only a railroad track. Part of it may have
burned in a fire years ago, and the roof is largely gone.
Its inhabitants, according to those who've ventured inside,
include bats, mice and a powerful smell from its days as a
granary. But the Garver Feed Mill, which turns 100 years old
this month, may win new life as something more than a grand
storage shed for the neighboring Olbrich Botanical Gardens.
The anomalous building, a relic surrounded by thriving
neighborhoods on the city's east side, is one focal point in
Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's agenda… Gilda's
Club gets pledge of land, cash
WED.,
OCT 11, 2006 - Gilda's Club is on track to have a permanent
home in the Madison area. The local chapter of the national
group that works to offer assistance to and raise the
spirits of those with cancer and their families received a
pledge Tuesday of land and $500,000 to build a service
center called Gilda's Clubhouse. Named for the actress and
comedian Gilda Radner, who died of ovarian cancer in 1989,
the center will be on land in the Discovery Springs
commercial development… Editorial
- Wanted: Fiscal responsibility
THU.,
OCT 12, 2006 - The latest ranking of states by their ability
to attract business development gives Wisconsin low marks
for high taxes. State policy makers should accept the poor
rating as a warning to control state spending. The Tax
Foundation, a nonpartisan tax watchdog based in Washington,
D.C., this week released its annual business tax climate
index, which ranks states according to their taxes. The
index gives states a low ranking if taxes are high because
high taxes increase costs for businesses. Wisconsin ranked
38th, meaning that only 12 states placed higher tax burdens
on businesses… City
Funds Fresh Facades - Madison Gives Businesses Money To
Improve Their Appearance Thursday,
October 12, 2006 - For more than 45 years, Johannsen's
Greenhouses has been beautifying area lawns and gardens from
the Beltline at Todd Drive. Thanks to a Madison grant
program, the garden center is getting its first facelift.
Since 2002, the city has been offering the facade grant
improvement program, which provides matching money up to
$10,000 per street-facing facade. So, for a business on a
corner lot, the maximum grant is $20,000… Wednesday,
October 11, 2006 - Residents of Madison's South Side who
turned out for a public meeting Tuesday night are unhappy
about nearly every aspect of a proposed $4.5 million
multi-use project planned for a site just off South Park
Street. Lack of green space, building design, traffic flow
and nearby drug markets were just a few of the concerns
expressed by more then 20 residents during a heated… Developer
altering Midvale Plaza design
FRI.,
OCT 13, 2006 - Developer Joe Krupp is tweaking the design of
his $25 million redevelopment of Midvale Plaza to scale back
the height of the controversial project. Krupp, whose
project was approved 17-2 by the City Council this summer
despite neighborhood opposition, is submitting final plans
that reduce the height of the project from four stories to
three along Midvale Boulevard… Sunday,
October 8, 2006 - The Wheat For Capital Brewery's Most
Popular Beer Comes From Washington Island In A Joint Effort
Launched By Wisconsin People. It all started with a
12,000-pound brick oven on a unique dot of land off the tip
of Door County's peninsula. Fired by pine, maple, oak and
"whatever else is available," that oven has become
one of the key ingredients in an economic success story that
is boosting two Wisconsin communities… Conservancy
Place Adds Condo Lots Tuesday,
October 10, 2006 - The final phase of Hawthorn Point at
Conservancy Place includes two condo lots that would allow
up to 68 and 27 units, respectively. Conservancy Place,
under development for the last four years, is a 650-acre
master planned community that includes single-family homes,
condos, and eventually apartment units, a commercial office
park and retail center. It includes Hawthorn Point, the
sold-out Woods Glen neighborhood, and commercial office park
Innovation Springs. Additional neighborhoods will continue
to be developed over the next decade… Monroe
Street Abuzz As Trader Joe's Nears Tuesday,
October 10, 2006 - Madison, and the Monroe Street
neighborhood, will welcome a grocery with a twist next week.
Trader Joe's, a California-based chain of colorful
neighborhood grocery stores, will open its first store in
Wisconsin at 9 a.m. Oct. 20 in the Monroe Commons building
at 1864 Monroe St. A Trader Joe's-style grand opening
ceremony at 8:45 a.m. will precede the official opening… Tuesday,
October 10, 2006 - Pharming Healthcare, A Deforest Company,
Will Get $345,000 To Investigate A Drug For Treating
Angioedema. Pharming Healthcare, a DeForest biotechnology
company that's making proteins in cow milk for use as human
drugs, has received a $345,000 grant from the Food and Drug
Administration's Office of Orphan Products Development. The
money will help the company develop Rhucin… Town
Has Designs On New Building To House Precinct, Fire Station Saturday,
October 7, 2006 - Officials are moving forward with plans
for a new public safety building for fire and police
personnel based in the town of Middleton. Town officials,
the Dane County Sheriff's Office… City
Buying Local? Mayor's Idea Has A Price Saturday,
October 7, 2006 - Under a potential "buy local"
policy that Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is considering, up
to $32 million that the city spends with companies outside
Dane County could be steered toward vendors closer to home.
But it may come at a cost. A report by Comptroller Dean
Brasser, which makes those observations… Man
Who Stole Shamrock Unlucky With Judge Friday,
October 6, 2006 - The man who stole the Shamrock Bar in
downtown Madison was sent to prison for 18 months Thursday,
but had he shown the least bit of remorse he might have
escaped with a lighter sentence. George F. Rogers, 48, was
also ordered to be on extended supervision for 4 years after
leaving prison, then serve an additional six years of
probation… Around
The State Menards
to expand out of state, blames DNR MONDAY,
Oct. 9, 2006 -Eau Claire - Home improvement retailer Menards
has decided to build manufacturing and distribution centers
in Iowa and Ohio, resolving a longtime wetlands dispute with
the state Department of Natural Resources, a newspaper
reported. Eau Claire-based Menard Inc. had wanted to build
in the Eau Claire area, but the DNR wanted to preserve two
small wetlands on the Town of Union site near Menards'
headquarters. "We spent more than three years of
frustration and over $1 million of our money trying to build
this project here in Eau Claire and never received
permission to do so," Menards spokesman Jeff Abbott
told the Leader-Telegram in Eau Claire. "We are
obviously frustrated and disappointed."… Brownfield
grant clears way for new UWM dorm Wednesday,
October 11, 2006 - The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Real Estate Foundation Inc. today received a $100,000 Blight
Elimination and Brownfield Redevelopment (BEBR) grant from
the Wisconsin Department of Commerce to help clear the way
for construction of a new student dormitory. The grant will
help UWM remediate a four-acre site at 1194 East North Ave.,
where the university plans to construct a six-story dorm.
Total costs for the remediation will be nearly $1 million,
and the total investment in the form project will exceed $26
million. Five new full-time jobs with health insurance… Revamp
In Works By River - Prairie Du Sac Changes Planned Thursday,
October 12, 2006 - The skyline along the Wisconsin River in
the village of Prairie du Sac will be changing. Ken Nonn has
hired Randolph Bruce of Knothe & Bruce architects to
design a multi-use development for the lots from the edge of
Graf Park to Eagle View Dental… Wisconsin
ranks 38th in business taxes WEDNESDAY,
Oct. 11, 2006Wisconsin, which ranks among the nation's top
10 highest-tax states by some measures, failed to appear in
the "10 worst states" in the 2007 State Business
Tax Climate Index compiled by the Tax Foundation, a
non-profit Washington, D.C.-based research group. In the
index, which the Tax Foundation calls its most comprehensive
state-by-state benchmarking tool for business leaders and
policy-makers, Wisconsin ranked No. 38, missing the 10
"worst states" by two rungs. The rank is a notch
lower than a year earlier when the state was No. 37.
Metro
area building permits fall 46% WEDNESDAY,
Oct. 11, 2006 - Metro-area permits for new home construction
dropped 46% in September compared to September 2005, MTD
Marketing Services reported today. So far this year, the
number of permits issued for home building is down 24.4% in
metro Milwaukee from a year ago, and down 17.8% in Racine
and Kenosha counties. But new home prices continue to rise,
averaging $306,796 in metro Milwaukee and $219,235 in Racine
and Kenosha… Work
begins on Crowne Plaza in Tosa TUESDAY,
Oct. 10, 2006 -Construction has started on a 200-room Crowne
Plaza Hotel at the Milwaukee County Research Park in
Wauwatosa, the park's marketing director said Tuesday. The
$28 million project, which received preliminary approval in
July, is being developed by Russ Kaloti, president of Kaloti
Enterprises Inc., a grocery wholesaler based in New Berlin.
Kaloti bought an 8.4-acre parcel from the research park for
$2.9 million, Mascari said… Shopping
center to be replaced by condos MONDAY,
Oct. 9, 2006A local development firm has purchased a largely
empty shopping center that will be demolished and replaced
with a $15 million condominium and retail development, it
was announced today.General Capital Group bought Brown Deer
Commerce Center, at the southwest corner of N. 43rd St. and
W. Bradley Road, from an investors group led by Marc Vaccaro
of Madison. The purchase price was $1.8 million… WisDOT.
Governor approves $1.2 million project at John Batten
Airport in Racine. Governor/Lt.
Governor.
Announce $652,000 terminal tax payment to City of Superior. Doyle/Lawton.
Announce $56,000 grant to expand Kasco Marine in Prescott. Rep.
Zepnick.
Announces $400,000 WisDOT grant to improve traffic and
pedestrian safety in Milwaukee. Development News for the week
of 09/29/06 to 10/06/06 Sunday, October 01, 2006 - Construction has begun… SEE ALSO - Retail News Conservancy Place Opens Lots for More Condominiums in DeForest FRI., OCT 6, 2006 - Construction has begun on the final phase of Hawthorn Point at Conservancy Place. At the completion of construction this fall Park Towne Realty, LLC will be marketing two additional condominium lots. Conservancy Place is a 650-acre master planned community in DeForest, which includes single-family homes, condominiums, and eventually apartment units, a commercial office park and retail center. Jim Ring, president of Park Towne Development, the Madison-based firm developing the mixed-use Conservancy Place, said one lot would allow up to 68 condominiums to be built with the other available for up to 27 units… PDF Here Land Values Push, Pull Home Market Thursday, October 5, 2006 - Realtors have long talked about the three most important factors in a home's value: location, location, location. But to UW-Madison real estate economist Morris Davis, it's more a case of land, land, land. Soaring land values were the driving factor behind the nation's real estate run-up over the past two decades and also help to explain why prices can fall so quickly… Arrested
development: With major limitations, Verona police anxiously
eye new building When Verona built its police and city hall building in 1980,
the newly dubbed city had just over 3,000 residents and
seven full-time police officers. Since then it has nearly
tripled in population, doubled its rate of growth and
completely outgrown that 12,000-square-foot brown building
tucked away on Lincoln Street. Just like the library that
was replaced earlier this year for $6.4 million, it’s
stretched well beyond its capacity to serve the citizenry
and is well overdue for the typical 20-year update planned
for most municipal facilities. None of that is being debated
among city leaders. What’s uncertain is what a new public
safety and administration building will cost and how much it
will include. “If we could afford it, the nicest thing
would be to have one public safety facility and have
everyone there,” Mayor Jon Hochkammer… The Big Chill For Home Sellers - 'for Sale' Signs Dot Landscape As County Housing Market Cools Down Thursday, October 5, 2006 - In 1996, Marc Loy and Ron Becker bought a four-bedroom, two-bath brick home near Tenney Park for $160,000 and over the past 10 years have watched its assessed value more than double. They assumed when it came time to move on, the buyers would come knocking. But it hasn't happened that way. Their house at 423 N. Baldwin St. has been on the market since July without one offer. They've cut $20,000 off the asking price to $329,000 -- and still no action… Lands' End founder Comer took care of his people FRI., OCT 6, 2006 - To the world, Gary Comer made his mark with the preppy-chic company he founded, Lands' End. But to those who worked with him or lived in Dodgeville, where Lands' End has its headquarters, or Chicago, where Comer lived, he was a role model, a philanthropist and often just plain family… OPINION Downtown Needs Smart Tending Sunday, October 1, 2006 - Consider the following scenario: As a result of major civic improvements and the construction of an outstanding new public building, hundreds of people are flocking to Madison's Downtown in the biggest new housing market in the city's history. Luxury residences are luring young professionals and couples, but the cost of living Downtown is enough to repel many young families with sticker shock. Nevertheless, new restaurants, commercial buildings and locally owned stores spring up to meet the tide of newcomers to Madison's fresh, rehabilitated Downtown. The vitality serves as a catalyst for economic growth throughout the beautiful isthmus. The year was 1915… Economic Snapshot - South-central Wisconsin: A Major State Job Market Sunday, October 1, 2006 - South-central Wisconsin - Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Jefferson, Marquette and Sauk Counties - is the state's second largest job market after the Milwaukee-Waukesha area. Between 1990 and 2005, the six-county region added more than 111,000 non-farm wage and salary jobs. Wisconsin as a whole added 524,000 jobs. In the short term out to 2007, and in the longer term out to 2014, jobs will continue to increase. From 2005 to 2007, the region is expected to add almost 9,000 jobs. In 2014, the area is projected to have 43,000 more jobs than it did in 2005. The industry sectors adding the most new jobs in both… Sunday, October 01, 2006 - Economists love to compare the performance of Minnesota and Colorado to Wisconsin. They're similarly sized states, all removed from the East and West coasts, and each lays claim to being a high-tech haven. But the comparisons end when it comes to federal research spending on defense and aerospace industries. There, Wisconsin is a dismal third, and it helps to explain why an otherwise well-positioned state is failing to keep up with the Joneses. While it is a clear leader in attracting academic research and development funding from the federal government, Wisconsin lags Minnesota… Horizon Fitness and Matrix Fitness move into Cottage Grove Commerce Park THU., OCT 5, 2006 - COTTAGE GROVE -Two years ago, there were corn fields on land that is now this village's Commerce Park. At Interstate 94 and Highway N, the development has a polished feel, with buildings such as an Arby's and a Shell gas station sporting stone and brick exteriors… GREAT BIG PICTURES BUYS DEMCO PLANT From The Capital Times, Fri Sep 29 2006 - THE FORMER DEMCO MEDIA PRINTING PRODUCTION FACILITY WAS SOLD TO GREAT BIG PICTURES INC. FOR $3.4 MILLION EARLIER THIS MONTH, BROKER LEE & ASSOCIATES ANNOUNCED. The 50,000 square-foot facility at 5701 Manufacturers Drive on the east side was built in 2000. Demco Media sold its assets to Sagebrush Corp., of Minneapolis… Danisco Moving To Mcallen Campus Tuesday, October 3, 2006 - Danisco, one of the world's leading producers of ingredients for food and other consumer products, is consolidating its local offices at the McAllen BioAg Campus on the far southeast side. Danisco will lease about 18,000 square feet of a 48,000 square-foot building at 3325 Agriculture Drive at the start of next year, said Kirsten Ruedebusch of Ruedebusch Development & Construction. Ground will be broken for the building on Oct. 12. The site is across Agriculture Drive from Danisco's local manufacturing facility. The new facility will enable the firm to add a research and development operation, Ruedebusch said… Sunday, October 1, 2006 - Over the next two years, Madison's largest mixed-use development will sprout in place of the former University Square building sandwiched between University Avenue and West Johnson Street. The Downtown development will include hundreds of student apartments, UW-Madison's student health services, university offices and private retail space when it opens in fall 2008… Proposed city budget adds more services WED., OCT 4, 2006 - Taking advantage of good financial news, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz on Tuesday proposed a $209.5 million budget that would deliver more services and a below-average tax increase. The operating budget, which would increase spending by 3.1 percent, will add 10 police officers, fund a firefighter class, boost Metro Transit, reorganize the planning department into a new Department of Economic and Community Development, start automated garbage collection and more. The budget would raise city tax collections 4.84 percent to $142.8 million - below the average 5.6 percent increase for the last 15 years and the 6.3 percent rise allowed under state law… Cuna Mutual completing renovation MON., OCT 2, 2006 - CUNA Mutual Group is completing a $72 million, five-year renovation of the company's Madison headquarters on Mineral Point Road. The project, which remodeled nearly 1 million square feet of office space, included improvements to each of the company's three buildings at 5710, 5810 and 5910 Mineral Point Road and nearly 2,000 feet of connecting tunnels… Saturday, September 30, 2006 - A Madison development group is proposing a new $12-million, 76-unit apartment project at East Wilson and South Ingersoll Streets, overlooking the proposed "Central Park." Stone House Development is before the city Urban Design Commission Wednesday seeking approval for a pair of buildings that would occupy the current site of the Badger Cab Co. The project is being developed with federal Section 42 affordable housing tax credits and calls for a mix of efficiency, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments. Stone House had used similar affordable housing tax credits in developing… Monona Mulls Tif For Riverfront Condos Wednesday, October 4, 2006 - It was the second time this year he'd gone before Monona's Community Development Authority with major changes to a proposed riverfront project. So when Kevin Metcalfe emerged Tuesday night from a closed-door meeting with that city panel, he said he had no feel for which way they were leaning. "I have no sense of what direction they will be taking," he said. "They say they need time to digest the information and hash it out with their consultant."… Monona Condo Proposal Is Scaled Back Tuesday, October 3, 2006 - A proposed development that once included condominiums, apartments, retail and office space where a mobile home park now sits on the Yahara River has been scaled back. Citing a market slowdown and an increase in construction costs, Kevin Metcalfe, president of Metcalfe Realty Inc., has reduced his proposal to two condo buildings totaling 84 units. Retail and office space would not be a part of the project. A 52-unit building would be built first… Role Reversal Worth Celebrating Monday, October 2, 2006 - Decades After Madison Sought To Replicate The Success Of A Research Park In North Carolina, Officials From That State Came To Madison Last Week To Learn About Our Success Here. Three decades ago, Madison leaders went to North Carolina to learn about an exciting and thriving research park there. Last week, the roles were reversed -- a significant sign of progress that's worth celebrating. More than 100 academic, government, community and nonprofit leaders from Chapel Hill, N.C., came to Madison for several days last week to learn about our hugely successful University Research Park as well as exciting… Wednesday, October 4, 2006 - For The First Time In 150 Years, The Home Will Not Belong To Member Of The Fox Family. For the first time since it was built in 1856, historic Fox Hall in Fitchburg will not belong to a member of the Fox family. Anna Fox, 103, recently moved into an apartment from the sandstone residence built by her grandfather. The home is on the market for $399,000… Property Transactions & Large Property Transactions - Sunday, October 1, 2006 Walk through Fristam Pumps in Middleton and you may have to remind yourself several times you're in a bustling manufacturing plant. Amid a well-worn concrete floor that's swept clear and smooth, tall rolling carts sit in perfect alignment, each with "parts bins" shelves color-coded in red, blue and yellow… News&Notes is now also available at www.WisconsinDevelopment.com. Around The State Groundbreaking
For Ethanol Plant in Jefferson Oct
3, 2006 - Jefferson: Officials broke ground on a $100
million ethanol plant in Jefferson Tuesday. The refinery
will be the largest ethanol plant in Wisconsin. The whole
gold shovel thing was even more symbolic than usual, given
part of the new ethanol plant in Jefferson will move into an
old feed mill and malting plant. Renew Energy will spend
$100 million to add new tanks and turn the facility into
Wisconsin's largest ethanol refinery, capable of producing
130 million gallons of ethanol a year… Office
park buildings sell for $80 million THURSDAY,
Oct. 5, 2006 - A dozen buildings within Brookfield Lakes
Corporate Center, one of the larger office parks in the
Milwaukee area, were sold for $80 million today to a
California-based investment group… Condo,
retail plan for Wells Street moves ahead High-density
concerns halt residential project Businessman
endorses Town Center concept Planner
suggests city create niche sectors to attract businesses Upscale
lake resort opposed New
engine plant for Kenosha area? Wisconsin
Briefing Darlington
Plant Set To Close Within A Year Wednesday,
October 4, 2006 - The plant manager of a Darlington factory
said he was told Tuesday the plant will close within a year
and its work will move to Kentucky, ending the jobs of 27
employees. But Ted Kilcoyne, head of the Illinois Tool Works
Shakeproof Powertrain factory in the Lafayette County
community 65 miles southwest of Madison, said he won't let
it go down without a fight… BIO
2006 yields results for Wisconsin companies It's
been six months since Wisconsin wowed the world at BIO 2006
in Chicago, and Capital Region biotech firms are reporting
success in forming partnerships with potential collaborators
and investors from contacts made at the conference. One of
the Capital Region attendees, Quincy Bioscience… Huber
brewery now called Minhas FRI.,
OCT 6, 2006 - The new owner of the Joseph Huber Brewing Co.
in Monroe has wasted little time in making a change. After
signing the purchase papers on Tuesday for the brewery,
which has been making beer since 1845, Ravinder Minhas, of
Calgary, Alberta, announced Thursday that he has changed the
company's name to Minhas Craft Brewery… MGE
will add wind turbines - Madison Gas & Electric is
adding wind power. THU.,
OCT 5, 2006 - The Madison utility company has signed an
agreement to build and own part of a wind farm planned near
Mason City, Iowa. The project, being developed by Midwest
Renewable Energy Projects, of Joice, Iowa, is… Dubuque
Has Big Plans For Riverfront Friday,
September 29, 2006 - The Diamond Jo Casino and the Dubuque
County Historical Society have announced plans for an $82
million project on the riverfront here that would include an
expanded casino and 36-lane bowling center, the Dubuque
Telegraph Herald reported today. At a press conference
Thursday, officials from the casino and society rolled out
what they bill as Phase II of America's River -- a plan that
would double the size of the National Mississippi River
Museum and Aquarium and convert the riverboat casino into a
barge casino complex and bowling center… WisDOT.
$1.8 million project at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport… Commerce.
Independence to receive $196,000 for sanitary sewer repairs… Governor.
Announces $1 million for Salem Partners to expand
manufacturing and create jobs. |
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