Volume 2 - Issue 14 - Circulation 3,500 Week of 4.2.09 to 4.9.09

Madison - 4/08/2009 - Madison has long dreamed of a leafy "Central Park" in the blighted industrial corridor between East Washington Avenue and Williamson Street. Ambitious plans there have included water features, gardens, market space and walking paths...Last week, the University Research Park gave the area a badly needed boost by unveiling its "Metro Innovation Center" inside the former Marquip factory at the corner of East Wash and Baldwin Street. Old-timers will remember the site as the Gisholt factory, which at one point made huge gun barrels for Navy war ships...

Ken Notes: Glad to see this project jump start "Central" park and near east side. The project will spur other development as well. Mark has the unique ability nurture great projects - good thing he got out of politics.

Madison - 4/09/2009 - By most accounts, the proposed redevelopment of the Badger Bus depot on West Washington Avenue into a mixed-use retail and luxury apartment site is a relatively modest project, maxing out at five stories along one of the city's most prominent corridors. But it's what the development will replace -- a downtown transit hub that has been in place for decades -- that is generating controversy and sparking discussion about the future of downtown transportation in Madison...

WISCONSIN - 4/09/2009 - Future Wisconsin's newest 72 websites are ready for prime time - almost. The goal of creating a site to encourage business in Wisconsin featuring Every Community, Every Property, Every Professional is a bit overwhelming - but we are close. Please take a look at the project and help us get it right before we make our statewide announcement...

Ken Notes: Thanks for helping with this project!

Wisconsin - 4/08/2009 - In 1995, with Gov. Tommy Thompson at the height of his popularity and a Republican majority in the Legislature, Wisconsin drastically changed its law to limit awards in personal injury cases...Now, with Democrats firmly in control of the statehouse, Wisconsin is poised to roll back those 1995 changes in the name of protecting consumers and taxpayers...

Ken Notes: This will not be good for business in Wisconsin! We are again tying to preform legislative surgery with a machete. Every drunk driver will now be able to sue the auto manufacturer because they are in some small part responsible for the accident.

WISCONSIN - March 26, 2009 - Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan wants a bipartisan group of lawmakers to tackle Wisconsin's growing foreclosure problem. The task force called the Speakers Task Force on Preventing Home Foreclosure, or S.T.O.P., is a 22-member task force. Banking representatives and community advocates will also help with the task force. Wisconsin Home foreclosures have tripled since 2005...

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...

Oregon - April 5, 2009 - Mike Brant and Joshua Sebranek didn't buy waterfront property when they purchased their new home here in 2006. But they've had plenty of water lapping against the foundation of their home. Brant and Sebranek have been up to their necks in flood problems since they bought their home in the massive Bergamont development on Oregon's west side. While village officials aren't convinced, a number of Oregon residents say the development, with its private golf club and huge, lavish homes, has substantially changed the way storm water flows on the village's west side and is likely the chief culprit in the flooding that has plagued nearby neighborhoods in recent years...

April 5, 2009 - Water runs downhill. Though that seems obvious, Kamran Mesbah, a planner with the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission, said it has been a difficult lesson for developers and builders who are becoming more aware of the connections between development and flooding. Developers and village officials in Oregon have become painfully aware of those connections in recent years with the flooding problems that have occurred near the Bergamont development on the village's West side...

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

Oregon - 4/9/2009 - A Holiday Inn Express hotel could open on Oregon's south side early next year if commercial developer Paul Lynch's plans are realized. Lynch, owner of PLH & Associates in Oregon, wants to build a 69-room hotel at 1056 Park St., at a cost of approximately $4 million. His development plan was unanimously approved by the village's Planning Commission last Thursday, along with a requested zoning change....

Wisconsin - April 5, 2009 - EMA trailers will live in infamy. Less notorious, but perhaps just as faulty, is much of the housing on Indian reservations in northern Wisconsin. Houses nicknamed the "chicken coops," built in the 1970s by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), overheat in summer and freeze in winter. Split-level "matchbook houses" get moldy and have particle board siding that disintegrates. Much of the pre-fabricated housing, including trailers, went up from the 1950s through the 1970s and is seriously outdated. "There are whole subdivisions like that, and there are long waiting lists for 'chicken coops' on some reservations...

Verona - 4/9/2009 - While it's far from a pay cut or pay freeze, Verona teachers, principals and other administrators last week agreed to smaller-than-average increases in salary and benefits over the next two years. That will erase many of the budget cuts schools were set to make this month. Some details still need to be ironed out, but Verona's 420 teachers have agreed to a total...

Ken Notes: A great gesture and a good model for other public entities. My thanks to both sides for working together.

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...

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!...

Middleton-Cross Plains - 4/9/2009 - Voters in the eight communities that make up the Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District (MCPASD) defeated all three referendum questions placed by the board of education on Tuesday's ballot. If approved, the questions would have added up to $70 million...

Ken Notes: This could become a problem for growth in a very successful community.

Oregon - 4/5/2009 - Would you buy a $300,000 home built by teenagers? Local school officials hope someone will, as a house built last year by Oregon High School students has been on the market for nearly a year...

March 11, 2009 - The troubled economy has shaken the financial security of many, and it's causing some local residents to rethink retirement. The AARP said the recession is having an impact on those who are 45 and older. The AARP said 25 percent of those recently surveyed are having trouble paying their mortgage or rent...

Ken Notes: VIDEO: Watch The Report.

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...

MADISON - April 4, 2009 - AnchorBank of Madison will close branch offices in Madison, Neenah and Oshkosh later this summer. Bank president Mark Timmerman said the move will eliminate 19 positions but save about $1 million in operating costs. After the closings Aug. 31, Anchor will have 73 Wisconsin offices and more than 1,100 employees. Bank officials said the affected employees will be given priority for vacant positions within the company...

Ken Notes: I have avoided running layoff and closing stories because they they do little to promote business in Wisconsin, please let me know if you want to see all of these in the future.

NEW YORK - April 9, 2009 - Wells Fargo & Co. said Thursday it expects record first-quarter earnings of $3 billion, easily surpassing analysts' estimates and providing an encouraging sign for the banking industry. Wells Fargo is the first major bank to give an indication of how the first-quarter looked, and the unexpectedly upbeat news gave an immediate boost to stock futures...

Glendale - Apr. 6, 2009 - The Empire State Building is getting an energy makeover that Johnson Controls Inc. hopes will demonstrate that even big old buildings can go green. The Glendale-based company has won a contract to guide the $20 million project, which includes replacing thousands of windows, installing digital controls...

Pewaukee - Apr. 8, 2009 - Harken Yacht Equipment Inc. has put on hold its plans for a new $8 million manufacturing facility in the City of Pewaukee, co-chairman Peter Harken told me. Harken Yacht will wait for the economy to revive before it begins building the 100,000-square-foot building on 28 acres along...

Oak Creek - Apr. 6, 2009 - The former Delphi Corp. auto parts plant in Oak Creek has landed a prospective buyer that might demolish the building and develop retail and office space on the 85-acre site. The property is under contract and the buyer is undergoing the due diligence process, said listing broker Jeff Horn of Apex Commercial Inc. The property is west of S. Howell Ave. and south of W. Drexel Ave...

St. Francis - Apr. 8, 2009 - The first brew pub in the southern portion of Milwaukee County has seen big, enthusiastic crowds since its Monday opening. But Rick Michalski, co-owner of St. Francis Brewery and Restaurant, keeps it in perspective. "It's been quite a phenomenal response," Michalski said. "Keeping it up is the key."...

Milwaukee - Apr. 6, 2009 - Miller's Bakery Inc., 1415 N. 5th St., plans to buy a 12,500-square-foot warehouse/office building at 1615 N. 4th St.. for an expansion, according to the Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. Miller's Bakery is seeking a $220,000 loan from MEDC, a business lender affiliated with the City of Milwaukee, to help finance the $550,000 purchase. Marshall & Ilsley Bank is providing additional financing...

Milwaukee - April 8, 2009 - Manpower Inc.'s corporate headquarters building in downtown Milwaukee recently received a LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. The four-story, 280,000-square-foot building is owned by RiverBend Place LLC, a firm led by Milwaukee developers Gary Grunau and Scott Sampson. The building was designed by Milwaukee-based Eppstein Uhen Architects,...

Milwaukee - April 9, 2009 - The Ramada Conference Center Milwaukee, 6331 S. 13th St., has been sold for $6.6 million, according to documents filed with the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds. The 160-room hotel was sold by Ashwaubenon Hotels LLC, led by Green Bay investor J.C. Patel, to Acuity Investments LLC through a land contract, the documents said. Acuity's registered agent is Rattan Soni, according to the state Department of Financial Institutions....

Apr. 7, 2009 - Apr. 7, 2009 - Milwaukee restaurant operator John Vassallo has sold his share of the Indianapolis location of Mo's...A Place for Steaks to his local partner there. Vassallo, whose nickname is "Johnny V," is no longer associated with the Indianapolis restaurant, which is now owned solely by his former partner, Jeremiah Hamman. Hamman had been Vassallo's managing partner since the restaurant opened in 2003...

Milwaukee - Apr. 7, 2009 - The former Prospect Mall on Milwaukee's east side would be converted into apartments targeted to workers at a nearby hospital, under a tentative plan from a Chicago-based housing developer. The 42,000-square-foot building, 2217-2239 N. Prospect Ave., which has been vacant since 2006...

West Bend - Apr. 9, 2009 - Economic Development/Washington County is presenting a free seminar designed to inform business owners and entrepreneurs of opportunities in the various government stimulus packages that have been signed into law. The seminar is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. April 24 at Moraine Park Technical College-West Bend campus, 2151 N. Main St., room T-101...

Hartland - Apr. 7, 2009 - Sunburst Apparel Inc., which prints designs on T-shirts, is moving to a larger building in Hartland. Sunburst, which had leased around 12,000 square feet at 708 Rose Drive, is now leasing over 35,000 square feet of office and warehouse space at 340 Maple Ave. Sunburst is leasing the space from Roadster Hartland LLC, said James Young, a broker with Colliers Barry, who represented Sunburst...

Third Ward - Apr. 6, 2009 - Goodwill Industries has signed a lease for the former Private Gardener space at 190 N. Broadway St. in the Third Ward. Goodwlll plans to open a boutique shop, with brand name clothing and household items. They willl call it Retique, and plan a grand opening for mid-May. The store also will feature art and crafts made by Goodwill clients...

Milwaukee - April 8, 2009 - Milwaukee-based WillowTree Development LLC plans to purchase the former Delphi property in Oak Creek, according to Milwaukee commercial real estate industry sources. WillowTree principal Michael DeMichele could not be reached for comment. WillowTree was part of a partnership...

MILWAUKEE - Apr. 8, 2009 - Nearly 700 pieces of precast concrete, weighing as much as 20 tons each, are being erected at the corner of Juneau Avenue and North 9th Street in the middle of the former Pabst brewery complex in downtown Milwaukee. When fully assembled, the pieces will make up an 880 stall parking structure. Joseph Zilber, the founder of Milwaukee-based Zilber Ltd., is building the parking structure and redeveloping the former brewery complex into a mixed use neighborhood called The Brewery....

Ken Notes:

MADISON - 4/6/2009 - The Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, as administrator of the State Trust Fund Loan Program, approved $3.5 million in loans to seven Wisconsin municipalities and one school district at today's board meeting. The loans will provide financing for a variety of public purpose projects ranging from vehicle purchases to road construction to school building renovations. Municipalities receiving funding for their projects include: Town of Blooming Grove Dane County / Fund capital purchases / $60,383.21 Village of Blue Mounds Dane County / Finance street project / $875,181 Deerfield Community Schools Dane County / Renovate high school and middle school / $500,000...

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