Madison 1/07/2009 Members of a task force designing a park for Madison's east isthmus say they're ready to go to the state railroad officials for an OK on plans that call for a "gateway" entrance crossing the railroad tracks at Few Street. "We'll try our best to convince them that the park can be developed in a very safe way," Bill Barker, chairman of the Central Park Design and Implementation Task Force, said Wednesday....
Ken Notes: I still Like this project and believe that it will create a destination for the city. The challenge will be establishing budget priorities in tough economic times.

Madison JAN 7, 2009 Two competing developers say they have the superior plan for a new Madison Central Library.In response to questions from the Wisconsin State Journal, The Fiore Cos. and T. Wall Properties have offered the top 10 advantages of their proposals in the areas of design and financing to replace the dated, 43-year-old facility at 201 W. Mifflin St...

Ken Notes: This is healthy for the city and could become a model for public private partnerships.

Fitchburg - 6/4/09 Milwaukee-based developer Mandel Group, Inc. announced today the acquisition of New Fountains Apartments, a 578 unit community located in Fitchburg, Wisconsin. The seller was a Dayton, New Jersey-located private investor group. The transaction value was not disclosed. Financing for the transaction was secured in part through a $20 million mortgage loan originated through the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA). As a condition of the WHEDA financing agreement, Mandel will offer a number of apartments at reduced rental rates for low-to-moderate income residents. Additional loan proceeds will be invested in a substantial rehabilitation of the property...

Ken Notes: I am a fan of the Mandel Group and believe they will do a nice job with this property. Welcome to Madison.

Madison January 4, 2009 The state of Wisconsin is facing a major budget deficit because of lower-than-expected tax collections during the recession. As the economy slows, incomes fall and tax revenues decline As the economy recovers, incomes and tax revenues will rise and help ease the budget deficit. Where are the economic engines that will fuel the recovery?...

Ken Notes: Haven't we been saying this for awhile. We need to market this outside the state. We have, talent resources and infrastructure.

Madison December 31, 2008 - A tight economy has delayed the construction of what could become the largest indoor waterpark in the nation. Kalahari Resorts said Tuesday it won't begin construction on its $250 million resort in Fredericksburg, Va., until August. The project was to have broken ground in April and be open in time for Christmas of 2010 but will now likely open in January or February of 2011. "We're not delaying for long," said Todd Nelson, president and owner of the Wisconsin-based resort company. "We just have to get through the first part of the year." Nelson, who plans to put up $20 million for the project, said he has been told by lenders that they need to see home values...

Madison 1/07/2009 When Dani Michels returned to Madison more than six years ago, she landed a job as a project manager at Carlson Co., a Madison-based construction company that manufactures interiors for large retailers. Michels was pleased to find that her new employer operated its own day care next to its offices. That allowed Michels to easily drop off and pick up her young son, who was five months old at the time...

Ken Notes: I like the flexible approach here I hope she succeeds long term.

Madison 1/07/2009 Tax breaks for developers helped fuel Madison's downtown building boom of the past decade. Monroe Commons, Capitol West, University Square and Union Transfer -- among other high-profile projects -- all received city help by means of a tool called tax incremental financing (TIF). It worked so well, though, that critics feared developers might be getting too much of a good thing, and for two years, a number of City Council members and others have been pushing to make sure taxpayers get the most for their money and that subsidies go toward creating local jobs...

Ken Notes: With a good TIF agreement the taxpayers have a great deal of protection. We just need to be very careful how we structure the agreements.

Verona 1/4/2009 For anyone who hoped to see a dense forest in Verona stay in public hands, there is a sliver of light emerging through the dark woods. The Verona Area School District is working with the city on a purchase agreement for Stewart's Woods, an old forest located just inside the 18-151 bypass on the southwest edge of the city. If it works out, the district would pay half or more of the state's asking price and would get 20 acres of eventually developable land and 33 acres of woods that would be designated both a city/county park and a school forest...

Ken Notes: This is a great idea! Not easy, but in the best interest of the community.

WISCONSIN - This is a comprehensive data base of all business professionals in development, planning, government, commercial real estate, architecture, construction, and service providers to business. Any professional may enter his or her own business card for free. FutureWisconsin is Wisconsin's own social networking data base to promote new business in the state...

Ken Notes: Network with professionals doing business in the state...

Madison JAN 7, 2009 Three Madison Mosaic Funds were listed in Monday's Wall Street Journal as being among the 10 best performing mutual funds in their categories for 2008. Madison Mosaic Institutional Bond Fund was third among the 478 Short Term Bond funds, with a return of 6.3 percent for the year. Madison Mosaic Core Bond Fund ranked seventh among the 571 Intermediate Bond funds with a 6.8 percent return...

Ken Notes: I want to know more. What if Madison were to become the new hub for conservative investment firms. No 25 Million dollar penthouses, no $500 steak dinners, Monona Terrace vs. the Ritz Carleton just solid Midwest values.

Madison 1/08/2009 In one morning meeting Wednesday, the executive committee of the group that operates the city's Overture Center refuted claims it was being secretive while proceeding to schedule a closed session meeting to discuss a proposal to eliminate its debt. Rob Chappell, spokesman for the Overture Center, said there would be a closed-session meeting of the Madison Cultural ...

Ken Notes: We need to look hard for civic centers that are operating in the black elsewhere and study how they do it...

Madison 1/06/2009 The ground far below much of Madison is particularly efficient for creating geothermal heating and cooling, and the new Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery on the UW-Madison campus is taking advantage of that fact. Drilling started Monday on 75 bore holes about 300 feet deep below the site of the huge research facility...

Ken Notes: If they could only get pipes to the capitol. A vague hot air reference if you were asking why.

Madison 1/08/2009 Department store operator Macy's Inc. said Thursday it will close 11 underperforming stores in nine states -- affecting 960 employees -- and lowered its forecast for the fourth quarter after one of the weakest holiday seasons in years. The Macy's at Hilldale Shopping Center in Madison is not one of the stores closing. Stores slated to close include locations in Los Angeles; West Palm Beach, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; and St. Louis...

Recent commercial property listings from PropertyDrive.

Wisconsin - More than $336 million in federal stimulus money has been allocated to counties, cities, towns and villages in Wisconsin. Of that total, about $124 million has been allocated through the state Department of Transportation for road, bridge and transit projects. And more than $48 million in Housing and Urban Development funds has been allocated...

Ken Notes: Great Resource

Madison JAN 7, 2009 Where do you draw the line — legally — on how much money business owners can take from their company? It's a key question that could result in a "radical" change in Wisconsin law, state Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson said, as oral arguments were presented before the court Wednesday in the case of Communications Products Corp...

Madison 1/07/2009 Frustrated residents of the far west side came out in force at the City Council meeting Tuesday night to voice concerns over the location of a proposed day care center. The council ultimately voted to delay action on approving the center to their next meeting, but not without a lengthy discussion on the public process and merits of the project...

Ken Notes: I still think day care is a good thing. Call me crazy.

Madison WED., JAN 7, 2009 - Overture Center's owner wants to give the $205 million arts facility to the city of Madison or another entity for $1 as part of a complex deal to secure its long-term future, a letter obtained by the Wisconsin State Journal shows. City officials are balking about taking responsibility for the gleaming but financially strapped facility on the 200 block of State Street...

Ken Notes: The Mayor is right on this but I do not see option B as of yet.

1/06/2009 The December revelation that Bernard Madoff "made off" with billions from his trusting clients should prompt investors to make this their No. 1 resolution for 2009: Don't get flimflammed by a smooth-talking crook. One of my favorite movies is "The Fortune Cookie," starring that loveable rogue Walter Matthau. He plays a scheming personal injury lawyer who tries to bilk an insurance company...

Ken Notes: The lesson seems to be there is another house of cards around every corner...

Madison 12/31/2008 Given everything that's gone down in 2008 -- from 401(k) balances to consumer confidence -- it almost seems like piling on to come up with the annual list of Business Black Eyes. So let's start with a few positive business stories from the past year. One of the most significant was Cellular Dynamics International, the Madison firm started by UW stem cell whiz James Thomson

Madison 1/07/2009 When a locally owned company is sold to outside investors, it seems the pink slips often follow. Unfortunately, that appears to be the case with the cutting-edge architectural and design firm founded here nearly 60 years ago by the late Marshall Erdman. Cogdell Spencer (CSA:NYSE), a publicly traded real estate investment trust that purchased the Erdman company less than a year ago, is eliminating some 115 jobs as part of an effort ...

Ken Notes: Not a lot of upside here except the talent pool in Madison has increased dramatically. These are very bright employees who built a great firm.

The seller of real estate is required to file a Real Estate Transfer Return (RETR) with the County Register of Deeds when recording deeds of property conveyances. State statutes require those returns to be filed electronically beginning July 1, 2009. Below is a link to the electronically filed Real Estate Transfer data as of July 1st 2009 and forward. The data will be updated on a weekly basis...

Ken Notes: This link is a regular feature of WDN...

NEW YORK 12/30/2008 A closely watched index shows home prices dropped by the sharpest annual rate on record in October. The Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller 20-city housing index released Tuesday fell by a record 18 percent from October last year, the largest drop since its inception in 2000. The 10-city index tumbled 19.1 percent, its biggest decline in its 21-year history.

Madison December 31, 2008 - Local governments, trade associations, business lobbies and others sat on the sidelines while the federal government bailed out banks and automakers. But now they're angling for their own slice of the massive economic stimulus package that will be unveiled next month. "Politicians and interest groups see that the pipeline to the treasury is open right now and now is the time to get in on the action," said Bob Bixby, executive director of the Concord Coalition, a fiscally conservative budget watchdog group based in Washington, D.C. To jolt the economy out of its doldrums, Congress and President-elect Barack Obama are crafting what may end up being the largest spending bill in the nation's history; figures being discussed range from $750 billion to $1 trillion...

Treasury Department Debt to the Penny Link
CNN Money Scorecard
Government Recovery Website
Wisconsin State Budget Google News

Create a vibrant, innovative and prosperous entrepreneurial business climate, nurturing, connecting and celebrating entrepreneurs and their companies...

Ken Notes: A valuable resource worth visiting for all businesses in the state. A special thanks for BizStarts for compiling and sharing the resource!...

NEW YORK 1/01/2009 Online retail sales, which have regularly boasted double-digit growth, fell 3 percent during the 2008 holiday shopping season and likely 4 percent in the fourth quarter, according to comScore Inc., as the short post-Thanksgiving shopping period and consumer cutbacks hit spending. "This marks the first time we've seen negative growth rates for the holiday season since we began tracking e-commerce in 2001," Chairman Gian Fulgoni of the consumer behavior research firm said in a statement late Tuesday

Madison 1/07/2009 The Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau is among the world's best, according to the hundreds of meeting and event planners that voted for this year's Planner's Choice Awards, given by Meeting News. The Planner's Choice Awards winners represent the best of the best in the tourism, meetings, and convention industry...

Ken Notes: And they promote one of the best areas.

Madison TUE., JAN 6, 2009 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz says his new blog is probably a bad idea, but he's going to start one anyway. "The very things that make blogs worthwhile also make them dangerous," Hizzoner says in his first post today. "Blogs allow their authors to go on at length and instantly. But when it comes to public policy I've always thought it was a better idea to say only what needs to be said and then only after a fair amount of consideration. Rambling on off the top of my head is not my style and rarely is it a good idea for anyone....

Fitchburg 1/6/2009 It isn't always easy, but it's certainly possible to construct buildings from construction waste. Fitchburg resident Samuel Cooke recently scoured 64 construction and waste collection sites for materials for a shop addition. The final cost of $20,750 for recycled materials (including labor) was considerably less than the $34,800 it would have cost to construct the addition from new materials...

Ken Notes: I want to know how he got the permits and inspections done. What an interesting project.

Wisconsin - This section allows you to access any of our current space needs and acquire some brief detail regarding each. You'll notice that in addition to posting our current RFPs and RFIS, we are listing other significant needs for which we are seeking space....

Ken Notes: Brokers should check this often...

Fitchburg 1/6/2009 The Fitchburg Historical Society board of directors voted on Jan. 4, to ask the Alexander Co. not to tear down a historic home in the path of commercial development at 2849 Oregon Road, and to ask the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to consider it for landmark status. The pink stucco home doesn't look like much from the outside. But on the inside, there's distinctive oak woodwork crafted ...

Ken Notes: Alexander will be good to work with here but salvage may be the answer.

Stoughton 12/30/2008 Stoughton's newly created Economic Development Committee has begun its work of maintaining and strengthening the city's economy. The EDC - formed in response to the opinions of members of the larger community Economic Development Group - started working on six different subjects...

Madison 1/07/2009 The recession and competitive pressures might have TomoTherapy struggling, but users have again rated its Hi-Art radiation treatment system the best. The Madison-based company announced Tuesday that it has earned the highest user satisfaction composite rating among linear accelerator vendors in MD Buyline's Quarterly User Satisfaction Report...

1/05/2009 WASHINGTON — U.S. construction spending fell less than expected in November as record activity on nonresidential projects helped offset another steep decline in housing. The Commerce Department says construction spending dropped by 0.6 percent in November, less than half of the 1.3 percent decline economists expected. A 4.2 percent fall in housing construction was partially offset by a surprisingly strong 0.7 percent rise in nonresidential activity...

Madison 1/10/2009 If you are laid off this year in Wisconsin and want to continue your family's health care coverage, it could cost you almost your entire unemployment check each month. The average monthly unemployment benefit in Wisconsin in 2008 was $1,172. The average health insurance premium was $1,095 for a family and $400 for an individu...

Oak Creek January 01, 2009 USPS expects new facility to aid bottom line. Logistics, equipment to provide efficiencies. With the U.S. Postal Service reporting a loss of $2.8 billion in fiscal year 2008 and projecting another difficult year in 2009, building an 870,000-square-foot mail processing and distribution center might...

Ken Notes: This will be a real boos for the economy and may attract ebusiness needing to ship and receive efficiently.

Milwaukee - January 08, 2009 - Overflow crowd forces city to cancel public hearing. Cardinal Stritch campus proposal returns Feb. 2. After a crowd filled City Hall beyond its capacity, a public hearing on Cardinal Stritch University’s plan to build a South Shore campus at the Cousins Center was called off Jan. 5...

Milwaukee - January 6, 2009 Economic indicators for the metro Milwaukee area in aggregate improved only modestly from the historic low posted in October. Three of 20 metro area business activity indicators tracked by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of commerce (MMAC) registered improvement in November over year-earlier levels, up from the two positives posted in October....

Milwaukee - January 6, 2009 Economic indicators for the metro Milwaukee area in aggregate improved only modestly from the historic low posted in October. Three of 20 metro area business activity indicators tracked by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of commerce (MMAC) registered improvement in November over year-earlier levels, up from the two positives posted in October....

New Berlin January 08, 2009 Hotel height limit supported. City plans to set 77 feet as maximum. After a long controversy over how tall hotel and motel buildings should be allowed to be built, it seems New Berlin residents are comfortable with the current proposal that would limit the height to a maximum of...

Franklin 1/6/2009 Devo Properties announced today that CVS Pharmacy, one of the largest pharmacy chains in the United States, will bring a flagship store to the City of Franklin. CVS will construct a 13,225-square-foot store at the corner of South 51st Street and Rawson Avenue. The store is part of the shopping center that is known as Sendik’s West. The development is also anchored by a Bank Mutual and Sendik’s Food Market. Site improvements for the new CVS will begin this week. Construction of the new CVS store will commence shortly after the site improvements are completed. The store is expected to open in the Fall of 2009...

Menomonee Falls January 08, 2009 - Village addresses residents' concerns in planning document. Board approves 20-year vision for community. A comprehensive plan is in place to guide community development in Menomonee Falls through 2028...

Lake County January 07, 2009 Downturn hits Lisbon, Sussex - Midwest not hurting as much as coasts, locals say. Though not hit as hard as the coasts, the Sussex-Lisbon area is feeling the effects of the country's worst financial and housing crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s.. Though not hit as hard as the coasts, the Sussex-Lisbon area is feeling...

Mequon January 01, 2009 Development, roads and water on tap in 2009. The much-buzzed about, mixed-use development project known at the Town Center will begin to take form in Mequon in 2009, officials say...

West Allis January 01, 2009 Truck terminal could be converted to other uses. West Allis officials continue to negotiate the purchase of about nine acres of mostly asphalted property near 116th and Rogers streets...

A single source for all economic development news for Greater Madison and beyond. Wisconsin Development News, (WDN) is published weekly by Ken Harwood.

Available to commercial brokers, developers, financial professionals, community planners, public officials, the press and others who have expressed an interest in Wisconsin development. All stories should link to their original source in the original context. These pages may contain advertising, and I encourage patronage of both our sponsors and the related advertisers and publications I link too.

We link to Editorial and Opinion articles each week, this does not suggest we agree with the stance of the author. The "Ken Notes" items are the opinion of our editor. We will include any comments or feedback sent to WDN. Ken also writes a monthly column for Capitol Region Business Journal and other state publications.

The focus for WDN is to create a positive view of economic development for the Greater Madison Region. The publication will also feature news from around the state, nation, and world that offers insight to policy, trends, and projects that may be of interest to the reader.

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Ken

Kenneth Harwood
WisconsinDevelopment.com LLC
P.O. Box 930234
Verona, WI 53593-0234
608.334.2174
ken@wisconsindevelopment.com