Volume 2 - Issue 15 - Circulation 3,500 Week of 4.09.09 to 4.16.09

Wisconsin - April 10, 2009 - It is interesting to note that in order to sustain a new economy, whatever that may be and whenever it may come, many of the new jobs will have to come from the private sector. Yet the current solution seems focused on the public sector or temporary jobs based on short term projects. It is further disheartening to realize that many of the "new projects" are really previously scheduled projects now shifted to use stimulus monies...

Madison - APR 16, 2009 - Land O'Lakes Inc. announced Wednesday it plans to lay off 120 employees and close Madison Dairy, 1002 E. Washington Ave., a butter manufacturing plant, within 60 days...

Ken Notes: Prime real estate here! Great redevelopment opportunity. Park next door. Hotel site???

Monroe and the New Glarus - 4/14/2009 - Minhas Craft Brewery of Monroe and the New Glarus Brewing Co. have both climbed higher on the list of America's largest brewers. Minhas, the former Huber brewery, was listed as the 14th largest brewer in the U.S. while New Glarus was slotted at No. 32 in the Brewers Association annual ranking based on 2008 sales volume released Tuesday....

Ken Notes: Should we schedule a road trip? Oh and if we raise taxes on beer we need to create an exemption for product brewed in Wisconsin!

Wisconsin - - The Wisconsin Realtors Association will spend at least $126,000 on a statewide campaign starting Friday to educate people about this year’s federal tax credit for first-time home buyers. The campaign, to last through the end of October, aims to get more people into homes using a media blitz of ads and social networking tools, including an interactive Web site at...

Ken Notes: Website is HERE.

MADISON - April 14, 2009 - A run-down but historic hospital building on the Mendota Mental Health Institute campus finds itself in a familiar tug-of-war between preservation and the wrecking ball. The state is about to spend $541,000 to tear down the old Wisconsin Memorial Hospital, built in 1922 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places...

Ken Notes: Gorman Company has done the Pabst Project in Milwaukee, his office in Oregon and several other projects of this magnitude. He knows what he is doing and can prove it!

MADISON - April 14, 2009 - Imagine a two-acre park built on fill with a marina and a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed boathouse on Lake Monona. There's a boardwalk from James Madison Park to UW-Madison's Memorial Union and another marina on Lake Mendota. And a new warehouse district offers space for entrepreneurs and up-and-coming companies near the Kohl Center. Those possibilities and more are emerging as preliminary recommendations in a new Downtown Plan that will influence how the Isthmus will look, feel and work for decades...

Ken Notes: Great Projects come from great vision!

MADISON - April 14, 2009 - Nellieyah Ngai gives the South Madison Branch library a lot of credit for the poised young woman she has become. It's done wonders for me, said Ngai, who recalled seeking refuge there from a chaotic home life while growing up nearby. The library was a "safe place" where she discovered books and supportive adults. Such safe public places for children "are more lacking in this neighborhood than any other," Ngai said last week at a meeting on the planned new branch library on South Park Street that she and civic leaders hope will be a vibrant hub of activity in a hardscrabble neighborhood that has served as an entry point for generations of new residents....

Ken Notes: I hope this project works out. The Sequoya project is an example of what can be done, but raising money in this economy is going to be tough at best. I hope a few WDN readers can help out.

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...

National - 4/13/2009 - sponsors of Little League, fixtures of Main Street, vibrant symbols of the American entrepreneurial dream -- could now prove to be the biggest threat to the future of the very industry they built. For much of the last century, in exchange for selling Detroit's new models and providing a public face to distant industrial giants, dealers were richly rewarded with a steady, lucrative business and received community respect. Now, with the industry in crisis,...

Ken Notes: There may be a redevelopment opportunity here. Verona has an empty facility on the market.

MADISON - April 15, 2009 - By May 1, going Out will be a literal destination, with an address in an office park on the far west side. A new restaurant and nightclub created as a GLBT-friendly entertainment complex is currently hiring a staff of about 50...

Greater Madison - April 12, 2009 - "Healthy Hospitals, Healthy Communities," the recently released study on the economic impact of hospitals in Wisconsin, reports that Wisconsin hospitals added 35,000 new jobs between 1990 and 2007 and now employ 112,780 people. That represents an increase of more than 40 percent since 1990. The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development projects hospital employment will grow another 18 percent and add 20,950 jobs between 2006 and 2016...

Ken Notes: I'll say it again, Madison can become a Mecca for baby boomers seeking quality health care, and lifestyle options in their retirement. We really do have it all, we just hide it occasionally. By the way my wife just had back surgery at the UW and the care was exceptional! Mayo my...

Recent commercial property listings from PropertyDrive.

Wisconsin - Fri Apr 10 2009 - MORTGAGE RATES: Average rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages rose to 4.87 percent this week from an average of 4.78 percent last week, the lowest average rate since 1971. Rates have been below 5 percent for four consecutive weeks and are still down a full percentage point from a year ago. Low rates have sparked a surge in refinancing, with nearly 80 percent of new home loan applications coming from borrowers seeking to refinance...

Greater Madison - April 9, 2009 - The listing of area building permits is gathered from records filed with planning officials in Madison, Fitchburg, Middleton and Sun Prairie. The listing includes new residential construction, as well as non-residential construction totaling at least $100,000...

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

A Middleton firm is putting together plans for a NASA mission that involves a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert...

Ken Notes: Video report HERE.

MIDDLETON - 4/16/2009 - Late night comedian Stephen Colbert may not have a wing of the International Space Station named after him, but he did get enough goodwill from NASA that it named an orbital treadmill after him. And a 3D simulator for that treadmill is being built by Hypercosm, a Middleton company...

Ken Notes: Orbitec is one of my favorite companies. Cutting edge tech in rocket fuel, LED, and other new ideas - right here in our backyard.

WASHINGTON - 4/14/2009 - President Barack Obama is trying to strike a careful balance between highlighting economic progress and underscoring continued challenges as he seeks to reverse the recession he inherited but now owns. The president was slated to give an economic speech Tuesday at Georgetown University as his administration nears its symbolic 100-day mark...

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!...

4/13/2009 - Texas continues to blow away the competition, but Iowa can now generate more wind power than California, according to a new industry report to be released Monday. The Lone Star state's 7,118 megawatts dwarfs Iowa's 2,791 megawatts and California's 2,517 megawatts, but wind power has grown into a key part of the energy infrastructure in Minnesota and Iowa...

National - 4/14/2009 - The number of U.S. businesses and individuals declaring bankruptcy is rising with a vengeance amid the recession, despite a three-year-old federal law that made it much tougher for Americans to escape their debts, an Associated Press analysis found. There's no end in sight," said bankruptcy lawyer Bryan Elliott of Hickory, N.C., who is working seven days a week and scheduling prospective clients a month in advance. "To be doing this well and having this much business, it is depressing. It's not a laugh-a-minute job."...

Wisconsin - April 10, 2009 - When members of the Badger Steam & Gas Engine Club went looking for places to house the nonprofit's quirky collection of antique machinery, they found several perfect storage units due to be torn down as part of a highway project. All they had to do was move the buildings, already destined for a landfill, and members of the Baraboo club volunteered to do it for free. But state Department of Transportation officials say federal and state laws require workers on the Highway 12 widening project north of Baraboo be paid the prevailing wage, which prevents volunteers from being involved...

Ken Notes: Read this. The state will pay to have buildings torn down rather than have them removed for FREE. The demolition contractor should withdraw from the project, but that too would be tough in these times.

Verona - 4/10/2009 - After almost two years of preparation, Dane County Parks is ready to show local residents what it has in store for Badger Prairie County Park. The master plan for the park on the edge of the City of Verona - including the Madison Area Youth Soccer Association fields - will be presented at 7 p.m. Monday at the Verona Public Library...

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...

SEATTLE - 4/15/2009 - Microsoft Corp.'s next version of its Office desktop programs will reach consumers next year, though not likely in conjunction with the Windows 7 operating system. Microsoft is set to announce Wednesday that Office 2010 will be finished and ready to send to manufacturers in the first half of next year....

Ken Notes: The last version caused me to switch to Sun's Open Office. Clean, simple and Free!

- Thursday, April 9, 2009 - The following property transfers were recorded in Madison in February. Listing includes seller, buyer, dollar amount based on transfer tax and address. 321 W. Mifflin St. , $210,000, from Buckingham LLC to Du Preez, Amanda E...

Ken Notes:

Milwaukee - Apr. 15, 2009 - The Des Moines Register recently reported on plans by a developer to convert the former downtown Younkers department store building into retail space and apartments. Developer Michael Alexander might want to consider downtown Milwaukee's Boston Store building, or the former Marshall Field's building. They're not quite the same projects, but there are similarities--including the use of historic preservation tax credits to help finance the work. Wispark LLC and Mandel Group Inc. created 74 luxury apartments on the upper floors of the Boston Store building....

JANESVILLE - April 14, 2009 - A startup company said it could bring as many as 500 jobs to Janesville. But city officials said the number of jobs created depends on the demand for the product. The company is called RecyGrow, and it uses processed recycled materials to grow sod and other plants indoors. It has announced it is considering opening a facility in Janesville...

- Apr. 14, 2009 - At a slack time for downtown development in Milwaukee, the old Pabst brewery is a bright spot. Our colleague Tom Daykin reported Monday that the redevelopment of the complex on the west edge of downtown continues, with the first commercial building to be completed at the site is now mostly full. The same is true for the former keg house, which has become apartments...

MILWAUKEE - April 16, 2009 - At a time when many large real estate projects are bottoming out, the reinvention of downtown Milwaukee's Pabst brewery remains on tap. The former brewery's first redeveloped commercial building just welcomed its largest tenant and is mostly full. Two other buildings, including one leased to Cardinal Stritch University, are being renovated into commercial space. The former keg house, remodeled into 95 apartments, is filling up with renters....

Ken Notes: Great Photos...

MILWAUKEE - Apr. 15, 2009 - The public is being invited by Mayor Tom Barrett and Ald. Milele A. Coggs to visit a new website that promotes business development and homeownership in Bronzeville. The online home of the proposed African-American cultural and entertainment district, unveiled by the city Tuesday, includes information about the history of the project and its progress. "This fresh new website is a great tool to help update the community, business owners and developers on the growth and opportunities available in the Bronzeville area as we continue to move forward," Coggs said...

Ken Notes: Bronzeville website HERE.

Brookfield - Apr. 14, 2009 - Citing the ailing economy and tight credit markets, the developers of Percheron Square, a major mixed-use project between I-94 and Blue Mound Road, have been given more time to start construction. City officials have granted an extension until Oct. 21 for AVS Development Inc. to file engineering, landscaping and site plans on the project, which will include office, retail, condos, senior housing and an extended-stay hotel....

WISCONSIN - Apr. 16, 2009 - In another week or so, the Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority will announce which projects will receive the latest batch of affordable housing tax credits. The agency allocates the credits in a competitive process. Developers use the credits to help finance apartments that they must rent at below-market rents to moderate-income people. Several projects in the Milwaukee area are seeking credits. Some of the more interesting proposals involve renovating older buildings into apartments...

Oconomowoc - Apr. 14, 2009 - Pabst Farms developers have asked the city to take over construction of a fire station intended to serve the 1,500-acre residential and commercial complex. The development group still is willing to pay $2 million for the fire station, as required by the 2006 settlement of a lawsuit over Aurora Health Care's hospital under construction at Pabst Farms...

Apr. 11, 2009 - Developers of suburban condos held at least one advantage over their counterparts in downtown Milwaukee when the housing bubble burst. It's a lot easier to delay building in the burbs, where condominiums are typically developed within relatively small buildings, than in a downtown high-rise or other large, multistory project...

MILWAUKEE - Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp is seeking tax exempt bonds through the city of Milwaukee's Redevelopment Authority to replace the parking structure for the U.S. Bank Center at 777 E. Wisconsin Ave. in downtown Milwaukee. The three-story parking structure, located immediately south of the 42-story U.S. Bank Center, will be demolished and replaced with a 7.5-level structure with 896 parking spaces. ...

April 15, 2009 - The University School of Milwaukee's Board of Trustees recently voted to proceed with a $20 million project for new construction and renovation of its Lower and Middle School facilities. "To implement fully the curriculum that is already in place and to provide our students with the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in the 21st century, it is clear that we need larger classrooms, additional common areas...

Park East area - Apr. 10, 2009 - A proposal to build over 350 apartments, including some for moderate-income renters, on a 2-acre lot in downtown's Park East area will be reviewed by a County Board committee Monday. Fair Market Development LLC, owned by Harry Drea of Madison and Robert Schultz of West Linn, Ore., was the only development firm to respond to Milwaukee County's request for proposals for the county-owned lot, which is bordered by N. Broadway, E. Ogden Ave. and N. Water, N. Milwaukee and E. Lyon 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.

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Ken

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