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Editor Ken Harwood (608) 334-2174 Ken's Economic Development Op Ed Column as seen in BusinessWatch Magazine October September August July June May April Got News? Submit your story or press release. Please include link, PDF, or Word Document. We cannot guarantee that all stories will be used or hosted by Wisconsin Development NOTE: it must be newsworthy and not advertising in nature. This is a free service available to all economic development professionals. Submit Here EDITOR Previous Click Ads 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 1^st 2005, but hey that’s old news. Please let me know what you think. Ken Ken Harwood	News&Notes Development News for Dane County and Wisconsin Provided by: Development News 10/26/07 to 11/02/07 To continue receiving News&Notes, please add our 'From' address (kenh@parktowne.com) to your address book. This will help ensure against overzealous spam filters. Thanks! More info at bottom. School Of Business Is Given Millions Sunday, October 28, 2007 - The $85 Million Donation Will Let The Uw-madison School Keep Its Name. The Wisconsin School of Business at UW-Madison has received an $85 million gift from a small group of alumni to keep its name just as it is for the next 20 years. It's the largest single gift ever given to UW-Madison. At a time when it's become common practice for buildings, programs, stadiums or schools to be named after major benefactors, this gift goes in the opposite direction by preventing that from happening - and paying to keep it that way. "It's holding the name off the market - but allowing the (business) school to benefit from a gift that's of the same magnitude as current namings. It's brilliant," said UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley... Editors Note: I will sell the right not to rename News & Notes for $ 19.95 and dinner at Pepper Mill… 'Jeopardy' coming to town Game show guru Alex Trebek is coming to Madison. The Kohl Center will be the site of the 2008 "Jeopardy! " College Championship, producers announced Thursday. Ten episodes of the popular answer-and-question quiz show are scheduled to be taped there on April 11 and 12. "With a vibrant student population, Madison is a great college-oriented community and an ideal choice… Editors Note: shouldn’t the title of the story been, “Who’s coming to town in April?”. Maybe not development per say, but this type of event will help us market Madison to the world. I suggest a Jump Around at each taping and a costume reception for Alex on State Street… Gander Mountain set to build MON., OCT 29, 2007 - TOWN OF BURKE — A new customer is coming to the interchange of Highway 51 and Interstate 39-90-94, and it won't be driving an 18-wheeler. Instead, the new visitors to this truck stop-laden exit will be dressed in camouflage, blaze orange and khaki, and they'll be thinking about turkey, deer and fish. One of the largest Gander Mountain stores in the nation is scheduled to open this spring and could help transform the interchange into more than just a spot for diesel fuel, chili and a soda. The 90,000-square-foot store will replace the smaller Gander Mountain at East Towne and will be joined by a 24,000-square-foot Camper World… New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com Commercial Properties By Community From www.FutureWisconsin.Com NEW! Bakery helps protect marshland 10/31/2007 - SUN PRAIRIE -- For the head of Pan-O-Gold baking, investing in land conservation fits perfectly into his company's philosophy. "Eating healthy and being good stewards of the land is simply part of who we are," said Robin Alton, CEO of the Minnesota-based firm that operates a 180,000 square-foot bakery and distribution facility here… New Blackhawk Church plans celebration George Brader was 38 when he, his wife Maxine, and a handful of other couples starting thinking about forming a church on Madison 's West Side. At the time, they were holding Bible studies in their living rooms. They did form that church, and now, as Brader prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday Tuesday, Blackhawk Church is ready to open the doors Sunday of a new $17 million, state-of-the-art facility on the Far West Side to welcome the 4,000 or so people who now attend services… 227,000-square-foot Monona Wal-Mart one of country's biggest 10/30/2007 - MONONA -- It's big. Stocked with $8 million in grocery and other merchandise, one of the largest Wal-Mart Supercenters in the nation will open in Monona next Wednesday. The grand opening celebration, complete with cake for the public, is Nov. 7 at 7:30 a.m. Cash registers go on at 8 a.m. From then on, the store will be open 24 hours. The jury remains out on whether increased traffic will help nearby South Towne Mall and Monona Drive retailers, or whether Wal-Mart's low prices will drive neighborhood shops out of business… Editors Note: So two churches are opening this week... EDITORIAL Reject mayor's muddled plan* THU., NOV 1, 2007 - What began as a plan to beef up Madison 's ability to promote economic development has devolved into a muddled compromise that accomplishes almost nothing. Unless you count expanding the city's bureaucracy as something. That 's why Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the City Council should stop and start over… Editors Note: I found a very good understanding of the sense of “Greater Madison” and the surrounding communities in Madison’s own Comprehensive Plan. This may be a good place to start. All area Comprehensive Plans can be found HERE… Foreclosures more than double in Dane County THU., NOV 1, 2007 - Foreclosures more than doubled in Dane County and Wisconsin during the third quarter of 2007, compared with the same period a year ago, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties. The number of foreclosure filings, including default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions, was up 162 percent in Dane County… Clingan Withdraws Name For City Post Saturday, October 27, 2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's controversial pick to be the city's first economic and community development director pulled his name from consideration Friday, spurring the mayor's office to announce a reorganization of the position that would split its two main functions into separate jobs. Bill Clingan - the state Department of Workforce Development division administrator Cieslewicz nominated in September - said it was increasingly apparent that his nomination was undermining the mayor's vision for the position and that he was becoming a "distraction." He said he still believes combining functions like business recruitment and neighborhood revitalization in one office could work but not if staff members and other city players don't buy into it… Editors Note: I hope development professions see this as an opportunity -- not a victory… Assisted living center to locate on west side 10/30/2007 - Catholic Charities Inc., the "faith in action" agency of the Diocese of Madison, announced that it has broken ground on a new assisted living center on the far west side. All Saints Assisted Living Center will be a 58-unit, 43,000 square-foot facility in the senior community known as the All Saints Neighborhood, near the intersection of Watts Road and County M. The two-story building is planned to accommodate… Get Help When Reviewing A Commercial Lease Thursday, November 1, 2007 - When entering into a commercial lease, you need to know who's on your side and looking out for your interest - your real estate agent and attorney. The landlord will be drafting the lease, so it will be geared toward their best interests, more so than yours, with the goal of protecting their property and investment. While that doesn't mean the landlord and lease will not be fair, always review it with your real estate agent and attorney. Make sure they help you navigate unfamiliar terms and conditions. Make sure you know what is and isn't included in your basic rental… Editors Note: But Ralph, if they read the lease they will actually know what’s in it… Budget Gives UW's Growth Agenda A Boost Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - The University of Wisconsin System is about to get bigger. More researchers at UW-Milwaukee. More adult students in the two-year UW Colleges. And more undergrads at UW-Green Bay and UW-Oshkosh. The state budget signed into law last week allows UW campuses to begin expansions intended to increase the number of graduates and boost economic development. UW System President Kevin Reilly had campaigned for more than a year for the so-called Growth Agenda, which he called critical to the state's economic future… Two Hotels Will Be Built Near Princeton Club Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - Construction Of The First Hotel Started In July And Is Expected To Be Finished Next Summer. The first of two projects that will lead to two hotels near the Princeton Club at the Beltline and High Point Road have begun. Construction began in July on a 132-room, four-story Hampton Inn & Suites. The project is scheduled for completion next summer. The construction of a 121-room, four-story, Homewood Suites by Hilton is scheduled to begin in December and be completed by late next year or early 2009, said Stacey Barmore, director of marketing for the North Central Group, a Madison-based hotel management and development company. The hotels, in the 400 block of Commerce Drive, are being built by Raymond Management Co., of Madison. The North Central Group will assume the operational duties and day-to-day management of the hotels, Barmore said. The two companies also… City Losing Conventions To Dells, Other Cities Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - When delegates attend a convention in Madison, they sometimes make a side trip to Wisconsin Dells for the water parks, casino and other attractions. Now, Madison often is becoming the side trip as more conventions are held at expanded facilities in the Dells. Deb Archer, president of the Greater Madison and Convention Bureau, said more hotel rooms near Monona Terrace are needed to stem the losses of conventions to other cities, especially the Dells. "The loss ratio is accelerating as our competition gets tougher," she said. "The landscape's changed since Monona Terrace opened."… Editors Note: DHFS building as a hotel… Arbor Gate Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Construction began in September on Arbor Gate, a $48 million office and retail project south of the Beltline and east of Todd Drive that will replace a strip of aging retail buildings that have been torn down. The 215,000-square-foot project includes two six-story office and retail towers on six acres. A future phase of the project is planned for another part of the property. The ground floor will have shops and restaurants, and there will be office space above. The upper floors will have views of the UW Arboretum , the UW-Madison campus and the Isthmus… Liliana’s offers New Orleans cuisine 10/18/07 - New Orleans cuisine and entertainment arrive in Fitchburg later this month when Liliana’s Restaurant opens on McKee Road, a half block east of Fish Hatchery Road. The restaurant is the dream of chef Dave Heide, a former Fitchburg resident whose culinary apprenticeship encompassed several well-known restaurants. He named the restaurant after his daughter. Why New Orleans fare? Heide said he loves Italian cuisine but thought the local market was… Virent Receives $2 Million Grant Thursday, November 1, 2007 – Virent Energy Systems, Madison, has received a $2 million Advanced Technology Program grant from the National Institute for Standards and Technology , which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce . The money will help fund Virent's efforts to find more efficient ways to break down agricultural waste products into sugars that can be converted into biofuels. Platypus Technologies in Fitchburg has received a $2.3 million contract with the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland to develop a badge for detecting chemical weapons… City On Board With Skaters Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Madison has a reputation as a progressive, trend-setting city, but when it comes to skateboarding, it is behind the curve. That may be changing as Madison is planning its first public skateboard park as part of the new Central Park being drawn up on the Near East Side. A committee assigned to devise a plan for Central Park isn't expected to issue its report until early next year, but Chairman Bill Barker said it will recommend a skateboard park be included, likely as the first phase of development. Barker said the committee, though skeptical about a skate park at first, has been impressed by the involvement and support of people such as Dave Mayhew, a retired professional skater who runs a skateboard shop in Middleton… Two Coldwell Banker Affiliates Merge Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Coldwell Banker Sveum Realtors of Dane County and Coldwell Banker First United Realty of Janesville have merged to form Coldwell Banker Success . The new business is equally owned by Sveum and First United. Terms of the merger were not disclosed. First United has 40 agents, with offices in Janesville and Evansville. Sveum has more than 50 agents, with offices in Fitchburg, Stoughton, Sun Prairie and Verona. First United is the top-ranked Coldwell Banker affiliate in Wisconsin in terms of units sold this year. The merged firm's Web site is www.cbsuccessrealty.com… Great Wolf Plans New Resorts Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Great Wolf Resorts will build another indoor waterpark resort and has positioned itself to add one more near one of the largest casinos in the world. The Madison company announced it will break ground before the end of the year on a 402-suite Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, N.C., a suburb of Charlotte. It's expected to cost more than $120 million, the company said. The announcement was made just a day after the company announced it had signed a letter of intent to develop a Great Wolf Lodge resort with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Mashantucket, Conn., which is about halfway between New York and Boston. The tribe, housed on one of the oldest, continuously occupied Indian reservations in North America, operates the 340,000-square-foot Foxwoods Resort Casino, which has more than 380 gaming tables and more than 7,400 slot machines... Grant Will Make Verona Trail Safer Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - Safe passage for bicyclists and walkers on a popular recreational trail in Verona will be all but guaranteed next year thanks to one of the largest grants ever made for Dane County parks. The Madison Community Foundation is giving $150,000 to help pay for the construction of an underpass at County MV (Business 18-151) near the Badger Prairie Health Care facility on Verona's east side. The underpass will allow bikers and walkers to continue traveling on the Military Ridge State Trail and Ice Age National Scenic Trail without having to cross the busy four-lane highway… Hyde's Mill as genuine as the 102-year-old who owns it 11/01/2007 - Hyde's Mill is a photographer's delight. The weathered grist mill with its wooden waterwheel, glistening water falling from the 1850 dam and park-like setting draws tourists from afar and Sunday drivers from nearby. It conjures images of farmers on horse-drawn wagons filled with bags of corn for grinding. The mill is just down the road from the Hyde store, which… News&Notes is now archived at http://parktowne.com/news.asp and www.WisconsinDevelopment.com Around The State and Points Elsewhere Fed cuts key interest rate for a second time to guard against recession threats 10/31/2007 - WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Federal Reserve, confronted with surging oil prices and a slumping housing market, on Wednesday cut a key interest rate by a quarter-point, the second rate reduction this year… It will be a classic battle between a David and a Goliath It will be a classic battle between a David and a Goliath. Milwaukee and its fledging regional economic development group, M-7, have gotten themselves into one heck of a fight... Northeast Wisconsin Business Plan Contest Goal - Encourage the preparation of business plans for starting businesses, making significant changes to existing businesses, or launching new products in northeast Wisconsin. Why - Business plans are a critical tool in the proper planning and launch of new ventures and are the preferred mode of communication between entrepreneurs and innovators and potential investors. Who can enter – Individuals and companies that meet the contest's goal… Green industrial plant BELOIT, Wisconsin \| A half dozen sunflower oil vats are bubbling merrily inside Kettle Foods’ new potato chip plant in Beloit, Wisconsin. Each vat is the size of a minivan and capable of cooking hundreds of freshly sliced potatoes in a single batch. Several times an hour, like clockwork, potatoes tumble through an overhead chute and into the automated food slicer, where the starchy roots are whittled into pale medallions for easy cooking. Then they’re dumped directly into the vats, where an attentive cook guides the chips through the cooking process. According to Kettle, this process will yield more than 56,000 bags of potato chips each year in the 73,000 square foot plant. Muskego facility planned by GE Muskego facility planned by GE. Distribution center would move jobs from Cudahy. GE Healthcare is proposing a 485,000-square-foot distribution center in Muskego, a facility that would shift 125 jobs to that Waukesha County community from Cudahy... Project to spur Town Center development Project to spur Town Center development. Insight Development Group received the support of the Mequon Planning Commission recently after presenting a conceptual plan for a mixed-use development at the current Thermoset site... Hearing set for 'gateway for development' Hearing set for 'gateway for development'. A public hearing will be held prior to the next Plan Commission meeting concerning a proposed change in zoning along North Chicago Avenue as part of the city's tax-incremental finance district No. 2... Greenfield Highlands idea begins to bloom Greenfield Highlands idea begins to bloom. Finalized plan includes landscaping, architectural details. The Greenfield Common Council has finalized plans for Greenfield Highlands, a development that will include 156 condominium units at the northwest corner of State Highway 100 and Armour Avenue... Village, school district relationship a model one Village, school district relationship a model one. With municipal and school district budgets tightening statewide, relationships between the two entities are increasingly important, Germantown Park and Recreation Director Brett Altergott said... Medical facility proposed for College, Moorland Medical facility proposed for College, Moorland. Project would be part of new TIF district. Residents soon will get their first look at plans for a new 485,000-square-foot GE Medical facility proposed for a 35-acre site south of College Avenue and west of Moorland Road... Senior housing causes concern Senior housing causes concern. When Village of Eagle residents Lisa Eddy and Liz Erman bought lots in Fox Chase subdivision, they were under the belief the strip of land between their homes might be used as a drainage easement. Now, with Bielinski Homes' plans for a senior apartment... WCEDC announces county economic positioning strategy WCEDC announces county economic positioning strategy. Details to be outlined in coming months. Waukesha County Economic Development Corp. (WCEDC) released a draft economic positioning strategy for Waukesha County. WCEDC's board of directors plans to review and provide feedback on the initiative at its quarterly... Not just for big cities Not just for big cities. Bustling downtown condo life luring residents away from rural homes. The condominium developments of downtown Milwaukee and adjacent wards have drawn intense interest from baby boomers and young professionals who want to plug into the buzz of a busy... Not all subprime fallout has landed Not all subprime fallout has landed. Wells Fargo official says situation won't stabilize until '09. More than $1 trillion in adjustable-rate mortgages may jump higher in the next five years, triggering "a tidal wave of defaults and foreclosures," America's largest mortgage servicer predicted... Development News for 10/19/07 to 10/26/07 CORRECTION: No End In Sight For Real Estate Woes, Panel Says Thursday, October 18, 2007 - CORRECTION: Dennis Sandora of M&I Bank was referring to real estate in Florida when he talked about the market being overpriced by 30 percent. A story in Thursday's edition incorrectly said he was referring to the Dane County housing market. (Correction published 10/19/07)… Editors Note: An honest mistake, but one both Mike and I are anxious to correct… Findorff Makes Commitment To Quality, Community Sunday, October 21, 2007 - On a large picture of Madison's skyline in his office, Rich Lynch, president of J.H. Findorff & Son, can point to at least at dozen major buildings that his company has built. Findorff, founded in 1890 by carpenter John Findorff, has developed a Madison reputation as a builder of big projects. Among them are Monona Terrace, the Overture Center and American Family Children's Hospital. The company is now working on the University Square mixed-use project, Capitol West condominiums and the UW-Madison Institutes for Discovery. But Lynch, who personally supervised the construction of Monona Terrace, said some of the most memorable projects are the small ones, such as a school addition 15 years ago on Madison's West Side… Developer Of Condos Awaits The Boomers Saturday, October 20, 2007 - Prices At Aria In Sun Prairie Range From $219,900 To $459,900. Condominium sales were slow over the summer at the Aria in Sun Prairie, but developer John Waterman remains optimistic. He knows that demographics are on his side for the 55 and older community because of an increasing number of aging baby boomers who may want to give up lawn mowing and snow shoveling. He also thinks that the quality of the Aria condominiums - gas fireplaces, sun rooms, spacious bright floor plans, full basements and kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances - will be attractive to buyers. Waterman plans to build 10 four-unit buildings, 26 duplexes and 39 single-family units on a 43-acre site near highways 19 and C… Editors Note: I have suggested for some time now that we need to promote the entire region to this (“don’t call me senior”) demographic. I even had the hook “come for a football game, stay for a lifetime”, (click here for my BusinessWatch article). I know that bio is cool but boomers are – well – booming. New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com Commercial Properties By Community From www.FutureWisconsin.Com NEW! Large Property Transactions Building Permits The Big Plan For Regent Street Saturday, October 20, 2007 - Regent Street, the bustling but worn corridor between Camp Randall and the Kohl Center, may get a face-lift, more shops, tall buildings and a parking garage. After nearly a year's effort, a special committee is nearly done with the first-ever streetscape and design guidelines for the Regent Street corridor and neighborhood to the north, a 160-acre mishmash of small shops, chain stores, houses, offices and parking lots. The neighborhood plan, which still must be finalized and then approved by the City Council, covers an area between Camp Randall, the Kohl Center, Regent and Johnson streets. But it's far from clear how or when the blueprint will become reality for the corridor, heavily used by students, locals, commuters and, on game days, legions of red-clad Badgers faithful… UW microbiologists have a new home FRI., OCT 26, 2007 - UW-Madison's new Microbial Sciences Building, which will be formally dedicated this afternoon, is now the largest academic building on campus. But within its expansive 330,000 square feet, expect to find a strong sense of neighborhood, said professor Glenn Chambliss, chairman of the College of Agricultural and Life Science 's bacteriology department, which now makes its home there. The neighborhood concept is part of the facility 's design not just because it feels good, Chambliss said, but because it makes for good science… Budget provisions please some businesses WED., OCT 24, 2007 - Eliot Butler appears ready to take full advantage of the new state budget. If the budget plan is signed by Gov. Jim Doyle as presented, Butler, owner of the Great Dane Pub & Brewery, said his company's beer will soon be flowing at its newest location, at Hilldale Shopping Center. In addition, plans for expansion will proceed. "It's a huge relief," Butler said of a budget provision that allows brew pubs that make less than 10,000 barrels… Too Tall? - Proposed High-rise On Old University Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - A battle is brewing along Old University Avenue, where one of Madison's leading real estate families is pushing the envelope on tall buildings in an established neighborhood. The Mullins Development Group is pursuing a high-rise apartment complex at Campus Drive and Highland Avenue, across from the Best Western Inntowner hotel. It would be aimed at professionals, students and staff at the nearby hospitals, potentially including a future transit station for trains or buses. The project would consume the entire triangular-shaped 2500 block of University Avenue. Lombardino's restaurant would stay, but the balance of the block would be razed. Preliminary plans call for a single building with street-level retail and four levels of parking, one below ground. The apartments would start at level four, rising over 150 feet high and offering views of Lake Mendota and the west campus… Business briefs 10/25 COMMERCE The Wisconsin Department of Commerce is offering the Women's Business Enterprise designation to help women-owned businesses procure contracts. The designation is intended to help companies seeking to meet diversity goals to identify businesses that are owned by women… Wanted: Pied piper for commerce secretary Wanted: Pied piper for commerce secretary. State lags in attracting businesses, observers say. Shortly before announcing her resignation as Wisconsin's secretary of commerce, Mary Burke issued a harsh criticism of her agency... Editors Note: We need a Secretary focused on placing Wisconsin of the economic development map. We need a state cheerleader who will work with local communities to attract new business to the state… Dane County Board on Thursday Approves Comprehensive Plan Fri Oct 19 2007 - The Dane County Board on Thursday approved its first comprehensive plan, which lays out general guidelines for future policy decisions, but also may set the table for legal battles over zoning between the county and town governments. The county's plan has been developed over the last five years through public hearings and the work of a steering committee made up of citizens and elected officials. Local governments must pass a comprehensive plan by 2010, according to the state's 1999 Smart Growth Law… Gallery Pub Brings Fine Dining To Historic Building Sunday, October 21, 2007 - A unique form of business multi-tasking is now on display in the city's old commercial district. Forrestal's photography studio recently opened a bar and restaurant on its premises, which are sufficiently picturesque for both purposes. The backdrop for the photography and the food is the old American Hotel, which opened in the Civil War era and was known for its 25-cent Sunday dinners, as well as a place to drink alcohol when neighboring areas were "dry." It's one of two buildings that survived the Great Middleton Fire of 1900 (the other is the old opera house). The ivy-walled courtyard with its gazebo, limestone pond and white canopy with paper lanterns is an idyllic place to dine on a balmy evening. On non-balmy evenings, a greenhouse allows diners to look at the courtyard. Food is also served in the handsome bar in the building's oldest section. The Gallery Pub and Restaurant is part of a rapidly growing enclave of locally owned restaurants in Middleton's historic downtown buildings… Johnson Creek Growth Has Cooled Some But… Sunday, October 21, 2007 - The outlet mall here has been open almost 10 years. In that time, thousands from south central Wisconsin and beyond have flocked to this Jefferson County village for deals on shoes, bedding, clothes and pots and pans. The impact of development on Johnson Creek since 1998 can easily be quantified, and not just by the number of gargantuan cream puffs and caramel apples sold at the Pine Cone, an eight-acre truck stop with 9,000 square feet of convenience store and restaurant space adjacent to the outlet mall. The village's population has grown by more than 33 percent and the property value has skyrocketed from $46 million to $284 million… Historic farm gives new jump to Bobby Hinds 10/25/2007 - Bobby Hinds admits he never gave much thought to local history. He was a Kenosha boy who boxed at the University of Wisconsin, then worked as an insurance executive before owning Lifeline USA, the well-known Madison-based company that manufactures and markets Lifeline jump ropes and Lifeline gyms. But his interests took a complete turn when he and his wife Joy bought an old farm in Iowa County… Cool reward: Gorman rehabs, occupies historic Oregon school 10/25/2007 - Stepping onto the refurbished basketball court, Gary Gorman beams. "My dad remembers watching his uncle Leonard play basketball here in the 1930s," Gorman says, pointing out the narrow free throw lane that was standard in the days before George Mikan and other big men changed the game. The court is in what has long been known as the Red Brick School on Oregon's Main Street… It all began with a law school job 10/25/2007 - Gary Gorman never intended to start a company focused on historic preservation development. During law school, Gorman got a job at the old state Commissioner of Securities office reviewing offering memoranda for real estate deals. So when he joined a law firm after graduating, he ended up representing developers and syndicators who were raising capital from investors to do their deals… Editors Note: I know – it’s Gary Gorman week but the new digs are way cool and News and Notes ran the local article that got the other papers interested. Gary, I can do lunch next week… Dog's stinky tale a genuine killer 10/23/2007 - Don't they always blame the dog? A poem about a gas passing dog -- at least the author claims it was the dog -- has earned a Colorado man Duluth Trading Co.'s first Golden Plumber Award for the funniest story to occur at a job site. Bert Entwistle will receive the Golden Plumber Award trophy and $1,000 in gift cards at a ceremony next month at Duluth's corporate offices in Belleville, the company announced today… Editors Note: POEM now follows article both well worth reading… Around The State and Points Elsewhere West Allis gets $35 million in regional tax credits First-Ring Industrial Re-Development Enterprises, an entity formed earlier this year by the City of West Allis that is similar to the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., recently received $35 million in federal New Markets Tax Credits. The tax credits will be used to assist redevelopment projects in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties, said John Stibal, West Allis director of development. "It will be used for your basic redevelopment projects," Stibal said. Preference will be given to projects that create a large number of jobs and add significantly to the tax base, he said. As a land-locked and built-out suburb, West Allis has been working for years to redevelop its many obsolete industrial sites. The redevelopment of much of the former Allis Chalmers plant into… Commerce State Bank to begin construction of new headquarters Commerce State Bank has awarded the construction contract for its new 33,000-square-foot headquarters building to WB Corp. of West Bend. Construction of the new bank building on Silverbrook Drive at the intersection of Highway 45 and Paradise Drive will begin immediately. The new Commerce State Bank building will be the most visible and prominent class "A" office building in West Bend, according to Joe Fazio, chairman and chief executive officer of the bank. "WB Corp. clearly established themselves as experts in the construction of high quality, complex office buildings… Development plan for northwest side of Milwaukee nears completion A City of Milwaukee Comprehensive Area Plan to guide future development and identify catalytic opportunities for Milwaukee's northwest side is in draft form and ready for public review. The plan's recommendations include reducing the amount of rental housing units in the area, having new housing developments be owner occupied and redevelopment for the former Northridge Mall property. Two "open house" sessions will offer the public a chance to review the plan and share ideas. One will be held from 9-11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Direct Supply, 6663 N. Industrial Road, and the other will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Destiny Youth Plaza, 7210 N. 76th St. The plan can also be viewed on the Department of City Development's web site at www.mkedcd.org. Whispers of Wal-Mart at Iceport site swirl Whispers of Wal-Mart at Iceport site swirl. The Common Council, the Community Development Authority and the Plan Commission are hosting a special meeting at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday Oct. 31, to discuss the future of the Iceport property... Housing plan trimmed Housing plan trimmed. Northland Development officials hope a scaled-down version of Canterbury Court will win the approval they have sought for almost two years... Medical center opens, offers spa-like services Medical center opens, offers spa-like services. Medical Associates Health Centers is trying something new in Menomonee Falls... Drexel Avenue will be more pedestrian-friendly Drexel Avenue will be more pedestrian-friendly. Sidewalks near new Shoppes are first step. Responding to community pressure for a more pedestrian-friendly environment last week, the Franklin Plan Commission recommended measures to allow for the reconstruction of West Drexel Avenue... Revenue to keep moving from one TIF to another Revenue to keep moving from one TIF to another. Industrial park's success offsets slow business park growth. An unexpectedly slow-developing Germantown Business Park has led the village to take measures to prevent a possible $1 million burden on property taxpayers during the 2009 budget year... Streetscaping project continues on Oakland Streetscaping project continues on Oakland. Although there have been a few snags along the way, work on the Oakland Avenue streetscaping plan is progressing... Stormwater utility fee established Stormwater utility fee established. New fee means $36 tacked onto tax bills. The owner of a single-family residence in South Milwaukee will pay an annual fee of $36 for a stormwater utility fee approved by the Common Council Oct. 16... $1.75 million Pabst interchange OK'd $1.75 million Pabst interchange OK'd. Move made despite loss of developer. Setting aside concerns about explosive growth and the recent loss of a shopping mall developer, Waukesha County Board members agreed Tuesday to contribute $1.75 million for a new freeway interchange at Pabst Farms... Hotel developers hope for spring start Hotel developers hope for spring start. Kimpton project planned for vacant Park East area. Developers seeking to build a luxury Kimpton Hotel in downtown Milwaukee expect to begin construction by spring... Hotel planned for Grafton Highway 60 interchange Hotel planned for Grafton Highway 60 interchange. An 83-room hotel is the latest commercial development planned for a rapidly developing interchange in Grafton... UWM plan survives budget UWM plan survives budget. $8.4 million tagged for expansion project. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's plan to build a new engineering campus and research park, hailed as one of the biggest economic growth projects in southeastern Wisconsin, remained on track Monday as... Developer proposes senior complex Developer proposes senior complex. Aurora Sinai's former western campus may be converted. A portion of Aurora Sinai Medical Center's former western campus would be converted into 52 apartments under a new proposal... Conference center wants annexation Conference center wants annexation. Green Lake complex, town disagree on development. Green Lake Conference Center, a prestigious mid-Wisconsin religious and family gathering spot, has vowed to exit its hometown... Park East poised to start renewal Park East poised to start renewal. Development plans are close to bearing first fruit in area north of downtown. A few years from now, we might look back at 2007 as launch time for Milwaukee's Park East redevelopment area... $931,790 backed for Milwaukee projects $931,790 backed for Milwaukee projects. Federal funds would go to efforts including development, training. The Milwaukee Common Council's Community & Economic Development Committee recommended Tuesday that five large-impact projects receive a record $931,790 in federal funds in 2008... Development News 10/12/07 to 10/19/07 'Departed' fugitives a Madison couple? And a Real Estate Broker! 10/16/2007 - SOMEBODY MUST have spotted them getting off the cruise ship from Rome and called the police. The ship had docked at La Spezia at a little past noon on a beautiful Sunday last month. The American couple bought tickets for a tram tour of the city and got great seats at the very rear of the tram, offering a panoramic view off the back. The sun-splashed waterfront was glorious. But minutes passed, the tram did not move, and then the police cars began to arrive, one after another. "Something big is going on," the American man said… Editors Note: The man was George Weiland, a Madison Real Estate broker and this clearly demonstrates the length we will go to in order to publicize our commercial holdings! Please give George a call and wish him well -- and ignore the bulge in his coat… New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com Commercial Properties By Community NEW! Available commercial properties for the greater Madison area are now listed by community. The listings are available at individual community websites, along with information about the community, easily accessible by clicking the community on our regional map found here. If you are a broker please check your listings for accuracy and correct contact data. Building Permits Commerce Secretary Burke stepping down 10/12/2007 - MADISON - Mary Burke will step down as head of the state Department of Commerce on Nov. 1, Gov. Jim Doyle announced today. Burke, who has been commerce secretary for two-and-one-half years, said she is leaving to devote more time to her non-profit work and family interests. She is president of the Boy’s and Girls Club of Dane County and her family’s Trinity Foundation. “I’ll miss the people, but this job is all-consuming,” said Burke, who said she was honored to hold the post. “But I’m leaving with the state headed in the right direction… Open House at Rivers Turn The newest residential development on the Conservancy Place site in DeForest will host an open house, or more appropriately an “open lot” event Saturday, October 27th from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. Events will include special pricing and financing on lots, free brats and burgers, free pumpkins for the kids, the chance to win Badger hockey tickets, a GPS system and an iPod. Ozee Cars of Stoughton will also be offering tours via neighborhood electric vehicles. Joe Ring with Park Towne Development states, “We are excited to bring these new home sites into the DeForest area… Downtown Developer/Property Owner Roundtable Hosted by Smart Growth Madison Inc. The City of Madison is beginning their planning process to develop the new Downtown Master Plan as part of the citywide Comprehensive Plan. The outcome of this will influence the rewriting of the downtown portion of the city zoning code that is taking place over the next several years. The outcome of both will have a major impact on the future of redevelopment in the downtown area. We feel strongly that the process should include major downtown property owners and developers in a tangible and meaningful way and plan to draft a position paper encouraging the Mayor to be supportive of this position. On October 23, 2007, Smart Growth Madison Inc (SGM) will be hosting a Downtown Developer/Property Owner Roundtable to bring together these groups… Rehab or build a new school? FRI., OCT 19, 2007 - MOUNT HOREB — The classrooms are hot. Some of them have wasps. Sections of the three-level school are unreachable by elevator. The roof needs replacing. Some look at the Primary Center here — built in 1918 — and see a deteriorating school building that is expensive to maintain. Others see an irreplaceable example of Wisconsin Prairie School architecture… Editors Note: The solution here seem fairly obvious. Keep Reading… Red Brick ‘alive again’ Gorman & Co. moves into new headquarters 10/11/07 - Joan Gefke shudders to think what the Red Brick School looked like a year ago. “Oh dear, what a mess it was,” said Gefke, a local historian who spent her grade school years at the 1922 building before graduating in 1947. “It was in pretty sad shape.” Today, the beloved building near the corner of East Grove and Main streets has been transformed. Gorman and Company, led by president Gary Gorman, is putting the finishing touches on a $3 million-plus renovation, and this weekend about 40 employees will begin the move from their former headquarters on S. Park Street in Madison to Oregon’s downtown… Local Heart Institute Moving To Arbor Gate Thursday, October 18, 2007 - The Wisconsin Heart & Vascular Institute announced that late next year it will relocate its Madison clinic to the Arbor Gate development being constructed at 2601 W. Beltline. The institute began in 2001 with eight cardiologists practicing in space on the Meriter Hospital campus and has grown to 13 cardiologists, two vascular surgeons and five mid-level providers, necessitating additional space. The institute is the first tenant to sign a lease for Arbor Gate, a $55 million office and retail project south of the West Beltline and east of Todd Drive that is replacing a strip of aging retail buildings. The 215,000 square-foot project includes two six-story office/retail towers… Editors Note: And if these guys can’t get your heart going you can walk across the street… Inner Fire Yoga comes to University Place Shopping Center MIDDLETON, WI, October 16, 2007 – Sperry Van Ness, one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate investment brokerage firms, has announced that Jeff Jansen, CCIM and Karen Trieloff of the Middleton, WI office have completed a lease with Inner Fire Yoga in the University Place Shopping Center, located at Whitney Way and University Avenue in Madison. Jeff Jansen and Karen Trieloff represented the owner on the transaction… Editors Note: And everyone said ohmmmm… Sale of Mifflin St. Co-op store benefits new owner FRI., OCT 19, 2007 - The bulk grains, organic vegetables and soy milk have been absent from 32 N. Bassett St. for almost a year. But the legacy of the Mifflin Street Co-op is helping the new tenant and likely will aid other community organizations in years to come... Editors Note: Hundred’s of hippies are lost in downtown Madison seeking "Food for the Revolution". I truly love this city… Affordable apartments done in Middleton A "green" affordable apartment project is set to open Friday in Middleton, Nakoma Development LLC and Enterprise Community Investment Inc. announced. Parmenter Circle, 2310 Parmenter St., is a 50-unit, mixed-income complex providing 40 affordable and 10 market-rate apartments… Parents Bought The Downtown Condo For Student To Live In While Attending School Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - A t the immaculate condo of UW-Madison students Dan Bereiter and Shaun Aukland, stainless-steel appliances gleam in the kitchen. A slate-paneled fireplace adorns the great room. The porch offers a view of Lake Mendota. And a word of warning before stepping on the pale, birch floors: They "scratch easily." "It's nicer than the house I grew up in," said Bereiter, 19, whose parents bought the Downtown condo at 311 N. Hancock for him to live in while he attends school… Editors Note: Same parents nominated for sainthood by area developers… Prairie Bean Coffee is a pleasant new meeting space Prairie Bean Coffee is located in a beautifully designed space in the Fitchburg Center technology park -- it's on the ground level of an earthy looking office building called the Agora. Agora is Greek for public space or marketplace. The white tentlike structure next door (home to the Fitchburg Farmers Market and other community events) is dubbed the Agora Pavilion, so Center planners must be optimistic for a marketplace-like bustle… No End In Sight For Real Estate Woes, Panel Says Thursday, October 18, 2007 - As vice president of commercial lending at M&I Bank in Madison, Dennis Sandora is on the front lines of the local real estate scene. And Sandora doesn't see much hope for a quick end to the housing slump, which has brought construction of new homes to a standstill and left financial markets reeling. "I'm afraid we're still at least three years out," Sandora said Wednesday during a conference titled "Reacting to a Troubled Real Estate Market" at the Concourse Hotel. ~~In fact, Sandora believes the market in Dane County remains overvalued by about 30 percent…~~ Editors Note: A quick correction the 30% figure actually referenced properties in Florida and we all know -- we are no Florida... Housing Woes Grow Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - Problems in the housing industry intensified last month with construction of new homes plunging to the lowest level in 14 years. Consumer prices, meanwhile, rose at the fastest pace in four months, reflecting higher energy and food costs. The Commerce Department reported today that construction of new homes fell 10.2 percent last month, compared to August, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.191 million units. That was the slowest building pace since March 1993 and was far bigger than the 4.2 percent decline that economists had been expecting… Editors Note: I’ll stop now… Debut Set For Allied Drive Plan Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - Neighborhood Meetings Are Scheduled Before And After The Design Is Presented To The City Council On Dec. 4. Plans for the redevelopment of city-owned property on Allied Drive will be unveiled to the Madison City Council on Dec. 4, according to a resolution introduced Tuesday night. Neighborhood meetings to discuss the designs would be scheduled for the weeks of Nov. 12 and Dec. 10, and the City Council would need to vote on the proposal by Jan. 22 so that the project could receive tax credits from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority… Height Issues Hold Up Hillel Plan Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - Who owns the air and sky between Langdon Street and Lake Mendota on the UW-Madison campus? That question is delaying efforts by the UW Hillel Foundation to more than triple the size of its existing student center at 611 Langdon St. The Jewish student organization, which traces its roots here to the 1920s and is the second oldest operating Hillel in the world, is seeking approval to tear down its existing 12,000 square-foot building and replace it with a four-story, 40,000 square-foot facility. But those plans have run into opposition from the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based owners of the 74-room, seven-story Campus Inn hotel next door at 601 Langdon St., who maintain they have a "legally enforceable implied easement for air and sunlight under Wisconsin law." Their attorney cites a 1982 Wisconsin case as precedent… Editors Note: “legally enforceable implied easement” I have one of these, I think… $12.4m Cleans City's Lakes (too Bad They're Not Ours) Monday, October 15, 2007 -12-year Minneapollis Investment Pays Off. Could It Happen Here? When Mark Eilers was a grad student at UW-Madison in the early 1990s, he relished swimming in Lake Monona on lazy summer afternoons. But he stopped doing it after a while because he kept getting ear infections that he attributed to the murky, algae-infested waters.When Eilers and his family moved to Minneapolis in 1999, he decided to check out the water quality in the city's "chain of lakes" (Brownie, Twin Lakes, Lake of the Isles, Cedar, Calhoun and Harriet), a few miles southwest of the downtown. And he was amazed by how much cleaner they seemed than the lakes in Madison… Editors Note: If we could do this the economic impact long range would be huge!! News&Notes is now archived at http://parktowne.com/news.asp and www.WisconsinDevelopment.com Around The State and Points Elsewhere We Energies sells land in North Woods We Energies announced today that it has completed the sales of more than 2,500 acres of land in northern Wisconsin the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and The Trust for Public Land (TPL). The land sold to the DNR includes more than 500 acres in Florence County, and the transaction with TPL encompasses approximately 2,000 acres in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Woods Creek, a main tributary to two of Wisconsin's designated Wild Rivers, runs through a portion of the 500 acres sold to the DNR. Woods Creek provides upstream protection for the Popple and Pine Rivers and is a Class 1 brook trout stream… Green Building award goes to new home of Leopold Foundation Oct 18 - BARABOO, Wis. (AP) -- The foundation named for famed ecologist Aldo Leopold received an honor Thursday that would have made the conservationist proud: the U.S. Green Building Council named the group's new home the greenest building it has ever rated… More industrial development planned for Pabst Farms Despite the recent announcement that Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc. has dropped plans to build a regional mall at the Pabst Farms development at Highway 67 and Interstate 94 in Oconomowoc, development of other areas of Pabst Farms continues to progress… Kerry Is Building $45 Million Facility Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - Kerry Americas, a Beloit manufacturer of beverage flavorings and ingredients, has started construction on a $45 million headquarters and research and development center. When completed in 2009, operations at the existing plant in downtown Beloit will be moved to the new 250,000-square-foot facility on 124 acres of land at the intersection of Interstate 39-90 and Interstate 43 on Beloit's east side. The company said it plans to increase its work force from 300 to 500. The company, a division of Kerry Group in Ireland, got about $10.5 million in incentives from the city and state for the project… Editors Note: Wow 25% in incentives… $931,790 backed for Milwaukee projects $931,790 backed for Milwaukee projects. Federal funds would go to efforts including development, training. The Milwaukee Common Council's Community & Economic Development Committee recommended Tuesday that five large-impact projects receive a record $931,790 in federal funds in 2008... State agencies win tax credits State agencies win tax credits. U.S. awards $300 million worth. More than $300 million in federal tax credits intended to spur development and create jobs in low-income areas are headed to organizations in Wisconsin... Board approves rezoning for mixed-use project Board approves rezoning for mixed-use project. Coffee shop, salon, restaurant planned. A major facelift planned at the intersection of Pilgrim Road and Silver Spring Drive is continuing to evolve... Speakers say alternative energy key to development Alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, ethanol and biodiesel will play a key role in economic development, officials said Wednesday at an economic forum at the Radisson Hotel. About 130 people attended the event, held by the La Crosse Area Development Corp. and the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce… Waukesha County explores idea-matching venture Waukesha County explores idea-matching venture. Group links companies with dormant inventions gathered by Racine site. An economic development group announced plans Wednesday to stimulate business in Waukesha County by matching eager entrepreneurs with inventions and ideas that are sitting on a shelf... Construction gets under way on riverfront condo project Construction gets under way on riverfront condo project. Construction has started on a 133-unit condominium project, approved two years ago, on a riverfront site just north of downtown Milwaukee... Lawson Building could be razed Lawson Building could be razed. Renovations might not be worthwhile. Sentiment for saving the historic Lawson Building at 909 Menomonee Ave. appears to be on the decline, based on the reaction of the Community Development Authority to a proposal to renovate the city-owned structure... Work starts on new hospital Work starts on new hospital. Aurora agrees to handle public upgrades in Summit. After months of site preparation, work has begun on the footings and foundation of a new Aurora Health Care hospital at I-94 and state Highway 67... Alderman seeks design review for storefronts Alderman seeks design review for storefronts. Model would be similar to Third Ward. Although some in the community would like to see more consistency in storefront façades in "downtown" Bay View, at least one business owner says the eclectic storefronts contribute to the diverse character of South... Kohl's looks to sky for power Kohl's looks to sky for power. Solar panels to go on area buildings. Continuing the most sweeping national rollout of solar power ever by one company, Kohl's Corp. will install hundreds of solar panels on two area stores and on its new photo studio in Milwaukee... Business in Brief Business in Brief. LOCALApartments to be financed by tax creditsConstruction will soon begin on a 24-unit apartment project in Milwaukee's central city, the first Wisconsin project financed with affordable housing tax credits that's led by an African-American developer... Pabst Farms: Get this project right Pabst Farms: Get this project right. Now that General Growth Properties has withdrawn plans to build an upscale shopping center at the Pabst Farms development in Oconomowoc and the city has said it is happy to wait for the right proposal, maybe it's time to reconsider options for the site,... Germantown borrowing OK'd Germantown borrowing OK'd. Developer will repay loan for sewer service extension. The Village Board on Monday, in a second vote on an unusual issue, approved borrowing $2.6 million on behalf of a developer in order to extend sanitary sewer service west of Highways 41 and 45... $700,000 for low-income homes unspent $700,000 for low-income homes unspent. County could lose 'bonus' from HUD if it's not disbursed. Milwaukee County officials are struggling to spend the bulk of $1 million in "bonus" federal low-income housing money awarded in June, money that could disappear if not used by the end of the... At last, the chips are up at state bioscience firm At last, the chips are up at state bioscience firm. GenTel has product on market, expects others soon. When Alex Vodenlich came to GenTel BioSciences Inc. in February 2003, he assumed the company was well-positioned for swift growth... New housing fund gets 21 requests New housing fund gets 21 requests. City will provide $2.5 million to address community's needs. Milwaukee's new Housing Trust Fund has received 21 proposals requesting a total of more than $5.6 million to provide housing for low to moderate income residents of the city... Bank sues Brewers Hill developer Bank sues Brewers Hill developer. Nine foreclosures filed for Olson-owned properties. Wauwatosa Savings Bank has filed nine foreclosures seeking nearly $11 million from Timothy J. Olson, a landlord and developer, who less than a month ago narrowly won approval from the Milwaukee Common... 'Human TIF' plan could be just what state needs 'Human TIF' plan could be just what state needs. Finally, one major organization has cut through the cluttered debate over how to fund higher education so that it can better drive the state's economy. Competitive Wisconsin, a group of leaders from labor, business, agriculture and education, recently... Delafield panel rejects site plan Delafield panel rejects site plan. No advantage seen in sharing a facility with St. John's. A special committee studying the need for new or renovated municipal buildings will recommend that the city not sell City Hall and build a new municipal office/library facility in co-operation... Offices, residences sought on 'busy, noisy streets' Offices, residences sought on 'busy, noisy streets'. Residents petition for change in plan. A compromise on a proposed change to Glendale's master plan will be considered by the Plan Commission at its Nov. 6 meeting... Town Board needs more time to study development plan Town Board needs more time to study development plan. Commercial district near I-94 and Bluemound could feature eight-story buildings. Brookfield's Town Board last week tabled a vote on a redevelopment plan for an important commercial corridor at the intersection of Barker Road and Interstate 94 after town... Green theme eyed for business area Green theme eyed for business area. But issues develop with bioswale garden beds. The use of environmentally friendly bioswale garden beds to beautify the East Silver Spring Drive business district has run into some technical and cost difficulties... Development News 10/05/07 to 10/12/07 Searching for signs of progress in the state budget debate? There are a few Lost in the chatter about cutting legislative salaries or expenses if they fail to pass a state budget on time is the fact that lawmakers and Gov. Jim Doyle have been slowly - OK, make that glacially - chipping away at major issues that stand between them and agreement… Editors Note: Nice take from Tom Still and far less partisan than most. The lack of a budget will soon have a huge impact on the development industry not to mention long term recruiting efforts to attract new business to the state. Builder's woes pile up, costs city manager his job The financial meltdown of local real estate developer Robert Niebauer is reverberating across the state, including the resignation of the Oshkosh city manager in part for failing to alert officials about a bank foreclosure on a high-profile downtown apartment project backed with $2.2 million in public money. Investors in a long-stalled Monona condominium project have also filed suit against Niebauer, claiming he reneged on a deal to purchase the Garden Circle apartments after tenants were moved out… Editors Note: Development is a tough business and I believe Bob had nothing but good intentions and wanted to bring all his projects to fruition but even the slightest market turn can have a serious impact. Beer's On Tap In History Tour Monday, October 8, 2007 - Enjoy some beer tasting, then take a historic brewery walk in downtown Madison. Discover how beer making has left its "mug" imprinted on city development. That's all on the agenda for a walking tour titled "Hops and History," which will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, beginning at the Great Dane Brew Pub, 123 E. Doty St. Editors Note: Ahhh… the good old days. Of course today none of these places could get a license… New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com Building Permits City Mulls Sites For Downtown Hotel Thursday, October 11, 2007 - Monona Terrace is losing events because there are not enough hotel rooms associated with it, Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Deb Archer is telling city officials, and they are saying a new hotel could be built on city land. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz told a meeting of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday that the surface parking lot and greenspace behind the Madison Municipal Building would be a good site for another hotel or an expansion of the Hilton Monona Terrace, a 240-room… Editors Note: would it be inappropriate of me to suggest that I have been writing about this for over a year… And for the record moving DHFS out of their building and turning the gothic structure into a world class hotel would be way cool. Good bones, lousy use, Great Opportunity… Stage set for budget showdown After more than three months of negotiations and delays, the stage is set for a final showdown over the state budget. Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch said today that his house will take up Gov. Jim Doyle's compromise spending proposal on Monday. Doyle called a special session earlier this week to force the Republican-controlled Assembly and Democrat-controlled Senate to finally adopt a new budget. The two sides have been deadlocked since July over the proposed spending proposal… Assembly head sees rejection for Doyle budget plan FRI., OCT 12, 2007 - The Assembly 's leader predicted Thursday that his chamber will reject Gov. Jim Doyle 's new two-year budget bill Monday, but administration officials were talking with Republican lawmakers in an effort to generate support for the plan. Foreclosures remain high Although foreclosures fell both nationally and locally in September from record levels in August, they remained far above a year ago, RealtyTrac reported. The 223,538 U.S. foreclosure filings -- default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions -- reported in September were 8 percent below the 243,947 in August but just shy of double the 112,210 last September. The September total is the second highest since Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac begin tracking foreclosures in January 2005. In Dane County, 74 foreclosures were reported in September, down 28.1 percent from 103 in August but more than triple the 22 last September… Madison a fit for Brown Shoe? Brown Shoe Co., the parent of Madison-based Famous Footwear, is considering moving its corporate headquarters out of St. Louis and Madison is a prime possible destination, the St. Louis Business Journal reported. The publication cited sources close to the negotiations in the report last Friday. It said Brown, one of St. Louis' oldest and largest publicly traded companies with about 500 employees at its headquarters… Forest Products Lab Works To Add Value To Farming Thursday, October 11, 2007 - It was a simple little bench - the kind old farm houses had by the back door where children could sit while putting on or taking off their boots. It seemed rather out of place at World Dairy Expo. And because of that it drew lots of attention. Actually, it wasn't intended to be a bench at all. Rather, it was an example of an engineered biocomposite board made of 50 percent bovine digested solids and 50 percent recycled paper fiber. The company that made it, GHD, Inc. of Chilton, specializes in designing and installing manure digesting systems on dairy farms across the country… UW building's mold sickens workers, students Summer Boyd says that mold problems in Ingraham Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus are so bad that she has to work at home. Numerous other workers in the 1960s-era building say they have been plagued with breathing difficulties, burning throats, itchy eyes and coughs, and that UW officials have been slow to solve the problem. UW officials and workers in the building agree that mold developed in basement rooms in February after water leaked… Monona City Administrator Is Named Thursday, October 11, 2007 - Monona's new city administrator is Patrick Marsh, the current administrator in Coal Valley, a village of 3,600 in northwestern Illinois. Marsh also has been assistant city administrator in Eldridge, Iowa, and worked for 12 years for the regional planning commission in that part of eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois. He replaces Dave Berner, who had been Monona's manager since 1995. Berner departed in June to become city manager in Platteville. Marsh, one of more than 50 applicants, was selected because he has the "good development background that we were looking for and good personnel experience," said Mayor Robb Kahl. The members of the search committee were "uniform in their impressions of Patrick," Kahl said.. Biz Puts Mayor In The Toaster Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's message this morning to members of Madison Chamber of Commerce was that they need to trust his selection of Bill Clingan to be the director of the city's new Economic Development and Community Development Department. But some of the mayor's listeners said they doubt the business community will come across. "I was looking for the traditional economic development experience the business community values so much, but I was also looking for other qualities," the mayor said during a breakfast meeting at the Concourse Hotel, where he defended a selection that prompted two high-level resignations from the city's Economic Development Commission… Local Home Building Hits Low Of Century Monday, October 8, 2007 - Home builders have responded to the weakness of the Dane County real estate market by building the fewest homes in a month this century, MTD Marketing reported. There were 53 permits issued for new homes and duplexes in Dane County in September, the fewest going back to at least January 1999, when MTD started tracking the statistic. The previous low in that period was 68 last December, while the highest was 284 in June 2005. There were 73 last September and 122 in August of this year. Year-to-date through September, the 888 permits issued are well off the 1,117 for the same period last year and far below the range of 1,448-1,963 from 1999-2005… Mayor Hit On Housing - But Some Say He Faces Difficult Budget Task Friday, October 5, 2007 - Although Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's proposed 2008 operating budget upsets some affordable housing activists and advocates for the homeless, individual agency heads say the mayor is facing a difficult task. Ald. Brenda Konkel said Thursday that she "sees fear (among agency heads) such as I haven't seen since the '90s that, if they say something the mayor doesn't like, they will get defunded." Konkel has been executive director of the Tenant Resource Center since 1995.. Home Sales Forecast Dim Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - The decline in sales of existing homes this year will be steeper than previously anticipated, a trade group for real estate agents said today. The eighth straight downwardly revised forecast from the National Association of Realtors calls for U.S. existing home sales to be 10.8 percent lower than last year as housing market struggles persist. In its October report, the association predicts 5.78 million existing homes will be sold in 2007, down from 6.48 million last year. Last month, the association predicted an 8.6 percent drop from a year ago… Conduct in Camp Randall stall nets disorderly conduct charges While the Badgers were scoring frequently in the second quarter of their victory over Washington State on Sept. 1, a young couple was scoring on their own in a stall in the women's restroom in the upper deck, resulting in a court appearance today on charges of disorderly conduct… Editors Note: This story is here only in case you missed it… The line about the pants had me laughing out loud… It’s Friday go home… Around The State and Points Elsewhere Barrett wants 'full-court press' to keep headquarters Barrett wants 'full-court press' to keep headquarters. For Milwaukee, the biggest unknown in the MillerCoors deal is what will become of Miller's corporate offices... Editors Note: Milwaukee VS. Golden this could be tough… Delafield panel rejects site plan Delafield panel rejects site plan. No advantage seen in sharing a facility with St. John's. A special committee studying the need for new or renovated municipal buildings will recommend that the city not sell City Hall and build a new municipal office/library facility in co-operation... Pabst Farm zoning won't permit big boxes Pabst Farm zoning won't permit big boxes. Mayor says city will wait for upscale retailers. Mayor Maury Sullivan said Monday that zoning and land-use plans do not permit so-called big box stores to be built on the Pabst Farms site where a large shopping mall has been proposed, and city officials... Time Warner plans new building Time Warner plans new building. Appleton facility will consolidate, add workers. Time Warner Cable announced Monday it plans to build a $20 million operations center in Appleton, a facility the company said is expected to create up to 300 new jobs over five years... Property values' rise slows down Property values' rise slows down. Waukesha reports 5.08% increase, below state average. The residential housing slump seems to have caught up to Wisconsin this year, with the state posting its lowest valuation increases since 1992... Town Board needs more time to study development plan Town Board needs more time to study development plan. Commercial district near I-94 and Bluemound could feature eight-story buildings. Brookfield's Town Board last week tabled a vote on a redevelopment plan for an important commercial corridor at the intersection of Barker Road and Interstate 94 after town... Green theme eyed for business area Green theme eyed for business area. But issues develop with bioswale garden beds. The use of environmentally friendly bioswale garden beds to beautify the East Silver Spring Drive business district has run into some technical and cost difficulties... Lohmann's steakhouse sold, to close in December Lohmann's steakhouse sold, to close in December. Busy corner was rural when popular eatery opened doors in 1947. After 60 years serving up steak with a side of hometown charm, the owners of Lohmann's Steak House, N9609 Appleton Ave., Germantown, will close its doors for the last time Dec. 15... Group unveils plans for police, fire station Group unveils plans for police, fire station. GHS needs to raise $2 million to buy, renovate building. The clock is ticking for the Greendale Historical Society, which has less than a year to raise $2 million to renovate the former police and fire station... Economic development: Determining needs Economic development: Determining needs. Select Waukesha County businesses this week will be receiving a survey on the county's higher educational needs. It's a survey we encourage every recipient to answer because every recipient has an interest in what's at stake. The survey is being sent... Wisconsin falls in business tax rank Wisconsin falls in business tax rank. Report measures several types of taxes. Wisconsin fell three places, to No. 39, in the annual ranking of state business tax climates published Tuesday by a conservative Washington policy research organization... Lakefront upgrade Lakefront upgrade. Racine is readying its shore for more fishing, more living, more fun. The whole sprawling body of Lake Michigan seemed to splay out in front of Javail Winston as he fished. The lake was lightly choppy and dotted by a few white yachts gliding into the... Is Pabst Farms a city unto itself? Is Pabst Farms a city unto itself?. In Oconomowoc, some wonder. The number of developers knocking on the door of City Hall at this epicenter of growth in western Waukesha County has so overwhelmed city staff and services that Mayor Maury Sullivan recently had to convene a series of special... STAG acquires property STAG acquires property. Boston investment firm increases presence in area. A Boston-based real estate investment firm has purchased its third Milwaukee-area building over the past six months... Dept. of Commerce. $250,000 grant to Village of Tigerton. Development News 9/28/07 - 10/5/07 Institutes to share research incubator - Building to start in spring at Madison Oct. 1, 2007 - A planned $150 million research and business incubator in Madison will be housed in one building, with two institutes representing the public and private sectors each having their own lab areas. Architectural renderings unveiled Monday on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus showed a building with three towers. One tower will be used for the public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, one for the private Morgridge Institute for Research, and the third will be split by each. The building will have a first-floor town center designed to encourage gatherings, with a coffee shop, a few stores and a Rennebohm's soda fountain, said Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which contributed $50 million to and is managing the project. It was designed to encourage collaboration between UW-Madison researchers and business acceleration… Plans For Hyatt On Washington Clear Hurdle Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - A 151-room Hyatt Place boutique hotel on West Washington Avenue that will cater to business travelers cleared its first major hurdle Monday night, paving the way for consideration by the Madison City Council tonight. After lengthy discussion, the city Plan Commission approved the general design and plans for an 11-story hotel at 333 Washington Ave. as part of the Alexander Co.'s $110 million Capitol West development. City approval will be needed later for more details, and the plans could change. For example, Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, Monday made a last-minute suggestion that the hotel could be allowed to add one or two stories in exchange for additional green space at the dropoff point at street level. The hotel would replace a 13-story, 84-unit condominium tower originally planned by the Alexander Co… New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com Jay Blevins and I are inviting you to take a look at a new project (www.FutureWisconsin.com) supporting Economic Development in the area. The community based informational websites are designed to create a one stop shop for individuals and companies seeking to do business in Wisconsin. Your properties should appear in the PROPERTIES section on the appropriate community. The BETA sites are offered for criticism and input at this time… Be Gentle... Comp Time with Bill Clingan - Mayor's pick for economic developer director exudes optimism Wednesday 10/03/2007 - A pair of high-profile resignations and criticism from three prominent business groups isn't deterring Bill Clingan from accepting Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's nomination to become the city's new economic and community development director, a cabinet-level position created to elevate business issues among other city priorities. After the mayor picked Clingan… Editors Note: Interesting interview. If he is confirmed I suggest we all help him understand the importance of development in and around Madison. Cieslewicz responds to Bugher following resignation from EDC Wednesday 09/26/2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz has sent a barbed thank-you note to Mark Bugher, who resigned Monday from the city's Economic Development Commission with an unexpected blast at the mayor. Bugher, once a key Cieslewicz ally in the business community, left in protest of the mayor's choice of Bill Clingan… Clingan Seen As School Link - Mayor: Education, Development Tied Thursday, October 4, 2007 - Bill Clingan will become part of a bridge between the mayor's office and the Madison Metropolitan School District if the City Council confirms Clingan's appointment as the director of its new Economic and Community Development Department. As Mayor Dave Cieslewicz told The Capital Times' editorial board this week, the city has no real authority over the schools, but they are crucial to the city's success in fighting crime and promoting economic development. "We need to find the right way to engage with the schools," he said. "Bill Clingan is part of the answer." Clingan, 53, was a Madison School Board member from 2003 to 2005… Lose yourself in the new Majestic Theatre Thursday 10/04/2007 - While living in Madison, I have never gotten into a drunken brawl in front of a nightclub -- at least not on King Street. Which is to say, the recently re-opened Majestic Theatre was new to me when I went there for the Porchlight fundraiser on Wednesday night. Five dollars gained you entrance to a show featuring the likes of Ben Sidran, Louka Patenaude & Frank Martinez, El Clan Destino, and The Midwest Beat, plus free pizza and beer… Editors Note: Why aren’t there more fundraisers like this one, beer, pizza, and Ben for five bucks! Venue sounds nice as well. Carriage House, Stella's to close 10/04/2007 - Two higher end furniture stores off Verona Road will launch going out of business sales Friday. Carriage House Gallery Inc., the locally owned Ethan Allen furniture retailer at 5302 Verona Road, begins its public going out of business sale by liquidating $2 million in furniture. Neighboring furniture retailer Stella's Furniture… Editors Note: We need and IKEA on Verona Road to attract destination shoppers to the area. All boats float with the tide. If you know anyone call me… Construction begins on airport parking ramp THU., OCT 4, 2007 - Construction has begun on a three-level, 500,000-square-foot parking ramp at the Dane County Regional Airport that will add 1,240 spaces. The $30 million project, expected to be completed late next year, also includes a 2,000-square-foot exit plaza with six gates and a parking administration building. Airport revenues, mostly parking fees, will pay for construction and no property tax revenue will be used… Housing Market Improves Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - Dane County's housing market could be looking better the rest of this year, but that won't necessarily mean it's rebounding, a leading local real estate official said today. "I don't think we're going to see a major rebound in the fourth quarter but I think in comparison to last year the differences won't be as significant as they were earlier this year… Editors Note: Sort of but we still need a new demographic of buyers in Dane County. Mayor's budget has housing advocates concerned 10/05/2007 - Although Mayor Dave Cieselwicz's proposed 2008 operating budget is upsetting some affordable housing activists and advocates for the homeless, individual agency heads say the mayor is facing a difficult task. Ald. Brenda Konkel said Thursday that she "sees fear (among agency heads) such as I haven't seen since the '90s that, if they say something the mayor doesn't like, they will get de-funded." She has been executive director of the Tenant Resource Center since the 1995. The center is funded by the city, the county, the federal Department… T. Wall pulls West End amendments 10/4/07 - The city’s Plan Commission did not look at the new West End proposal, after all. The amended plan for the 62-acre mixed-use development on the former Thompson property just inside the bypass was withdrawn from Monday’s agenda last week. On Wednesday, the same day the Verona Press reported that T. Wall Properties was requesting a change to its general development plan (GDP) – including a significant increase in the allotted size of its two anchor retailers – the Madison commercial property magnate told City Hall it had more work to do. City planning director Bruce Sylvester had been in discussions with project manager Sean Robbins… Online menu site relieves hunger pangs 10/04/2007 - What do you want to eat tonight? That eternal question might set you thumbing through the phone book, searching for something that strikes your fancy. Wouldn't it be great if there was a free place to go that had a menu from every restaurant in the area -- or at least close to it? Now there is. Menupix.com launched its local site at www.menupix.com/madison last… Franklin Electric Moving 100 Jobs Here Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - Franklin Electric Co. announced that it is moving its Healy Systems subsidiary and about 100 jobs from New Hampshire to its recently expanded Fueling Systems unit headquarters facility on Marsh Road, north of McFarland. Bluffton, Ind.-based Franklin, the world's largest maker of motors for submersible water pumps and fueling systems, bought Healy last year for about $35 million. The impacted employees will be able to interview for open positions in Madison and other Franklin facilities… Editors Note: Welcome! Residents Happy Madhatters Off State - Bar Owner Now Seeking New Campus Area Location Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - People don't immediately think of State Street as a neighborhood where people live, but Bill Cosh has lived on the street for the past 10 years. His apartment, in a 38-unit building above Walgreens on the corner of State and Lake streets, sits across from where the popular campus bar Madhatters planned on opening, causing an uproar. Gervasi's bar closed after 20 years on the corner of University Avenue and Lake Street in June 2006 with the redevelopment of University Square Mall. The city's Alcohol License Review Committee voted 4-1 last month to allow Gervasi to transfer his liquor license from University Avenue to a new location, 651 State St., in what used to be Fuddruckers… Downtown Hotel Moves Forward Tue Oct 2 2007 - The city is poised to let developers of a new 11-story Hyatt Place Hotel downtown encroach into the historic 28-foot public terrace along West Washington Avenue. The Madison Plan Commission Monday night on a 6 to 2 vote approved a proposal from LodgeWorks of Wichita, Kan., for a 151-room hotel at 333 W. Washington Ave… Aging Boomers Help Create Property Tax Dilemma Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - The shortage of nurses isn't the only challenge facing Wisconsin as its population gets older and grayer. A far more pressing concern is how the state will raise property tax dollars. Since World War II, the demand for housing in Wisconsin created a tremendous shift in the property tax burden from farmers and business to residential homeowners. Homeowners now absorb nearly 73 percent of the property tax burden in the state, up from just 39 percent in 1945, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (www.wistax.org). Conversely, the percentage… Editors Note: We also need to make a serious effort to keep my generation in Wisconsin after we retire. The financial impact of each person leaving this state is huge -- and it is not on anyone’s radar yet. Biotech jobs are nice but if we loose are largest population sector with the most disposable income… I’ll get off my soapbox now -- sorry… Virent Gets $2m Grant For Biofuel Development Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - Madison-based Virent Energy Systems, which is developing technology that converts biomass into gasoline, hydrogen and other fuels, has been awarded a $2 million federal grant… Great Wolf to open new call center Madison-based Great Wolf Resorts Inc. will open a 100-employee call center later this month in the Novation Campus, just south off the West Beltline at Rimrock Road. Great Wolf, the world's largest developer of indoor waterpark resorts… Editors Note: Why does Madison get the call center and no water park we are the second largest tourist destination in the state… ALSO - Madison-based First Weber Group announced that it has acquired Eagan Agency Ltd. in Wautoma, effective this week. Eagan brings more than 20 agents to First Weber. Mixed-use Development Planned For Old Plant Monday, October 1, 2007 - After sitting dormant for more than a year, the site of the former Royster Clark fertilizer plant on Madison's East Side likely will be converted into a mixed-use development. Urban Solutions has agreed to buy the site from Agrium for an undisclosed sum and Michael Hershberger, president of Urban Solutions, expects the sale to close by the end of the year. More than 30 workers lost their jobs in July 2006 when the plant, at Cottage Grove and Dempsey roads, was closed shortly after its purchase by Agrium, a fertilizer wholesaler and retailer with locations in North and South America… Water Crest Condominiums - 101 Ferchland Place Monday, October 1, 2007 - Ground was broken this summer for the 42-unit Water Crest condominiums on Lake Monona. The $17 million development is near Monona Drive and Cottage Grove Road in Monona. It includes one- to three-bedroom condominiums priced from $189,000 to $775,000, said developer Kevin Metcalfe of Metcalfe Co. All but four units have a view of Lake Monona and the Madison skyline… Editors Note: I put these on the wrong lake in my editorial piece for BusinessWatch Magazine… Sorry Kev… State Needs Solid Marketing Effort To Attract Businesses Monday, October 1, 2007 - Unless you subscribe to glamorous magazines such as Expansion Management or wait impatiently for weekly reports from the State Science and Technology Institute , you probably don't know that Wisconsin does a poor job of marketing itself as a business location. Oh, sure, the Green Bay Packers show up on the occasional Monday Night Football game and there's no end of on-air comments about cheese, beer and frozen tundra. As a result, most Americans know everything about Brett Favre - and next to nothing about what Wisconsin has to offer beyond cheese, beer and frozen tundra. The full story gets told from time to time on the news side of the national press,… Editors Note: I have been pounding this drum for a while and could not agree more see www.WisconsinDevelopment.com. We need a state cheerleader in chief… What's The Best Recipe For Business Growth? Monday, October 1, 2007 - Wisconsin officials have decided it's better to grow your own. The question is whether that's the best recipe for expanding the state's job base. Under Gov. Jim Doyle, the state has focused its job growth efforts largely on existing Wisconsin companies. Last year, the state Department of Commerce gave out $170 million in tax credits, loans, grants and other help to 403 projects. All but 10 of them were at existing Wisconsin companies… New Area Steakhouse Will Have Alvarez Mark Sunday, September 30, 2007 - The competition for steak in Dane County is about to get another upscale player. Ruth's Chris Steak House is a national chain based in Florida with more than 100 locations worldwide. But when the restaurant opens Oct. 15 in Middleton's Discovery Springs development, it will have its own Wisconsin flair. The restaurant, where steaks on the a la carte menu can range from $30.95 for a petite fillet to $44.95 for a T-bone, is locally owned by the Livesey Co. and UW-Madison Athletic Director and former head football coach Barry Alvarez. "That's been one of my favorite places to eat. I like the atmosphere, the feel of it, the consistency of it," said Alvarez… Editors Note: I would have liked a Barry’s Place with a 24 dollar T-bone… University research: The smarter the better University research: The smarter the better. New economic data last week confirmed what has become obvious in recent years: Madison is growing far faster than its industrial cousin in southeastern Wisconsin... Around The State and Points Elsewhere Farmland lost: 30,000 acres/year 10/04/2007 - Wisconsin is losing 30,000 acres of farmland per year, but the state's agricultural diversity has insulated it against farming downtrends, according to a report Wednesday. The study by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters found Wisconsin had nearly 24 million agricultural acres in 1950. By 2005 that number had dropped to 15 million. Nearly 60 percent of acres lost between 2000 and 2005 were in 19 counties, including those near the Twin Cities and Wausau as well as between Madison and Milwaukee. "Crops of houses where farms and forests… City Updates downtown Master Plan September 28, 2007 - City of Milwaukee officials recently began work to update the Milwaukee Downtown Plan, which serves as a guide for downtown development. “We think the process is an opportunity to take a look at the downtown holistically,” said City Planner Robert Greenstreet. For the first time ever, city officials are creating a master plan for the entire city. In addition, city officials are creating 12 area plans, including the update of the downtown plan. All of the planning work is expected to be complete by 2010, Greenstreet said. Once completed, the updated downtown plan will likely be heavily focused on the west side of downtown, which has long been overshadowed by the area east of the Milwaukee River… Signs of progress for the Pabst brewery redevelopment October 3, 2007 - The rotating sign on top of the grain elevators at the former Pabst brewery in downtown Milwaukee was lit up and set into motion for the first time in seveal years Tuesday night. Zilber Ltd. founder Joseph Zilber is redeveloping the former brewery property into a mixed-use urban… Island Life - Washington Isle Is A Vibrant Community Of Its Own Ask Jim Gunnlaugsson for a business card, and he has five ways to respond: moving service operator, building contractor, motel proprietor, storage company and Brothers Too owner. Brothers Too? Jim, 59, and brother Mack, 56, … Multiple hats and odd business pairings are not unusual on Washington Island, whose 680 year-round residents rely on ingenuity, good humor and each other when confined to the island's 35 square miles. About 80 percent of the acreage, off the tip of Door County, is woodland… Timeshare Project Gets Ok In Dells Sunday, September 30, 2007 - The City Council has approved the city's first timeshare project. Dells Investment Group got permission last week to build a three-story building with 120 units on its property on Highway 13 behind Field's Steak and Stein in the development it calls Coldwater Canyon Condos. The group has already built some condominiums on its property there and plans to build six buildings of two units each on what is identified as Lot 4. The three-story building will go on Lot 5… Big box stores might be Pabst Farms' future Big box stores might be Pabst Farms' future. Finding a new mall developer won't be easy, observers say. So-called big box stores, such as a Target and Kohl's Department Store, could replace a regional shopping mall planned for Pabst Farms in Oconomowoc, commercial real-estate industry observers... Pabst Farms may lose builder Pabst Farms may lose builder. Developer seeks backup firm for massive Oconomowoc mall. Developers of Pabst Farms are shopping for another company to build a large upscale mall at I-94 and Highway 67 because General Growth Properties Inc. looks like it is bowing out of the high-profile... Cudahy proposes streetcar system Cudahy proposes streetcar system. He criticizes leaders for lack of agreement. Philanthropist Michael Cudahy blasted local leaders Wednesday for failing to agree on public transit solutions - then offered his own plan for a $140 million modern streetcar system to link downtown, local... Aurora reveals more details on hospital Aurora reveals more details on hospital. Grafton facility will be part of rapidly growing retail area. Aurora Health Care said Tuesday that it plans to build its new hospital on a 105-acre site northwest of Highway 60 and Port Washington Road... Housing skies haven't cleared yet Housing skies haven't cleared yet. Market must weather another choppy year. Housing's forecast: cloudy with intermittent storms, increasing chance of sunniness in a year... City panel to review plans for Walker's Point site City panel to review plans for Walker's Point site. Office, retail, light industrial space proposed. A Milwaukee developer's proposal to construct office, light industrial and retail space on the former Grede Foundries Inc. site will be reviewed Monday by the city Plan Commission...	Special Report and Links Economic Development Webs for Dane Communities! Future Verona Future Sun Prairie Future Middleton Future DeForest Future Wisconsin Dane County Resource Guide to Economic Development Madison Office Market Trends Madison Industrial Market Trends Courtesy of: Grubb & Ellis\|Oakbrook News Archives *2007* October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 07 April 07 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 *2006* December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006

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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.

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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 1^st 2005, but hey that’s old news.

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School Of Business Is Given Millions

Sunday, October 28, 2007 - The $85 Million Donation Will Let The Uw-madison School Keep Its Name. The Wisconsin School of Business at UW-Madison has received an $85 million gift from a small group of alumni to keep its name just as it is for the next 20 years. It's the largest single gift ever given to UW-Madison. At a time when it's become common practice for buildings, programs, stadiums or schools to be named after major benefactors, this gift goes in the opposite direction by preventing that from happening - and paying to keep it that way. "It's holding the name off the market - but allowing the (business) school to benefit from a gift that's of the same magnitude as current namings. It's brilliant," said UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley...

Editors Note: I will sell the right not to rename News & Notes for $ 19.95 and dinner at Pepper Mill…

'Jeopardy' coming to town

Game show guru Alex Trebek is coming to Madison. The Kohl Center will be the site of the 2008 "Jeopardy! " College Championship, producers announced Thursday. Ten episodes of the popular answer-and-question quiz show are scheduled to be taped there on April 11 and 12. "With a vibrant student population, Madison is a great college-oriented community and an ideal choice…

Editors Note: shouldn’t the title of the story been, “Who’s coming to town in April?”. Maybe not development per say, but this type of event will help us market Madison to the world. I suggest a Jump Around at each taping and a costume reception for Alex on State Street…

Gander Mountain set to build

MON., OCT 29, 2007 - TOWN OF BURKE — A new customer is coming to the interchange of Highway 51 and Interstate 39-90-94, and it won't be driving an 18-wheeler. Instead, the new visitors to this truck stop-laden exit will be dressed in camouflage, blaze orange and khaki, and they'll be thinking about turkey, deer and fish. One of the largest Gander Mountain stores in the nation is scheduled to open this spring and could help transform the interchange into more than just a spot for diesel fuel, chili and a soda. The 90,000-square-foot store will replace the smaller Gander Mountain at East Towne and will be joined by a 24,000-square-foot Camper World…

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Commercial Properties By Community From www.FutureWisconsin.Com NEW!

Bakery helps protect marshland

10/31/2007 - SUN PRAIRIE -- For the head of Pan-O-Gold baking, investing in land conservation fits perfectly into his company's philosophy. "Eating healthy and being good stewards of the land is simply part of who we are," said Robin Alton, CEO of the Minnesota-based firm that operates a 180,000 square-foot bakery and distribution facility here…

New Blackhawk Church plans celebration

George Brader was 38 when he, his wife Maxine, and a handful of other couples starting thinking about forming a church on Madison 's West Side. At the time, they were holding Bible studies in their living rooms. They did form that church, and now, as Brader prepares to celebrate his 80th birthday Tuesday, Blackhawk Church is ready to open the doors Sunday of a new $17 million, state-of-the-art facility on the Far West Side to welcome the 4,000 or so people who now attend services…

227,000-square-foot Monona Wal-Mart one of country's biggest

10/30/2007 - MONONA -- It's big. Stocked with $8 million in grocery and other merchandise, one of the largest Wal-Mart Supercenters in the nation will open in Monona next Wednesday. The grand opening celebration, complete with cake for the public, is Nov. 7 at 7:30 a.m. Cash registers go on at 8 a.m. From then on, the store will be open 24 hours. The jury remains out on whether increased traffic will help nearby South Towne Mall and Monona Drive retailers, or whether Wal-Mart's low prices will drive neighborhood shops out of business…

Editors Note: So two churches are opening this week...

EDITORIAL Reject mayor's muddled plan*

THU., NOV 1, 2007 - What began as a plan to beef up Madison 's ability to promote economic development has devolved into a muddled compromise that accomplishes almost nothing. Unless you count expanding the city's bureaucracy as something. That 's why Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the City Council should stop and start over…

Editors Note: I found a very good understanding of the sense of “Greater Madison” and the surrounding communities in Madison’s own Comprehensive Plan. This may be a good place to start. All area Comprehensive Plans can be found HERE…

Foreclosures more than double in Dane County

THU., NOV 1, 2007 - Foreclosures more than doubled in Dane County and Wisconsin during the third quarter of 2007, compared with the same period a year ago, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketplace for foreclosure properties. The number of foreclosure filings, including default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions, was up 162 percent in Dane County…

Clingan Withdraws Name For City Post

Saturday, October 27, 2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's controversial pick to be the city's first economic and community development director pulled his name from consideration Friday, spurring the mayor's office to announce a reorganization of the position that would split its two main functions into separate jobs. Bill Clingan - the state Department of Workforce Development division administrator Cieslewicz nominated in September - said it was increasingly apparent that his nomination was undermining the mayor's vision for the position and that he was becoming a "distraction." He said he still believes combining functions like business recruitment and neighborhood revitalization in one office could work but not if staff members and other city players don't buy into it…

Editors Note: I hope development professions see this as an opportunity -- not a victory…

Assisted living center to locate on west side

10/30/2007 - Catholic Charities Inc., the "faith in action" agency of the Diocese of Madison, announced that it has broken ground on a new assisted living center on the far west side. All Saints Assisted Living Center will be a 58-unit, 43,000 square-foot facility in the senior community known as the All Saints Neighborhood, near the intersection of Watts Road and County M. The two-story building is planned to accommodate…

Get Help When Reviewing A Commercial Lease

Thursday, November 1, 2007 - When entering into a commercial lease, you need to know who's on your side and looking out for your interest - your real estate agent and attorney. The landlord will be drafting the lease, so it will be geared toward their best interests, more so than yours, with the goal of protecting their property and investment. While that doesn't mean the landlord and lease will not be fair, always review it with your real estate agent and attorney. Make sure they help you navigate unfamiliar terms and conditions. Make sure you know what is and isn't included in your basic rental…

Editors Note: But Ralph, if they read the lease they will actually know what’s in it…

Budget Gives UW's Growth Agenda A Boost

Tuesday, October 30, 2007 - The University of Wisconsin System is about to get bigger. More researchers at UW-Milwaukee. More adult students in the two-year UW Colleges. And more undergrads at UW-Green Bay and UW-Oshkosh. The state budget signed into law last week allows UW campuses to begin expansions intended to increase the number of graduates and boost economic development. UW System President Kevin Reilly had campaigned for more than a year for the so-called Growth Agenda, which he called critical to the state's economic future…

Two Hotels Will Be Built Near Princeton Club

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - Construction Of The First Hotel Started In July And Is Expected To Be Finished Next Summer. The first of two projects that will lead to two hotels near the Princeton Club at the Beltline and High Point Road have begun. Construction began in July on a 132-room, four-story Hampton Inn & Suites. The project is scheduled for completion next summer. The construction of a 121-room, four-story, Homewood Suites by Hilton is scheduled to begin in December and be completed by late next year or early 2009, said Stacey Barmore, director of marketing for the North Central Group, a Madison-based hotel management and development company. The hotels, in the 400 block of Commerce Drive, are being built by Raymond Management Co., of Madison. The North Central Group will assume the operational duties and day-to-day management of the hotels, Barmore said. The two companies also…

City Losing Conventions To Dells, Other Cities

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - When delegates attend a convention in Madison, they sometimes make a side trip to Wisconsin Dells for the water parks, casino and other attractions. Now, Madison often is becoming the side trip as more conventions are held at expanded facilities in the Dells. Deb Archer, president of the Greater Madison and Convention Bureau, said more hotel rooms near Monona Terrace are needed to stem the losses of conventions to other cities, especially the Dells. "The loss ratio is accelerating as our competition gets tougher," she said. "The landscape's changed since Monona Terrace opened."…

Editors Note: DHFS building as a hotel…

Arbor Gate

Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Construction began in September on Arbor Gate, a $48 million office and retail project south of the Beltline and east of Todd Drive that will replace a strip of aging retail buildings that have been torn down. The 215,000-square-foot project includes two six-story office and retail towers on six acres. A future phase of the project is planned for another part of the property. The ground floor will have shops and restaurants, and there will be office space above. The upper floors will have views of the UW Arboretum , the UW-Madison campus and the Isthmus…

Liliana’s offers New Orleans cuisine

10/18/07 - New Orleans cuisine and entertainment arrive in Fitchburg later this month when Liliana’s Restaurant opens on McKee Road, a half block east of Fish Hatchery Road. The restaurant is the dream of chef Dave Heide, a former Fitchburg resident whose culinary apprenticeship encompassed several well-known restaurants. He named the restaurant after his daughter. Why New Orleans fare? Heide said he loves Italian cuisine but thought the local market was…

Virent Receives $2 Million Grant

Thursday, November 1, 2007 – Virent Energy Systems, Madison, has received a $2 million Advanced Technology Program grant from the National Institute for Standards and Technology , which is part of the U.S. Department of Commerce . The money will help fund Virent's efforts to find more efficient ways to break down agricultural waste products into sugars that can be converted into biofuels. Platypus Technologies in Fitchburg has received a $2.3 million contract with the U.S. Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center in Maryland to develop a badge for detecting chemical weapons…

City On Board With Skaters

Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Madison has a reputation as a progressive, trend-setting city, but when it comes to skateboarding, it is behind the curve. That may be changing as Madison is planning its first public skateboard park as part of the new Central Park being drawn up on the Near East Side. A committee assigned to devise a plan for Central Park isn't expected to issue its report until early next year, but Chairman Bill Barker said it will recommend a skateboard park be included, likely as the first phase of development. Barker said the committee, though skeptical about a skate park at first, has been impressed by the involvement and support of people such as Dave Mayhew, a retired professional skater who runs a skateboard shop in Middleton…

Two Coldwell Banker Affiliates Merge

Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Coldwell Banker Sveum Realtors of Dane County and Coldwell Banker First United Realty of Janesville have merged to form Coldwell Banker Success . The new business is equally owned by Sveum and First United. Terms of the merger were not disclosed. First United has 40 agents, with offices in Janesville and Evansville. Sveum has more than 50 agents, with offices in Fitchburg, Stoughton, Sun Prairie and Verona. First United is the top-ranked Coldwell Banker affiliate in Wisconsin in terms of units sold this year. The merged firm's Web site is www.cbsuccessrealty.com…

Great Wolf Plans New Resorts

Thursday, November 1, 2007 - Great Wolf Resorts will build another indoor waterpark resort and has positioned itself to add one more near one of the largest casinos in the world. The Madison company announced it will break ground before the end of the year on a 402-suite Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, N.C., a suburb of Charlotte. It's expected to cost more than $120 million, the company said. The announcement was made just a day after the company announced it had signed a letter of intent to develop a Great Wolf Lodge resort with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation in Mashantucket, Conn., which is about halfway between New York and Boston. The tribe, housed on one of the oldest, continuously occupied Indian reservations in North America, operates the 340,000-square-foot Foxwoods Resort Casino, which has more than 380 gaming tables and more than 7,400 slot machines...

Grant Will Make Verona Trail Safer

Wednesday, October 31, 2007 - Safe passage for bicyclists and walkers on a popular recreational trail in Verona will be all but guaranteed next year thanks to one of the largest grants ever made for Dane County parks. The Madison Community Foundation is giving $150,000 to help pay for the construction of an underpass at County MV (Business 18-151) near the Badger Prairie Health Care facility on Verona's east side. The underpass will allow bikers and walkers to continue traveling on the Military Ridge State Trail and Ice Age National Scenic Trail without having to cross the busy four-lane highway…

Hyde's Mill as genuine as the 102-year-old who owns it

11/01/2007 - Hyde's Mill is a photographer's delight. The weathered grist mill with its wooden waterwheel, glistening water falling from the 1850 dam and park-like setting draws tourists from afar and Sunday drivers from nearby. It conjures images of farmers on horse-drawn wagons filled with bags of corn for grinding. The mill is just down the road from the Hyde store, which…

News&Notes is now archived at http://parktowne.com/news.asp and www.WisconsinDevelopment.com

Around The State and Points Elsewhere

Fed cuts key interest rate for a second time to guard against recession threats

10/31/2007 - WASHINGTON (AP) _ The Federal Reserve, confronted with surging oil prices and a slumping housing market, on Wednesday cut a key interest rate by a quarter-point, the second rate reduction this year…

It will be a classic battle between a David and a Goliath

It will be a classic battle between a David and a Goliath. Milwaukee and its fledging regional economic development group, M-7, have gotten themselves into one heck of a fight...

Northeast Wisconsin Business Plan Contest

Goal - Encourage the preparation of business plans for starting businesses, making significant changes to existing businesses, or launching new products in northeast Wisconsin. Why - Business plans are a critical tool in the proper planning and launch of new ventures and are the preferred mode of communication between entrepreneurs and innovators and potential investors. Who can enter – Individuals and companies that meet the contest's goal…

Green industrial plant

BELOIT, Wisconsin | A half dozen sunflower oil vats are bubbling merrily inside Kettle Foods’ new potato chip plant in Beloit, Wisconsin. Each vat is the size of a minivan and capable of cooking hundreds of freshly sliced potatoes in a single batch. Several times an hour, like clockwork, potatoes tumble through an overhead chute and into the automated food slicer, where the starchy roots are whittled into pale medallions for easy cooking. Then they’re dumped directly into the vats, where an attentive cook guides the chips through the cooking process. According to Kettle, this process will yield more than 56,000 bags of potato chips each year in the 73,000 square foot plant.

Muskego facility planned by GE

Muskego facility planned by GE. Distribution center would move jobs from Cudahy. GE Healthcare is proposing a 485,000-square-foot distribution center in Muskego, a facility that would shift 125 jobs to that Waukesha County community from Cudahy...

Project to spur Town Center development

Project to spur Town Center development. Insight Development Group received the support of the Mequon Planning Commission recently after presenting a conceptual plan for a mixed-use development at the current Thermoset site...

Hearing set for 'gateway for development'

Hearing set for 'gateway for development'. A public hearing will be held prior to the next Plan Commission meeting concerning a proposed change in zoning along North Chicago Avenue as part of the city's tax-incremental finance district No. 2...

Greenfield Highlands idea begins to bloom

Greenfield Highlands idea begins to bloom. Finalized plan includes landscaping, architectural details. The Greenfield Common Council has finalized plans for Greenfield Highlands, a development that will include 156 condominium units at the northwest corner of State Highway 100 and Armour Avenue...

Village, school district relationship a model one

Village, school district relationship a model one. With municipal and school district budgets tightening statewide, relationships between the two entities are increasingly important, Germantown Park and Recreation Director Brett Altergott said...

Medical facility proposed for College, Moorland

Medical facility proposed for College, Moorland. Project would be part of new TIF district. Residents soon will get their first look at plans for a new 485,000-square-foot GE Medical facility proposed for a 35-acre site south of College Avenue and west of Moorland Road...

Senior housing causes concern

Senior housing causes concern. When Village of Eagle residents Lisa Eddy and Liz Erman bought lots in Fox Chase subdivision, they were under the belief the strip of land between their homes might be used as a drainage easement. Now, with Bielinski Homes' plans for a senior apartment...

WCEDC announces county economic positioning strategy

WCEDC announces county economic positioning strategy. Details to be outlined in coming months. Waukesha County Economic Development Corp. (WCEDC) released a draft economic positioning strategy for Waukesha County. WCEDC's board of directors plans to review and provide feedback on the initiative at its quarterly...

Not just for big cities

Not just for big cities. Bustling downtown condo life luring residents away from rural homes. The condominium developments of downtown Milwaukee and adjacent wards have drawn intense interest from baby boomers and young professionals who want to plug into the buzz of a busy...

Not all subprime fallout has landed

Not all subprime fallout has landed. Wells Fargo official says situation won't stabilize until '09. More than $1 trillion in adjustable-rate mortgages may jump higher in the next five years, triggering "a tidal wave of defaults and foreclosures," America's largest mortgage servicer predicted...

Development News for 10/19/07 to 10/26/07

CORRECTION: No End In Sight For Real Estate Woes, Panel Says

Thursday, October 18, 2007 - CORRECTION: Dennis Sandora of M&I Bank was referring to real estate in Florida when he talked about the market being overpriced by 30 percent. A story in Thursday's edition incorrectly said he was referring to the Dane County housing market. (Correction published 10/19/07)…

Editors Note: An honest mistake, but one both Mike and I are anxious to correct…

Findorff Makes Commitment To Quality, Community

Sunday, October 21, 2007 - On a large picture of Madison's skyline in his office, Rich Lynch, president of J.H. Findorff & Son, can point to at least at dozen major buildings that his company has built. Findorff, founded in 1890 by carpenter John Findorff, has developed a Madison reputation as a builder of big projects. Among them are Monona Terrace, the Overture Center and American Family Children's Hospital. The company is now working on the University Square mixed-use project, Capitol West condominiums and the UW-Madison Institutes for Discovery. But Lynch, who personally supervised the construction of Monona Terrace, said some of the most memorable projects are the small ones, such as a school addition 15 years ago on Madison's West Side…

Developer Of Condos Awaits The Boomers

Saturday, October 20, 2007 - Prices At Aria In Sun Prairie Range From $219,900 To $459,900. Condominium sales were slow over the summer at the Aria in Sun Prairie, but developer John Waterman remains optimistic. He knows that demographics are on his side for the 55 and older community because of an increasing number of aging baby boomers who may want to give up lawn mowing and snow shoveling. He also thinks that the quality of the Aria condominiums - gas fireplaces, sun rooms, spacious bright floor plans, full basements and kitchens with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances - will be attractive to buyers. Waterman plans to build 10 four-unit buildings, 26 duplexes and 39 single-family units on a 43-acre site near highways 19 and C…

Editors Note: I have suggested for some time now that we need to promote the entire region to this (“don’t call me senior”) demographic. I even had the hook “come for a football game, stay for a lifetime”, (click here for my BusinessWatch article). I know that bio is cool but boomers are – well – booming.

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Commercial Properties By Community From www.FutureWisconsin.Com NEW!

Large Property Transactions

Building Permits

The Big Plan For Regent Street

Saturday, October 20, 2007 - Regent Street, the bustling but worn corridor between Camp Randall and the Kohl Center, may get a face-lift, more shops, tall buildings and a parking garage. After nearly a year's effort, a special committee is nearly done with the first-ever streetscape and design guidelines for the Regent Street corridor and neighborhood to the north, a 160-acre mishmash of small shops, chain stores, houses, offices and parking lots. The neighborhood plan, which still must be finalized and then approved by the City Council, covers an area between Camp Randall, the Kohl Center, Regent and Johnson streets. But it's far from clear how or when the blueprint will become reality for the corridor, heavily used by students, locals, commuters and, on game days, legions of red-clad Badgers faithful…

UW microbiologists have a new home

FRI., OCT 26, 2007 - UW-Madison's new Microbial Sciences Building, which will be formally dedicated this afternoon, is now the largest academic building on campus. But within its expansive 330,000 square feet, expect to find a strong sense of neighborhood, said professor Glenn Chambliss, chairman of the College of Agricultural and Life Science 's bacteriology department, which now makes its home there. The neighborhood concept is part of the facility 's design not just because it feels good, Chambliss said, but because it makes for good science…

Budget provisions please some businesses

WED., OCT 24, 2007 - Eliot Butler appears ready to take full advantage of the new state budget. If the budget plan is signed by Gov. Jim Doyle as presented, Butler, owner of the Great Dane Pub & Brewery, said his company's beer will soon be flowing at its newest location, at Hilldale Shopping Center. In addition, plans for expansion will proceed. "It's a huge relief," Butler said of a budget provision that allows brew pubs that make less than 10,000 barrels…

Too Tall? - Proposed High-rise On Old University

Wednesday, October 24, 2007 - A battle is brewing along Old University Avenue, where one of Madison's leading real estate families is pushing the envelope on tall buildings in an established neighborhood. The Mullins Development Group is pursuing a high-rise apartment complex at Campus Drive and Highland Avenue, across from the Best Western Inntowner hotel. It would be aimed at professionals, students and staff at the nearby hospitals, potentially including a future transit station for trains or buses. The project would consume the entire triangular-shaped 2500 block of University Avenue. Lombardino's restaurant would stay, but the balance of the block would be razed. Preliminary plans call for a single building with street-level retail and four levels of parking, one below ground. The apartments would start at level four, rising over 150 feet high and offering views of Lake Mendota and the west campus…

Business briefs 10/25

COMMERCE The Wisconsin Department of Commerce is offering the Women's Business Enterprise designation to help women-owned businesses procure contracts. The designation is intended to help companies seeking to meet diversity goals to identify businesses that are owned by women…

Wanted: Pied piper for commerce secretary

Wanted: Pied piper for commerce secretary. State lags in attracting businesses, observers say. Shortly before announcing her resignation as Wisconsin's secretary of commerce, Mary Burke issued a harsh criticism of her agency...

Editors Note: We need a Secretary focused on placing Wisconsin of the economic development map. We need a state cheerleader who will work with local communities to attract new business to the state…

Dane County Board on Thursday Approves Comprehensive Plan

Fri Oct 19 2007 - The Dane County Board on Thursday approved its first comprehensive plan, which lays out general guidelines for future policy decisions, but also may set the table for legal battles over zoning between the county and town governments. The county's plan has been developed over the last five years through public hearings and the work of a steering committee made up of citizens and elected officials. Local governments must pass a comprehensive plan by 2010, according to the state's 1999 Smart Growth Law…

Gallery Pub Brings Fine Dining To Historic Building

Sunday, October 21, 2007 - A unique form of business multi-tasking is now on display in the city's old commercial district. Forrestal's photography studio recently opened a bar and restaurant on its premises, which are sufficiently picturesque for both purposes. The backdrop for the photography and the food is the old American Hotel, which opened in the Civil War era and was known for its 25-cent Sunday dinners, as well as a place to drink alcohol when neighboring areas were "dry." It's one of two buildings that survived the Great Middleton Fire of 1900 (the other is the old opera house). The ivy-walled courtyard with its gazebo, limestone pond and white canopy with paper lanterns is an idyllic place to dine on a balmy evening. On non-balmy evenings, a greenhouse allows diners to look at the courtyard. Food is also served in the handsome bar in the building's oldest section. The Gallery Pub and Restaurant is part of a rapidly growing enclave of locally owned restaurants in Middleton's historic downtown buildings…

Johnson Creek Growth Has Cooled Some But…

Sunday, October 21, 2007 - The outlet mall here has been open almost 10 years. In that time, thousands from south central Wisconsin and beyond have flocked to this Jefferson County village for deals on shoes, bedding, clothes and pots and pans. The impact of development on Johnson Creek since 1998 can easily be quantified, and not just by the number of gargantuan cream puffs and caramel apples sold at the Pine Cone, an eight-acre truck stop with 9,000 square feet of convenience store and restaurant space adjacent to the outlet mall. The village's population has grown by more than 33 percent and the property value has skyrocketed from $46 million to $284 million…

Historic farm gives new jump to Bobby Hinds

10/25/2007 - Bobby Hinds admits he never gave much thought to local history. He was a Kenosha boy who boxed at the University of Wisconsin, then worked as an insurance executive before owning Lifeline USA, the well-known Madison-based company that manufactures and markets Lifeline jump ropes and Lifeline gyms. But his interests took a complete turn when he and his wife Joy bought an old farm in Iowa County…

Cool reward: Gorman rehabs, occupies historic Oregon school

10/25/2007 - Stepping onto the refurbished basketball court, Gary Gorman beams. "My dad remembers watching his uncle Leonard play basketball here in the 1930s," Gorman says, pointing out the narrow free throw lane that was standard in the days before George Mikan and other big men changed the game. The court is in what has long been known as the Red Brick School on Oregon's Main Street…

It all began with a law school job

10/25/2007 - Gary Gorman never intended to start a company focused on historic preservation development. During law school, Gorman got a job at the old state Commissioner of Securities office reviewing offering memoranda for real estate deals. So when he joined a law firm after graduating, he ended up representing developers and syndicators who were raising capital from investors to do their deals…

Editors Note: I know – it’s Gary Gorman week but the new digs are way cool and News and Notes ran the local article that got the other papers interested. Gary, I can do lunch next week…

Dog's stinky tale a genuine killer

10/23/2007 - Don't they always blame the dog? A poem about a gas passing dog -- at least the author claims it was the dog -- has earned a Colorado man Duluth Trading Co.'s first Golden Plumber Award for the funniest story to occur at a job site. Bert Entwistle will receive the Golden Plumber Award trophy and $1,000 in gift cards at a ceremony next month at Duluth's corporate offices in Belleville, the company announced today…

Editors Note: POEM now follows article both well worth reading…

Around The State and Points Elsewhere

West Allis gets $35 million in regional tax credits

First-Ring Industrial Re-Development Enterprises, an entity formed earlier this year by the City of West Allis that is similar to the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., recently received $35 million in federal New Markets Tax Credits. The tax credits will be used to assist redevelopment projects in Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha counties, said John Stibal, West Allis director of development. "It will be used for your basic redevelopment projects," Stibal said. Preference will be given to projects that create a large number of jobs and add significantly to the tax base, he said. As a land-locked and built-out suburb, West Allis has been working for years to redevelop its many obsolete industrial sites. The redevelopment of much of the former Allis Chalmers plant into…

Commerce State Bank to begin construction of new headquarters

Commerce State Bank has awarded the construction contract for its new 33,000-square-foot headquarters building to WB Corp. of West Bend. Construction of the new bank building on Silverbrook Drive at the intersection of Highway 45 and Paradise Drive will begin immediately. The new Commerce State Bank building will be the most visible and prominent class "A" office building in West Bend, according to Joe Fazio, chairman and chief executive officer of the bank. "WB Corp. clearly established themselves as experts in the construction of high quality, complex office buildings…

Development plan for northwest side of Milwaukee nears completion

A City of Milwaukee Comprehensive Area Plan to guide future development and identify catalytic opportunities for Milwaukee's northwest side is in draft form and ready for public review. The plan's recommendations include reducing the amount of rental housing units in the area, having new housing developments be owner occupied and redevelopment for the former Northridge Mall property. Two "open house" sessions will offer the public a chance to review the plan and share ideas. One will be held from 9-11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 24, at Direct Supply, 6663 N. Industrial Road, and the other will be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 27, at Destiny Youth Plaza, 7210 N. 76th St. The plan can also be viewed on the Department of City Development's web site at www.mkedcd.org.

Whispers of Wal-Mart at Iceport site swirl

Whispers of Wal-Mart at Iceport site swirl. The Common Council, the Community Development Authority and the Plan Commission are hosting a special meeting at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday Oct. 31, to discuss the future of the Iceport property...

Housing plan trimmed

Housing plan trimmed. Northland Development officials hope a scaled-down version of Canterbury Court will win the approval they have sought for almost two years...

Medical center opens, offers spa-like services

Medical center opens, offers spa-like services. Medical Associates Health Centers is trying something new in Menomonee Falls...

Drexel Avenue will be more pedestrian-friendly

Drexel Avenue will be more pedestrian-friendly. Sidewalks near new Shoppes are first step. Responding to community pressure for a more pedestrian-friendly environment last week, the Franklin Plan Commission recommended measures to allow for the reconstruction of West Drexel Avenue...

Revenue to keep moving from one TIF to another

Revenue to keep moving from one TIF to another. Industrial park's success offsets slow business park growth. An unexpectedly slow-developing Germantown Business Park has led the village to take measures to prevent a possible $1 million burden on property taxpayers during the 2009 budget year...

Streetscaping project continues on Oakland

Streetscaping project continues on Oakland. Although there have been a few snags along the way, work on the Oakland Avenue streetscaping plan is progressing...

Stormwater utility fee established

Stormwater utility fee established. New fee means $36 tacked onto tax bills. The owner of a single-family residence in South Milwaukee will pay an annual fee of $36 for a stormwater utility fee approved by the Common Council Oct. 16...

$1.75 million Pabst interchange OK'd

$1.75 million Pabst interchange OK'd. Move made despite loss of developer. Setting aside concerns about explosive growth and the recent loss of a shopping mall developer, Waukesha County Board members agreed Tuesday to contribute $1.75 million for a new freeway interchange at Pabst Farms...

Hotel developers hope for spring start

Hotel developers hope for spring start. Kimpton project planned for vacant Park East area. Developers seeking to build a luxury Kimpton Hotel in downtown Milwaukee expect to begin construction by spring...

Hotel planned for Grafton Highway 60 interchange

Hotel planned for Grafton Highway 60 interchange. An 83-room hotel is the latest commercial development planned for a rapidly developing interchange in Grafton...

UWM plan survives budget

UWM plan survives budget. $8.4 million tagged for expansion project. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's plan to build a new engineering campus and research park, hailed as one of the biggest economic growth projects in southeastern Wisconsin, remained on track Monday as...

Developer proposes senior complex

Developer proposes senior complex. Aurora Sinai's former western campus may be converted. A portion of Aurora Sinai Medical Center's former western campus would be converted into 52 apartments under a new proposal...

Conference center wants annexation

Conference center wants annexation. Green Lake complex, town disagree on development. Green Lake Conference Center, a prestigious mid-Wisconsin religious and family gathering spot, has vowed to exit its hometown...

Park East poised to start renewal

Park East poised to start renewal. Development plans are close to bearing first fruit in area north of downtown. A few years from now, we might look back at 2007 as launch time for Milwaukee's Park East redevelopment area...

$931,790 backed for Milwaukee projects

$931,790 backed for Milwaukee projects. Federal funds would go to efforts including development, training. The Milwaukee Common Council's Community & Economic Development Committee recommended Tuesday that five large-impact projects receive a record $931,790 in federal funds in 2008...

Development News 10/12/07 to 10/19/07

'Departed' fugitives a Madison couple? And a Real Estate Broker!

10/16/2007 - SOMEBODY MUST have spotted them getting off the cruise ship from Rome and called the police. The ship had docked at La Spezia at a little past noon on a beautiful Sunday last month. The American couple bought tickets for a tram tour of the city and got great seats at the very rear of the tram, offering a panoramic view off the back. The sun-splashed waterfront was glorious. But minutes passed, the tram did not move, and then the police cars began to arrive, one after another. "Something big is going on," the American man said…

Editors Note: The man was George Weiland, a Madison Real Estate broker and this clearly demonstrates the length we will go to in order to publicize our commercial holdings! Please give George a call and wish him well -- and ignore the bulge in his coat…

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Commercial Properties By Community NEW!

Available commercial properties for the greater Madison area are now listed by community. The listings are available at individual community websites, along with information about the community, easily accessible by clicking the community on our regional map found here. If you are a broker please check your listings for accuracy and correct contact data.

Building Permits

Commerce Secretary Burke stepping down

10/12/2007 - MADISON - Mary Burke will step down as head of the state Department of Commerce on Nov. 1, Gov. Jim Doyle announced today. Burke, who has been commerce secretary for two-and-one-half years, said she is leaving to devote more time to her non-profit work and family interests. She is president of the Boy’s and Girls Club of Dane County and her family’s Trinity Foundation. “I’ll miss the people, but this job is all-consuming,” said Burke, who said she was honored to hold the post. “But I’m leaving with the state headed in the right direction…

Open House at Rivers Turn

The newest residential development on the Conservancy Place site in DeForest will host an open house, or more appropriately an “open lot” event Saturday, October 27th from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm. Events will include special pricing and financing on lots, free brats and burgers, free pumpkins for the kids, the chance to win Badger hockey tickets, a GPS system and an iPod. Ozee Cars of Stoughton will also be offering tours via neighborhood electric vehicles. Joe Ring with Park Towne Development states, “We are excited to bring these new home sites into the DeForest area…

Downtown Developer/Property Owner Roundtable Hosted by Smart Growth Madison Inc.

The City of Madison is beginning their planning process to develop the new Downtown Master Plan as part of the citywide Comprehensive Plan. The outcome of this will influence the rewriting of the downtown portion of the city zoning code that is taking place over the next several years. The outcome of both will have a major impact on the future of redevelopment in the downtown area. We feel strongly that the process should include major downtown property owners and developers in a tangible and meaningful way and plan to draft a position paper encouraging the Mayor to be supportive of this position. On October 23, 2007, Smart Growth Madison Inc (SGM) will be hosting a Downtown Developer/Property Owner Roundtable to bring together these groups…

Rehab or build a new school?

FRI., OCT 19, 2007 - MOUNT HOREB — The classrooms are hot. Some of them have wasps. Sections of the three-level school are unreachable by elevator. The roof needs replacing. Some look at the Primary Center here — built in 1918 — and see a deteriorating school building that is expensive to maintain. Others see an irreplaceable example of Wisconsin Prairie School architecture…

Editors Note: The solution here seem fairly obvious. Keep Reading…

Red Brick ‘alive again’ Gorman & Co. moves into new headquarters

10/11/07 - Joan Gefke shudders to think what the Red Brick School looked like a year ago. “Oh dear, what a mess it was,” said Gefke, a local historian who spent her grade school years at the 1922 building before graduating in 1947. “It was in pretty sad shape.” Today, the beloved building near the corner of East Grove and Main streets has been transformed. Gorman and Company, led by president Gary Gorman, is putting the finishing touches on a $3 million-plus renovation, and this weekend about 40 employees will begin the move from their former headquarters on S. Park Street in Madison to Oregon’s downtown…

Local Heart Institute Moving To Arbor Gate

Thursday, October 18, 2007 - The Wisconsin Heart & Vascular Institute announced that late next year it will relocate its Madison clinic to the Arbor Gate development being constructed at 2601 W. Beltline. The institute began in 2001 with eight cardiologists practicing in space on the Meriter Hospital campus and has grown to 13 cardiologists, two vascular surgeons and five mid-level providers, necessitating additional space. The institute is the first tenant to sign a lease for Arbor Gate, a $55 million office and retail project south of the West Beltline and east of Todd Drive that is replacing a strip of aging retail buildings. The 215,000 square-foot project includes two six-story office/retail towers…

Editors Note: And if these guys can’t get your heart going you can walk across the street…

Inner Fire Yoga comes to University Place Shopping Center

MIDDLETON, WI, October 16, 2007 – Sperry Van Ness, one of the nation’s largest commercial real estate investment brokerage firms, has announced that Jeff Jansen, CCIM and Karen Trieloff of the Middleton, WI office have completed a lease with Inner Fire Yoga in the University Place Shopping Center, located at Whitney Way and University Avenue in Madison. Jeff Jansen and Karen Trieloff represented the owner on the transaction…

Editors Note: And everyone said ohmmmm…

Sale of Mifflin St. Co-op store benefits new owner

FRI., OCT 19, 2007 - The bulk grains, organic vegetables and soy milk have been absent from 32 N. Bassett St. for almost a year. But the legacy of the Mifflin Street Co-op is helping the new tenant and likely will aid other community organizations in years to come...

Editors Note: Hundred’s of hippies are lost in downtown Madison seeking "Food for the Revolution". I truly love this city…

Affordable apartments done in Middleton

A "green" affordable apartment project is set to open Friday in Middleton, Nakoma Development LLC and Enterprise Community Investment Inc. announced. Parmenter Circle, 2310 Parmenter St., is a 50-unit, mixed-income complex providing 40 affordable and 10 market-rate apartments…

Parents Bought The Downtown Condo For Student To Live In While Attending School

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - A t the immaculate condo of UW-Madison students Dan Bereiter and Shaun Aukland, stainless-steel appliances gleam in the kitchen. A slate-paneled fireplace adorns the great room. The porch offers a view of Lake Mendota. And a word of warning before stepping on the pale, birch floors: They "scratch easily." "It's nicer than the house I grew up in," said Bereiter, 19, whose parents bought the Downtown condo at 311 N. Hancock for him to live in while he attends school…

Editors Note: Same parents nominated for sainthood by area developers…

Prairie Bean Coffee is a pleasant new meeting space

Prairie Bean Coffee is located in a beautifully designed space in the Fitchburg Center technology park -- it's on the ground level of an earthy looking office building called the Agora. Agora is Greek for public space or marketplace. The white tentlike structure next door (home to the Fitchburg Farmers Market and other community events) is dubbed the Agora Pavilion, so Center planners must be optimistic for a marketplace-like bustle…

No End In Sight For Real Estate Woes, Panel Says

Thursday, October 18, 2007 - As vice president of commercial lending at M&I Bank in Madison, Dennis Sandora is on the front lines of the local real estate scene. And Sandora doesn't see much hope for a quick end to the housing slump, which has brought construction of new homes to a standstill and left financial markets reeling. "I'm afraid we're still at least three years out," Sandora said Wednesday during a conference titled "Reacting to a Troubled Real Estate Market" at the Concourse Hotel. ~~In fact, Sandora believes the market in Dane County remains overvalued by about 30 percent…~~

Editors Note: A quick correction the 30% figure actually referenced properties in Florida and we all know -- we are no Florida...

Housing Woes Grow

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - Problems in the housing industry intensified last month with construction of new homes plunging to the lowest level in 14 years. Consumer prices, meanwhile, rose at the fastest pace in four months, reflecting higher energy and food costs. The Commerce Department reported today that construction of new homes fell 10.2 percent last month, compared to August, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.191 million units. That was the slowest building pace since March 1993 and was far bigger than the 4.2 percent decline that economists had been expecting…

Editors Note: I’ll stop now…

Debut Set For Allied Drive Plan

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - Neighborhood Meetings Are Scheduled Before And After The Design Is Presented To The City Council On Dec. 4. Plans for the redevelopment of city-owned property on Allied Drive will be unveiled to the Madison City Council on Dec. 4, according to a resolution introduced Tuesday night. Neighborhood meetings to discuss the designs would be scheduled for the weeks of Nov. 12 and Dec. 10, and the City Council would need to vote on the proposal by Jan. 22 so that the project could receive tax credits from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority…

Height Issues Hold Up Hillel Plan

Tuesday, October 16, 2007 - Who owns the air and sky between Langdon Street and Lake Mendota on the UW-Madison campus? That question is delaying efforts by the UW Hillel Foundation to more than triple the size of its existing student center at 611 Langdon St. The Jewish student organization, which traces its roots here to the 1920s and is the second oldest operating Hillel in the world, is seeking approval to tear down its existing 12,000 square-foot building and replace it with a four-story, 40,000 square-foot facility. But those plans have run into opposition from the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based owners of the 74-room, seven-story Campus Inn hotel next door at 601 Langdon St., who maintain they have a "legally enforceable implied easement for air and sunlight under Wisconsin law." Their attorney cites a 1982 Wisconsin case as precedent…

Editors Note: “legally enforceable implied easement” I have one of these, I think…

$12.4m Cleans City's Lakes (too Bad They're Not Ours)

Monday, October 15, 2007 -12-year Minneapollis Investment Pays Off. Could It Happen Here? When Mark Eilers was a grad student at UW-Madison in the early 1990s, he relished swimming in Lake Monona on lazy summer afternoons. But he stopped doing it after a while because he kept getting ear infections that he attributed to the murky, algae-infested waters.When Eilers and his family moved to Minneapolis in 1999, he decided to check out the water quality in the city's "chain of lakes" (Brownie, Twin Lakes, Lake of the Isles, Cedar, Calhoun and Harriet), a few miles southwest of the downtown. And he was amazed by how much cleaner they seemed than the lakes in Madison…

Editors Note: If we could do this the economic impact long range would be huge!!

News&Notes is now archived at http://parktowne.com/news.asp and www.WisconsinDevelopment.com

Around The State and Points Elsewhere

We Energies sells land in North Woods

We Energies announced today that it has completed the sales of more than 2,500 acres of land in northern Wisconsin the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and The Trust for Public Land (TPL). The land sold to the DNR includes more than 500 acres in Florence County, and the transaction with TPL encompasses approximately 2,000 acres in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Woods Creek, a main tributary to two of Wisconsin's designated Wild Rivers, runs through a portion of the 500 acres sold to the DNR. Woods Creek provides upstream protection for the Popple and Pine Rivers and is a Class 1 brook trout stream…

Green Building award goes to new home of Leopold Foundation

Oct 18 - BARABOO, Wis. (AP) -- The foundation named for famed ecologist Aldo Leopold received an honor Thursday that would have made the conservationist proud: the U.S. Green Building Council named the group's new home the greenest building it has ever rated…

More industrial development planned for Pabst Farms

Despite the recent announcement that Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc. has dropped plans to build a regional mall at the Pabst Farms development at Highway 67 and Interstate 94 in Oconomowoc, development of other areas of Pabst Farms continues to progress…

Kerry Is Building $45 Million Facility

Wednesday, October 17, 2007 - Kerry Americas, a Beloit manufacturer of beverage flavorings and ingredients, has started construction on a $45 million headquarters and research and development center. When completed in 2009, operations at the existing plant in downtown Beloit will be moved to the new 250,000-square-foot facility on 124 acres of land at the intersection of Interstate 39-90 and Interstate 43 on Beloit's east side. The company said it plans to increase its work force from 300 to 500. The company, a division of Kerry Group in Ireland, got about $10.5 million in incentives from the city and state for the project…

Editors Note: Wow 25% in incentives…

$931,790 backed for Milwaukee projects

State agencies win tax credits

State agencies win tax credits. U.S. awards $300 million worth. More than $300 million in federal tax credits intended to spur development and create jobs in low-income areas are headed to organizations in Wisconsin...

Board approves rezoning for mixed-use project

Board approves rezoning for mixed-use project. Coffee shop, salon, restaurant planned. A major facelift planned at the intersection of Pilgrim Road and Silver Spring Drive is continuing to evolve...

Speakers say alternative energy key to development

Alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, ethanol and biodiesel will play a key role in economic development, officials said Wednesday at an economic forum at the Radisson Hotel. About 130 people attended the event, held by the La Crosse Area Development Corp. and the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce…

Waukesha County explores idea-matching venture

Waukesha County explores idea-matching venture. Group links companies with dormant inventions gathered by Racine site. An economic development group announced plans Wednesday to stimulate business in Waukesha County by matching eager entrepreneurs with inventions and ideas that are sitting on a shelf...

Construction gets under way on riverfront condo project

Construction gets under way on riverfront condo project. Construction has started on a 133-unit condominium project, approved two years ago, on a riverfront site just north of downtown Milwaukee...

Lawson Building could be razed

Lawson Building could be razed. Renovations might not be worthwhile. Sentiment for saving the historic Lawson Building at 909 Menomonee Ave. appears to be on the decline, based on the reaction of the Community Development Authority to a proposal to renovate the city-owned structure...

Work starts on new hospital

Work starts on new hospital. Aurora agrees to handle public upgrades in Summit. After months of site preparation, work has begun on the footings and foundation of a new Aurora Health Care hospital at I-94 and state Highway 67...

Alderman seeks design review for storefronts

Alderman seeks design review for storefronts. Model would be similar to Third Ward. Although some in the community would like to see more consistency in storefront façades in "downtown" Bay View, at least one business owner says the eclectic storefronts contribute to the diverse character of South...

Kohl's looks to sky for power

Kohl's looks to sky for power. Solar panels to go on area buildings. Continuing the most sweeping national rollout of solar power ever by one company, Kohl's Corp. will install hundreds of solar panels on two area stores and on its new photo studio in Milwaukee...

Business in Brief

Business in Brief. LOCALApartments to be financed by tax creditsConstruction will soon begin on a 24-unit apartment project in Milwaukee's central city, the first Wisconsin project financed with affordable housing tax credits that's led by an African-American developer...

Pabst Farms: Get this project right

Pabst Farms: Get this project right. Now that General Growth Properties has withdrawn plans to build an upscale shopping center at the Pabst Farms development in Oconomowoc and the city has said it is happy to wait for the right proposal, maybe it's time to reconsider options for the site,...

Germantown borrowing OK'd

Germantown borrowing OK'd. Developer will repay loan for sewer service extension. The Village Board on Monday, in a second vote on an unusual issue, approved borrowing $2.6 million on behalf of a developer in order to extend sanitary sewer service west of Highways 41 and 45...

$700,000 for low-income homes unspent

$700,000 for low-income homes unspent. County could lose 'bonus' from HUD if it's not disbursed. Milwaukee County officials are struggling to spend the bulk of $1 million in "bonus" federal low-income housing money awarded in June, money that could disappear if not used by the end of the...

At last, the chips are up at state bioscience firm

At last, the chips are up at state bioscience firm. GenTel has product on market, expects others soon. When Alex Vodenlich came to GenTel BioSciences Inc. in February 2003, he assumed the company was well-positioned for swift growth...

New housing fund gets 21 requests

New housing fund gets 21 requests. City will provide $2.5 million to address community's needs. Milwaukee's new Housing Trust Fund has received 21 proposals requesting a total of more than $5.6 million to provide housing for low to moderate income residents of the city...

Bank sues Brewers Hill developer

Bank sues Brewers Hill developer. Nine foreclosures filed for Olson-owned properties. Wauwatosa Savings Bank has filed nine foreclosures seeking nearly $11 million from Timothy J. Olson, a landlord and developer, who less than a month ago narrowly won approval from the Milwaukee Common...

'Human TIF' plan could be just what state needs

'Human TIF' plan could be just what state needs. Finally, one major organization has cut through the cluttered debate over how to fund higher education so that it can better drive the state's economy. Competitive Wisconsin, a group of leaders from labor, business, agriculture and education, recently...

Delafield panel rejects site plan

Delafield panel rejects site plan. No advantage seen in sharing a facility with St. John's. A special committee studying the need for new or renovated municipal buildings will recommend that the city not sell City Hall and build a new municipal office/library facility in co-operation...

Offices, residences sought on 'busy, noisy streets'

Offices, residences sought on 'busy, noisy streets'. Residents petition for change in plan. A compromise on a proposed change to Glendale's master plan will be considered by the Plan Commission at its Nov. 6 meeting...

Town Board needs more time to study development plan

Town Board needs more time to study development plan. Commercial district near I-94 and Bluemound could feature eight-story buildings. Brookfield's Town Board last week tabled a vote on a redevelopment plan for an important commercial corridor at the intersection of Barker Road and Interstate 94 after town...

Green theme eyed for business area

Green theme eyed for business area. But issues develop with bioswale garden beds. The use of environmentally friendly bioswale garden beds to beautify the East Silver Spring Drive business district has run into some technical and cost difficulties...

Development News 10/05/07 to 10/12/07

Searching for signs of progress in the state budget debate? There are a few

Lost in the chatter about cutting legislative salaries or expenses if they fail to pass a state budget on time is the fact that lawmakers and Gov. Jim Doyle have been slowly - OK, make that glacially - chipping away at major issues that stand between them and agreement…

Editors Note: Nice take from Tom Still and far less partisan than most. The lack of a budget will soon have a huge impact on the development industry not to mention long term recruiting efforts to attract new business to the state.

Builder's woes pile up, costs city manager his job

The financial meltdown of local real estate developer Robert Niebauer is reverberating across the state, including the resignation of the Oshkosh city manager in part for failing to alert officials about a bank foreclosure on a high-profile downtown apartment project backed with $2.2 million in public money. Investors in a long-stalled Monona condominium project have also filed suit against Niebauer, claiming he reneged on a deal to purchase the Garden Circle apartments after tenants were moved out…

Editors Note: Development is a tough business and I believe Bob had nothing but good intentions and wanted to bring all his projects to fruition but even the slightest market turn can have a serious impact.

Beer's On Tap In History Tour

Monday, October 8, 2007 - Enjoy some beer tasting, then take a historic brewery walk in downtown Madison. Discover how beer making has left its "mug" imprinted on city development. That's all on the agenda for a walking tour titled "Hops and History," which will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday, beginning at the Great Dane Brew Pub, 123 E. Doty St.

Editors Note: Ahhh… the good old days. Of course today none of these places could get a license…

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Building Permits

City Mulls Sites For Downtown Hotel

Thursday, October 11, 2007 - Monona Terrace is losing events because there are not enough hotel rooms associated with it, Greater Madison Convention and Visitors Bureau President and CEO Deb Archer is telling city officials, and they are saying a new hotel could be built on city land. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz told a meeting of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday that the surface parking lot and greenspace behind the Madison Municipal Building would be a good site for another hotel or an expansion of the Hilton Monona Terrace, a 240-room…

Editors Note: would it be inappropriate of me to suggest that I have been writing about this for over a year… And for the record moving DHFS out of their building and turning the gothic structure into a world class hotel would be way cool. Good bones, lousy use, Great Opportunity…

Stage set for budget showdown

After more than three months of negotiations and delays, the stage is set for a final showdown over the state budget. Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch said today that his house will take up Gov. Jim Doyle's compromise spending proposal on Monday. Doyle called a special session earlier this week to force the Republican-controlled Assembly and Democrat-controlled Senate to finally adopt a new budget. The two sides have been deadlocked since July over the proposed spending proposal…

Assembly head sees rejection for Doyle budget plan

FRI., OCT 12, 2007 - The Assembly 's leader predicted Thursday that his chamber will reject Gov. Jim Doyle 's new two-year budget bill Monday, but administration officials were talking with Republican lawmakers in an effort to generate support for the plan.

Foreclosures remain high

Although foreclosures fell both nationally and locally in September from record levels in August, they remained far above a year ago, RealtyTrac reported. The 223,538 U.S. foreclosure filings -- default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions -- reported in September were 8 percent below the 243,947 in August but just shy of double the 112,210 last September. The September total is the second highest since Irvine, Calif.-based RealtyTrac begin tracking foreclosures in January 2005. In Dane County, 74 foreclosures were reported in September, down 28.1 percent from 103 in August but more than triple the 22 last September…

Madison a fit for Brown Shoe?

Brown Shoe Co., the parent of Madison-based Famous Footwear, is considering moving its corporate headquarters out of St. Louis and Madison is a prime possible destination, the St. Louis Business Journal reported. The publication cited sources close to the negotiations in the report last Friday. It said Brown, one of St. Louis' oldest and largest publicly traded companies with about 500 employees at its headquarters…

Forest Products Lab Works To Add Value To Farming

Thursday, October 11, 2007 - It was a simple little bench - the kind old farm houses had by the back door where children could sit while putting on or taking off their boots. It seemed rather out of place at World Dairy Expo. And because of that it drew lots of attention. Actually, it wasn't intended to be a bench at all. Rather, it was an example of an engineered biocomposite board made of 50 percent bovine digested solids and 50 percent recycled paper fiber. The company that made it, GHD, Inc. of Chilton, specializes in designing and installing manure digesting systems on dairy farms across the country…

UW building's mold sickens workers, students

Summer Boyd says that mold problems in Ingraham Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus are so bad that she has to work at home. Numerous other workers in the 1960s-era building say they have been plagued with breathing difficulties, burning throats, itchy eyes and coughs, and that UW officials have been slow to solve the problem. UW officials and workers in the building agree that mold developed in basement rooms in February after water leaked…

Monona City Administrator Is Named

Thursday, October 11, 2007 - Monona's new city administrator is Patrick Marsh, the current administrator in Coal Valley, a village of 3,600 in northwestern Illinois. Marsh also has been assistant city administrator in Eldridge, Iowa, and worked for 12 years for the regional planning commission in that part of eastern Iowa and northwestern Illinois. He replaces Dave Berner, who had been Monona's manager since 1995. Berner departed in June to become city manager in Platteville. Marsh, one of more than 50 applicants, was selected because he has the "good development background that we were looking for and good personnel experience," said Mayor Robb Kahl. The members of the search committee were "uniform in their impressions of Patrick," Kahl said..

Biz Puts Mayor In The Toaster

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's message this morning to members of Madison Chamber of Commerce was that they need to trust his selection of Bill Clingan to be the director of the city's new Economic Development and Community Development Department. But some of the mayor's listeners said they doubt the business community will come across. "I was looking for the traditional economic development experience the business community values so much, but I was also looking for other qualities," the mayor said during a breakfast meeting at the Concourse Hotel, where he defended a selection that prompted two high-level resignations from the city's Economic Development Commission…

Local Home Building Hits Low Of Century

Monday, October 8, 2007 - Home builders have responded to the weakness of the Dane County real estate market by building the fewest homes in a month this century, MTD Marketing reported. There were 53 permits issued for new homes and duplexes in Dane County in September, the fewest going back to at least January 1999, when MTD started tracking the statistic. The previous low in that period was 68 last December, while the highest was 284 in June 2005. There were 73 last September and 122 in August of this year. Year-to-date through September, the 888 permits issued are well off the 1,117 for the same period last year and far below the range of 1,448-1,963 from 1999-2005…

Mayor Hit On Housing - But Some Say He Faces Difficult Budget Task

Friday, October 5, 2007 - Although Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's proposed 2008 operating budget upsets some affordable housing activists and advocates for the homeless, individual agency heads say the mayor is facing a difficult task. Ald. Brenda Konkel said Thursday that she "sees fear (among agency heads) such as I haven't seen since the '90s that, if they say something the mayor doesn't like, they will get defunded." Konkel has been executive director of the Tenant Resource Center since 1995..

Home Sales Forecast Dim

Wednesday, October 10, 2007 - The decline in sales of existing homes this year will be steeper than previously anticipated, a trade group for real estate agents said today. The eighth straight downwardly revised forecast from the National Association of Realtors calls for U.S. existing home sales to be 10.8 percent lower than last year as housing market struggles persist. In its October report, the association predicts 5.78 million existing homes will be sold in 2007, down from 6.48 million last year. Last month, the association predicted an 8.6 percent drop from a year ago…

Conduct in Camp Randall stall nets disorderly conduct charges

While the Badgers were scoring frequently in the second quarter of their victory over Washington State on Sept. 1, a young couple was scoring on their own in a stall in the women's restroom in the upper deck, resulting in a court appearance today on charges of disorderly conduct…

Editors Note: This story is here only in case you missed it… The line about the pants had me laughing out loud… It’s Friday go home…

Around The State and Points Elsewhere

Barrett wants 'full-court press' to keep headquarters

Barrett wants 'full-court press' to keep headquarters. For Milwaukee, the biggest unknown in the MillerCoors deal is what will become of Miller's corporate offices...

Editors Note: Milwaukee VS. Golden this could be tough…

Delafield panel rejects site plan

Pabst Farm zoning won't permit big boxes

Pabst Farm zoning won't permit big boxes. Mayor says city will wait for upscale retailers. Mayor Maury Sullivan said Monday that zoning and land-use plans do not permit so-called big box stores to be built on the Pabst Farms site where a large shopping mall has been proposed, and city officials...

Time Warner plans new building

Time Warner plans new building. Appleton facility will consolidate, add workers. Time Warner Cable announced Monday it plans to build a $20 million operations center in Appleton, a facility the company said is expected to create up to 300 new jobs over five years...

Property values' rise slows down

Property values' rise slows down. Waukesha reports 5.08% increase, below state average. The residential housing slump seems to have caught up to Wisconsin this year, with the state posting its lowest valuation increases since 1992...

Town Board needs more time to study development plan

Green theme eyed for business area

Lohmann's steakhouse sold, to close in December

Lohmann's steakhouse sold, to close in December. Busy corner was rural when popular eatery opened doors in 1947. After 60 years serving up steak with a side of hometown charm, the owners of Lohmann's Steak House, N9609 Appleton Ave., Germantown, will close its doors for the last time Dec. 15...

Group unveils plans for police, fire station

Group unveils plans for police, fire station. GHS needs to raise $2 million to buy, renovate building. The clock is ticking for the Greendale Historical Society, which has less than a year to raise $2 million to renovate the former police and fire station...

Economic development: Determining needs

Economic development: Determining needs. Select Waukesha County businesses this week will be receiving a survey on the county's higher educational needs. It's a survey we encourage every recipient to answer because every recipient has an interest in what's at stake. The survey is being sent...

Wisconsin falls in business tax rank

Wisconsin falls in business tax rank. Report measures several types of taxes. Wisconsin fell three places, to No. 39, in the annual ranking of state business tax climates published Tuesday by a conservative Washington policy research organization...

Lakefront upgrade

Lakefront upgrade. Racine is readying its shore for more fishing, more living, more fun. The whole sprawling body of Lake Michigan seemed to splay out in front of Javail Winston as he fished. The lake was lightly choppy and dotted by a few white yachts gliding into the...

Is Pabst Farms a city unto itself?

Is Pabst Farms a city unto itself?. In Oconomowoc, some wonder. The number of developers knocking on the door of City Hall at this epicenter of growth in western Waukesha County has so overwhelmed city staff and services that Mayor Maury Sullivan recently had to convene a series of special...

STAG acquires property

STAG acquires property. Boston investment firm increases presence in area. A Boston-based real estate investment firm has purchased its third Milwaukee-area building over the past six months...

Dept. of Commerce. $250,000 grant to Village of Tigerton.

Development News 9/28/07 - 10/5/07

Institutes to share research incubator - Building to start in spring at Madison

Oct. 1, 2007 - A planned $150 million research and business incubator in Madison will be housed in one building, with two institutes representing the public and private sectors each having their own lab areas. Architectural renderings unveiled Monday on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus showed a building with three towers. One tower will be used for the public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, one for the private Morgridge Institute for Research, and the third will be split by each. The building will have a first-floor town center designed to encourage gatherings, with a coffee shop, a few stores and a Rennebohm's soda fountain, said Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which contributed $50 million to and is managing the project. It was designed to encourage collaboration between UW-Madison researchers and business acceleration…

Plans For Hyatt On Washington Clear Hurdle

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - A 151-room Hyatt Place boutique hotel on West Washington Avenue that will cater to business travelers cleared its first major hurdle Monday night, paving the way for consideration by the Madison City Council tonight. After lengthy discussion, the city Plan Commission approved the general design and plans for an 11-story hotel at 333 Washington Ave. as part of the Alexander Co.'s $110 million Capitol West development. City approval will be needed later for more details, and the plans could change. For example, Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, Monday made a last-minute suggestion that the hotel could be allowed to add one or two stories in exchange for additional green space at the dropoff point at street level. The hotel would replace a 13-story, 84-unit condominium tower originally planned by the Alexander Co…

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Jay Blevins and I are inviting you to take a look at a new project (www.FutureWisconsin.com) supporting Economic Development in the area. The community based informational websites are designed to create a one stop shop for individuals and companies seeking to do business in Wisconsin. Your properties should appear in the PROPERTIES section on the appropriate community. The BETA sites are offered for criticism and input at this time… Be Gentle...

Comp Time with Bill Clingan - Mayor's pick for economic developer director exudes optimism

Wednesday 10/03/2007 - A pair of high-profile resignations and criticism from three prominent business groups isn't deterring Bill Clingan from accepting Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's nomination to become the city's new economic and community development director, a cabinet-level position created to elevate business issues among other city priorities. After the mayor picked Clingan…

Editors Note: Interesting interview. If he is confirmed I suggest we all help him understand the importance of development in and around Madison.

Cieslewicz responds to Bugher following resignation from EDC

Wednesday 09/26/2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz has sent a barbed thank-you note to Mark Bugher, who resigned Monday from the city's Economic Development Commission with an unexpected blast at the mayor. Bugher, once a key Cieslewicz ally in the business community, left in protest of the mayor's choice of Bill Clingan…

Clingan Seen As School Link - Mayor: Education, Development Tied

Thursday, October 4, 2007 - Bill Clingan will become part of a bridge between the mayor's office and the Madison Metropolitan School District if the City Council confirms Clingan's appointment as the director of its new Economic and Community Development Department. As Mayor Dave Cieslewicz told The Capital Times' editorial board this week, the city has no real authority over the schools, but they are crucial to the city's success in fighting crime and promoting economic development. "We need to find the right way to engage with the schools," he said. "Bill Clingan is part of the answer." Clingan, 53, was a Madison School Board member from 2003 to 2005…

Lose yourself in the new Majestic Theatre

Thursday 10/04/2007 - While living in Madison, I have never gotten into a drunken brawl in front of a nightclub -- at least not on King Street. Which is to say, the recently re-opened Majestic Theatre was new to me when I went there for the Porchlight fundraiser on Wednesday night. Five dollars gained you entrance to a show featuring the likes of Ben Sidran, Louka Patenaude & Frank Martinez, El Clan Destino, and The Midwest Beat, plus free pizza and beer…

Editors Note: Why aren’t there more fundraisers like this one, beer, pizza, and Ben for five bucks! Venue sounds nice as well.

Carriage House, Stella's to close

10/04/2007 - Two higher end furniture stores off Verona Road will launch going out of business sales Friday. Carriage House Gallery Inc., the locally owned Ethan Allen furniture retailer at 5302 Verona Road, begins its public going out of business sale by liquidating $2 million in furniture. Neighboring furniture retailer Stella's Furniture…

Editors Note: We need and IKEA on Verona Road to attract destination shoppers to the area. All boats float with the tide. If you know anyone call me…

Construction begins on airport parking ramp

THU., OCT 4, 2007 - Construction has begun on a three-level, 500,000-square-foot parking ramp at the Dane County Regional Airport that will add 1,240 spaces. The $30 million project, expected to be completed late next year, also includes a 2,000-square-foot exit plaza with six gates and a parking administration building. Airport revenues, mostly parking fees, will pay for construction and no property tax revenue will be used…

Housing Market Improves

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - Dane County's housing market could be looking better the rest of this year, but that won't necessarily mean it's rebounding, a leading local real estate official said today. "I don't think we're going to see a major rebound in the fourth quarter but I think in comparison to last year the differences won't be as significant as they were earlier this year…

Editors Note: Sort of but we still need a new demographic of buyers in Dane County.

Mayor's budget has housing advocates concerned

10/05/2007 - Although Mayor Dave Cieselwicz's proposed 2008 operating budget is upsetting some affordable housing activists and advocates for the homeless, individual agency heads say the mayor is facing a difficult task. Ald. Brenda Konkel said Thursday that she "sees fear (among agency heads) such as I haven't seen since the '90s that, if they say something the mayor doesn't like, they will get de-funded." She has been executive director of the Tenant Resource Center since the 1995. The center is funded by the city, the county, the federal Department…

T. Wall pulls West End amendments

10/4/07 - The city’s Plan Commission did not look at the new West End proposal, after all. The amended plan for the 62-acre mixed-use development on the former Thompson property just inside the bypass was withdrawn from Monday’s agenda last week. On Wednesday, the same day the Verona Press reported that T. Wall Properties was requesting a change to its general development plan (GDP) – including a significant increase in the allotted size of its two anchor retailers – the Madison commercial property magnate told City Hall it had more work to do. City planning director Bruce Sylvester had been in discussions with project manager Sean Robbins…

Online menu site relieves hunger pangs

10/04/2007 - What do you want to eat tonight? That eternal question might set you thumbing through the phone book, searching for something that strikes your fancy. Wouldn't it be great if there was a free place to go that had a menu from every restaurant in the area -- or at least close to it? Now there is. Menupix.com launched its local site at www.menupix.com/madison last…

Franklin Electric Moving 100 Jobs Here

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - Franklin Electric Co. announced that it is moving its Healy Systems subsidiary and about 100 jobs from New Hampshire to its recently expanded Fueling Systems unit headquarters facility on Marsh Road, north of McFarland. Bluffton, Ind.-based Franklin, the world's largest maker of motors for submersible water pumps and fueling systems, bought Healy last year for about $35 million. The impacted employees will be able to interview for open positions in Madison and other Franklin facilities…

Editors Note: Welcome!

Residents Happy Madhatters Off State - Bar Owner Now Seeking New Campus Area Location

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - People don't immediately think of State Street as a neighborhood where people live, but Bill Cosh has lived on the street for the past 10 years. His apartment, in a 38-unit building above Walgreens on the corner of State and Lake streets, sits across from where the popular campus bar Madhatters planned on opening, causing an uproar. Gervasi's bar closed after 20 years on the corner of University Avenue and Lake Street in June 2006 with the redevelopment of University Square Mall. The city's Alcohol License Review Committee voted 4-1 last month to allow Gervasi to transfer his liquor license from University Avenue to a new location, 651 State St., in what used to be Fuddruckers…

Downtown Hotel Moves Forward

Tue Oct 2 2007 - The city is poised to let developers of a new 11-story Hyatt Place Hotel downtown encroach into the historic 28-foot public terrace along West Washington Avenue. The Madison Plan Commission Monday night on a 6 to 2 vote approved a proposal from LodgeWorks of Wichita, Kan., for a 151-room hotel at 333 W. Washington Ave…

Aging Boomers Help Create Property Tax Dilemma

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - The shortage of nurses isn't the only challenge facing Wisconsin as its population gets older and grayer. A far more pressing concern is how the state will raise property tax dollars. Since World War II, the demand for housing in Wisconsin created a tremendous shift in the property tax burden from farmers and business to residential homeowners. Homeowners now absorb nearly 73 percent of the property tax burden in the state, up from just 39 percent in 1945, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (www.wistax.org). Conversely, the percentage…

Editors Note: We also need to make a serious effort to keep my generation in Wisconsin after we retire. The financial impact of each person leaving this state is huge -- and it is not on anyone’s radar yet. Biotech jobs are nice but if we loose are largest population sector with the most disposable income… I’ll get off my soapbox now -- sorry…

Virent Gets $2m Grant For Biofuel Development

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - Madison-based Virent Energy Systems, which is developing technology that converts biomass into gasoline, hydrogen and other fuels, has been awarded a $2 million federal grant…

Great Wolf to open new call center

Madison-based Great Wolf Resorts Inc. will open a 100-employee call center later this month in the Novation Campus, just south off the West Beltline at Rimrock Road. Great Wolf, the world's largest developer of indoor waterpark resorts…

Editors Note: Why does Madison get the call center and no water park we are the second largest tourist destination in the state…

ALSO - Madison-based First Weber Group announced that it has acquired Eagan Agency Ltd. in Wautoma, effective this week. Eagan brings more than 20 agents to First Weber.

Mixed-use Development Planned For Old Plant

Monday, October 1, 2007 - After sitting dormant for more than a year, the site of the former Royster Clark fertilizer plant on Madison's East Side likely will be converted into a mixed-use development. Urban Solutions has agreed to buy the site from Agrium for an undisclosed sum and Michael Hershberger, president of Urban Solutions, expects the sale to close by the end of the year. More than 30 workers lost their jobs in July 2006 when the plant, at Cottage Grove and Dempsey roads, was closed shortly after its purchase by Agrium, a fertilizer wholesaler and retailer with locations in North and South America…

Water Crest Condominiums - 101 Ferchland Place

Monday, October 1, 2007 - Ground was broken this summer for the 42-unit Water Crest condominiums on Lake Monona. The $17 million development is near Monona Drive and Cottage Grove Road in Monona. It includes one- to three-bedroom condominiums priced from $189,000 to $775,000, said developer Kevin Metcalfe of Metcalfe Co. All but four units have a view of Lake Monona and the Madison skyline…

Editors Note: I put these on the wrong lake in my editorial piece for BusinessWatch Magazine… Sorry Kev…

State Needs Solid Marketing Effort To Attract Businesses

Monday, October 1, 2007 - Unless you subscribe to glamorous magazines such as Expansion Management or wait impatiently for weekly reports from the State Science and Technology Institute , you probably don't know that Wisconsin does a poor job of marketing itself as a business location. Oh, sure, the Green Bay Packers show up on the occasional Monday Night Football game and there's no end of on-air comments about cheese, beer and frozen tundra. As a result, most Americans know everything about Brett Favre - and next to nothing about what Wisconsin has to offer beyond cheese, beer and frozen tundra. The full story gets told from time to time on the news side of the national press,…

Editors Note: I have been pounding this drum for a while and could not agree more see www.WisconsinDevelopment.com. We need a state cheerleader in chief…

What's The Best Recipe For Business Growth?

Monday, October 1, 2007 - Wisconsin officials have decided it's better to grow your own. The question is whether that's the best recipe for expanding the state's job base. Under Gov. Jim Doyle, the state has focused its job growth efforts largely on existing Wisconsin companies. Last year, the state Department of Commerce gave out $170 million in tax credits, loans, grants and other help to 403 projects. All but 10 of them were at existing Wisconsin companies…

New Area Steakhouse Will Have Alvarez Mark

Sunday, September 30, 2007 - The competition for steak in Dane County is about to get another upscale player. Ruth's Chris Steak House is a national chain based in Florida with more than 100 locations worldwide. But when the restaurant opens Oct. 15 in Middleton's Discovery Springs development, it will have its own Wisconsin flair. The restaurant, where steaks on the a la carte menu can range from $30.95 for a petite fillet to $44.95 for a T-bone, is locally owned by the Livesey Co. and UW-Madison Athletic Director and former head football coach Barry Alvarez. "That's been one of my favorite places to eat. I like the atmosphere, the feel of it, the consistency of it," said Alvarez…

Editors Note: I would have liked a Barry’s Place with a 24 dollar T-bone…

University research: The smarter the better
University research: The smarter the better. New economic data last week confirmed what has become obvious in recent years: Madison is growing far faster than its industrial cousin in southeastern Wisconsin...

Around The State and Points Elsewhere

Farmland lost: 30,000 acres/year

10/04/2007 - Wisconsin is losing 30,000 acres of farmland per year, but the state's agricultural diversity has insulated it against farming downtrends, according to a report Wednesday. The study by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters found Wisconsin had nearly 24 million agricultural acres in 1950. By 2005 that number had dropped to 15 million. Nearly 60 percent of acres lost between 2000 and 2005 were in 19 counties, including those near the Twin Cities and Wausau as well as between Madison and Milwaukee. "Crops of houses where farms and forests…

City Updates downtown Master Plan

September 28, 2007 - City of Milwaukee officials recently began work to update the Milwaukee Downtown Plan, which serves as a guide for downtown development. “We think the process is an opportunity to take a look at the downtown holistically,” said City Planner Robert Greenstreet. For the first time ever, city officials are creating a master plan for the entire city. In addition, city officials are creating 12 area plans, including the update of the downtown plan. All of the planning work is expected to be complete by 2010, Greenstreet said. Once completed, the updated downtown plan will likely be heavily focused on the west side of downtown, which has long been overshadowed by the area east of the Milwaukee River…

Signs of progress for the Pabst brewery redevelopment

October 3, 2007 - The rotating sign on top of the grain elevators at the former Pabst brewery in downtown Milwaukee was lit up and set into motion for the first time in seveal years Tuesday night. Zilber Ltd. founder Joseph Zilber is redeveloping the former brewery property into a mixed-use urban…

Island Life - Washington Isle Is A Vibrant Community Of Its Own

Ask Jim Gunnlaugsson for a business card, and he has five ways to respond: moving service operator, building contractor, motel proprietor, storage company and Brothers Too owner. Brothers Too? Jim, 59, and brother Mack, 56, … Multiple hats and odd business pairings are not unusual on Washington Island, whose 680 year-round residents rely on ingenuity, good humor and each other when confined to the island's 35 square miles. About 80 percent of the acreage, off the tip of Door County, is woodland…

Timeshare Project Gets Ok In Dells

Sunday, September 30, 2007 - The City Council has approved the city's first timeshare project. Dells Investment Group got permission last week to build a three-story building with 120 units on its property on Highway 13 behind Field's Steak and Stein in the development it calls Coldwater Canyon Condos. The group has already built some condominiums on its property there and plans to build six buildings of two units each on what is identified as Lot 4. The three-story building will go on Lot 5…

Big box stores might be Pabst Farms' future

Big box stores might be Pabst Farms' future. Finding a new mall developer won't be easy, observers say. So-called big box stores, such as a Target and Kohl's Department Store, could replace a regional shopping mall planned for Pabst Farms in Oconomowoc, commercial real-estate industry observers...

Pabst Farms may lose builder

Pabst Farms may lose builder. Developer seeks backup firm for massive Oconomowoc mall. Developers of Pabst Farms are shopping for another company to build a large upscale mall at I-94 and Highway 67 because General Growth Properties Inc. looks like it is bowing out of the high-profile...

Cudahy proposes streetcar system

Cudahy proposes streetcar system. He criticizes leaders for lack of agreement. Philanthropist Michael Cudahy blasted local leaders Wednesday for failing to agree on public transit solutions - then offered his own plan for a $140 million modern streetcar system to link downtown, local...

Aurora reveals more details on hospital

Aurora reveals more details on hospital. Grafton facility will be part of rapidly growing retail area. Aurora Health Care said Tuesday that it plans to build its new hospital on a 105-acre site northwest of Highway 60 and Port Washington Road...

Housing skies haven't cleared yet

Housing skies haven't cleared yet. Market must weather another choppy year. Housing's forecast: cloudy with intermittent storms, increasing chance of sunniness in a year...

City panel to review plans for Walker's Point site

City panel to review plans for Walker's Point site. Office, retail, light industrial space proposed. A Milwaukee developer's proposal to construct office, light industrial and retail space on the former Grede Foundries Inc. site will be reviewed Monday by the city Plan Commission...

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