Volume 2 - Issue 23 - Circulation 3,500 Week of 06.04.09 to 06.11.09

Madison Area - I spent the morning listening to the PSC hearing live and a vote was taken at 12:41 - unanimous. There is strong support for the beltline route above ground from both staff and commissioners.

Ken Notes: Can I mention you saw it here first! The link will take you to the web version of the newsletter. I will update this during the day. A mention of WDN in releases would be nice.

Stories

Madison - 6/11/2009 - It was nearly five years ago that Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz removed a $25 million renovation of Central Library from the 2005 capital budget, citing financial constraints and more pressing needs for branch libraries across the city. The project would have given the aging 1960s building at 201 W. Mifflin St. a major expansion -- adding 47,000 square feet with a third story and underground renovation -- as well as a makeover, putting in more windows for natural lighting and gray slate to cover its motley brown exterior...

Ken Notes: A library is an icon for a city and this project is a great example of the public working with the private sector. It will be a tough budget year, but this project will provide real jobs, real income to downtown, and makes far more sense than a makeover. If upon examining all the budget priorities, the project is not high enough for funding I suggest waiting a year. The project website is HERE.

Madison Area - JUN 11, 2009 - Fourteen homes in three neighborhoods will be showcased in this year's Parade of Homes sponsored by the Madison Area Builders Association...

Ken Notes: The Parade Website is HERE.

Wisconsin - JUN 11, 2009 - If you smoke, if you send your children to public school or if you and your spouse together earn more than $300,000 a year, the $62.2 billion state budget to be taken up today by the Democratic-led Assembly will affect you. To close a $6.6 billion budget shortfall, legislators propose to use billions in federal stimulus money, cut spending by $905 million and raise $2.11 billion in taxes over the next two years....

Ken Notes: So if there is no stimulus money available in the future we are right back where we started. Why not start at zero and pay for what we can afford. When we focus on cuts and one time revenue sources we push the problems to the next generation.

SPRING GREEN - June 10, 2009 - This summer, for the first time in 30 years, audiences will get to see the American Players Theatre company perform without having to worry about mosquitoes, sunburn, cold snaps or drizzle...

Ken Notes: If anyone is interested, I will gladly trade tickets for a banner ad in this newsletter. The APT website is here HERE.

Wisconsin - June 9, 2009 - Amid pay cuts, furloughs and larger class sizes, UW System officials see one silver lining in the otherwise harsh state budget: a big investment in new buildings. The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee has approved 36 major UW System building projects, including new residence halls, state-of-the-art research laboratories and academic buildings. UW System building and maintenance projects would receive $380 million in taxpayer support and another $486 million in student fees, private donations and other non-tax sources under the plan pending in the Legislature....

Ken Notes: Thank You! The UW Systems is good for the state and the economy.

Mazomanie - JUN 11, 2009 - A 200-acre development proposed for Mazomanie is back before the county's regional planning commission tonight, posing the first challenge to the commission's ability to rein in urban sprawl. The development, the largest in the history of the village of 1,600, became the first project rejected by the recently reconstituted Capital Area Regional Planning Commission in August...

Ken Notes: "The commission objected to the proposal because it did not encourage compact mixed-use neighborhoods near the county's urban center, wrote Todd Ambs, division of water administrator." -- So communities in Dane County but not in Madison are...

New Glarus - June 10, 2009 - Spotted Cow, Wisconsin's most popular craft beer, has an astonishing new home. Open just a week, the New Glarus Brewing Co.'s new Hilltop Brewery is up and running, and eager beer fans have already begun exploring the state-of-the-art brewing plant and the new gift shop...

Ken Notes: I'm still open to scheduling a "Developers Tour"!

MILWAUKEE - 6/11/2009 - A year after rival MillerCoors abandoned plans to launch craft versions of Miller Lite, Anheuser-Busch said it is launching a wheat version of Bud Light this fall. The beer giant aims to keep growing the momentum of its best-selling brand by tapping into the growing wheat segment...

Ken Notes: I now strongly favor a tax on beer brewed outside the state of Wisconsin. Wisconsin creates a market for great products like Spotted Cow and Island Wheat and some euro rice based company knocks it off. When will we remember that Wisconsin has the potential to again be number one again on a number of fronts!

Madison Area - JUN 10, 2009 - The state Public Service Commission is expected to rule Thursday on American Transmission Co.'s proposal to erect a 345-kilovolt line from west of Middleton to eastern Dane County. If approved, the high-voltage line could run anywhere from 32 miles to 55 miles, depending on the route...

Ken Notes: See lead story!

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...

Jun. 10, 2009 - Jun. 10, 2009 - After years of booming construction on Wisconsin lakes, state officials on Wednesday proposed the first substantial rewrite of waterfront zoning regulations in four decades. The biggest change in the closely watched rule package would eliminate a controversial measure that often has limited property owners from making improvements to homes within 75 feet of the shoreline....

MADISON - June 9, 2009 - A groundbreaking on Tuesday marked the next phase of building a new Union South on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The new building is being built at the site of the old Union South at Dayton and Randall streets...

Midwest - 6/10/2009 - The Obama administration is dropping hints that a proposed Midwest high-speed rail network connecting Minneapolis, Madison and Chicago has a good chance of landing part of the $8 billion in federal stimulus earmarked for passenger trains...

Ken Notes: If this has a chance, we need to have a comprehensive plan in place for the Madison Region. My concern is that there is little room at the table for the surrounding communities -- and that has to change.

MADISON - June 10, 2009 - Plans are in the works to rebuild one of Madison's popular outdoor treasures: Picnic Point on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The nearly mile-long peninsula along Lake Mendota's southern shore attracts thousands of visitors each year, and has been one of Madison's most distinctive landmarks...

Wisconsin - June 10, 2009 - State environmental officials want to make the first major changes in shoreline building rules in more than four decades. Their plan calls for limiting shoreline structures' height to 35 feet. The size of impervious surfaces, such as roofs and pavement, would be capped at 30 percent of the lot...

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

Dane County - June 6, 2009 - There's an audible quality to the century-old, wide-board pine flooring that lets visitors know immediately they're inside a historic building. "We're going to clean up the floors, but we don't want to lose that squeak," says Kathy Gile, manager of the Patches & Petals quilting shop that now occupies the circa-1905 storefront that used to house a furniture store and funeral parlor here on Main Street. Gile is helping oversee a $100,000 makeover of the two-story building, part of a coordinated plan to lure tourists, preserve history and spur economic development in this village of 2,202, about 20 miles south of Madison....

Madison region - June 4, 2009 - The Madison region's economic development organization today announced its endorsement of a state plan that would allow creation of a Dane County transit authority that could seek federal money and collect local taxes for major transportation improvements. The proposal would enable creation of a county Regional Transit Authority and revive a local drive for a commuter train from Middleton to Sun Prairie. The RTA would not be able to raise money for road construction, a disappointment for some county officials...

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!...

Fitchburg - 6/10/2009 - Fitchburg should replace its two fire stations within a few years, according to a consultant's report unveiled when the Common Council met as a Committee of the Whole on May 27. New stations are needed to ensure prompt response times as the city develops to the east and southeast, said Fire Chief Randy Pickering...

June 5, 2009 - Although consumer confidence may be increasing, it's not showing up at the cash register yet. Many retailers posted disappointing May sales on Thursday, and food and necessities remained high on shoppers' lists. According a Goldman Sachs/ICSC tally, overall same-store sales fell 4.6 percent, worse than the 3 percent drop predicted. The lower-than-expected results did not include Wal-Mart stores,...

Madison - June 4, 2009- The former administrator of a center for the poor that was abruptly closed by the Madison Catholic Diocese last week says he's confident the center will reopen because of the extent of anger among priests and church lay people. "With Catholics, one thing you don't do is mess with the poor," Andy Russell told more than 100 people Wednesday at United Way of Dane County...

Madison - JUN 11, 2009 - As Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy Wednesday with Fiat as its new owner, Russ Darrow in Madison promised customers little disruption as he opens a new Chrysler Jeep Dodge dealership on the Far East Side in about a week and hires 25 employees to help staff it. "We're still going to be in business here in Madison," Darrow said. "We will still have access to our customers."...

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 Area - June 9, 2009 - Hiring is expected to pick up in the Madison area in the third quarter, according to Manpower Inc.'s quarterly employment outlook survey. The Milwaukee-based global staffing giant reported Tuesday that 21 percent of Madison area companies interviewed plan to hire more employees in the third quarter, while 11 percent expect to reduce their payrolls. Another 64 percent expect to maintain their current staff levels, and 4 percent are not certain of their hiring plans. Heading into the second quarter, just 12 percent of area companies expected to add jobs...

Milwaukee - Jun. 9, 2009 - A local developer is seeking city financing, along with a $50 million loan from private lenders, to develop a high-rise luxury apartment building with 224 units in downtown Milwaukee. New Land Enterprises wants to develop the 19-story building at the northeast corner of E. Kilbourn Ave. and N. Van Buren St., where Edwardo's Natural Pizza once operated...

West Allis - Jun. 8, 2009 - Members of the Wisconsin State Fair Park Board on Monday briefly considered approving but later postponed a plan to solicit offers to develop two parcels on the northeast side of the grounds. Craig Barkelar, the fair's interim director and chief financial officer, said the Fair Park needed to look for new ways to generate revenue instead of relying on the 11-day fair...

Wisconsin - Jun. 11, 2009 - A proposal to create property tax relief for some Wisconsin homeowners will face opposition from developers and real estate brokers, who say it will shift the tax burden to commercial properties. The proposal would be an amendment to the state Constitution, requiring approval from two consecutive annual sessions of the Legislature, as well as state voters in a ballot referendum. It would exempt the first $60,000 of a home's value from being figured into the homeowner's property tax bill for the local school district, said Joe Murray, a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Realtors Association....

Glendale - Jun. 10, 2009 - Milwaukee restaurateur Marc Bianchini, operator of Osteria del Mondo and Cubanitas, is hoping to open a Mexican restaurant in the former Cameron's Steakhouse space at Bayshore Town Center. The proposal cleared the Community Development Authority on Tuesday in Glendale, but the financial parts of the deal aren't complete yet. Plans call for a high-end eatery named Coa that would include outdoor seating....

Wisconsin - Jun. 10, 2009 - Pending legislation to require Wisconsin developers to pay prevailing wage on projects receiving $1 million or more of public cash carves out an exception for developers of affordable housing. But, there's a catch, attorney Sarah Jelencic said at a Wednesday commercial real estate seminar, sponsored by the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties Wisconsin Chapter...

Milwaukee - Jun. 10, 2009 - The Milwaukee Housing Authority and the United Community Center are entering into a joint venture to build a $6 million, 37-unit apartment complex for low-income elderly residents. The new, three-story housing complex will be built next to the 20-unit apartment complex for low-income elderly that's already part of the south side UCC complex. The units would be on the north side of W. Washington St. between S. 7th and S. 8th streets, project architect Scott A. Ramlow told the Housing Authority board Wednesday....

Milwaukee - Jun. 9, 2009 - The issue of whether City Hall should be more aggressive in helping finance development, including a high-rise apartment building proposed for downtown, came up at Tuesday's meeting of the Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee. Ald. Robert Bauman said the city should consider a more aggressive approach in providing financing...

Whitewater - Jun. 9, 2009 - The City of Whitewater wants your business. The city's Community Development Authority, in cooperation with a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater professor, has launched a campaign to attract businesses to the area. The theme is "Discover Your Center of Opportunity" and will target more than 6,000 businesses in the region bounded by Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago....

Milwaukee - Jun. 9, 2009 - To say the partially built Staybridge Suites hotel in downtown Milwaukee has problems is a bit of an understatement. And it's fair to begin wondering when work will finally resume on the project. The bad news I reported last week was that the Icelandic investors who financed construction of the Staybridge filed a lawsuit claiming the developers misappropriated money...

Appleton - Jun. 8, 2009 - A graduate of Lawrence University has pledged to give the school $10 million - the second-largest gift in the school's history, officials announced Monday. The gift is a bequest in the donor's will that will go entirely to support the college's endowment, including about $1.5 million to establish a new endowed professorship in Lawrence's renowned conservatory of music....

Wisconsin - Jun. 6, 2009 - It was fitting that the top educators in entrepreneurship in the Milwaukee 7 region met recently at the Harley-Davidson Museum, a testimony to an iconic start-up dating to 1903. There were 150 competitors for the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. in the early years, including seven in the Milwaukee area. Harley outlasted them, partly by creating a cult of enthusiasts who formed HOG, the Harley Owners Group....

Milwaukee - 6/10/2009 - Pete's Marketplace Inc. plans to expand Pete's Fruit Market, located at 1645 W. Greenfield Ave. on the south side of the city of Milwaukee. The property is part of the city's South Cesar Chavez Retail Corridor. Pete's plans to demolish its current 27,000-square-foot facility and replace it with a 51,790-square-foot...

Milwaukee - Jun. 10, 2009 - Developer Dan Druml plans to build a 40,000-square-foot light manufacturing facility at 1966 S. 4th St., just east of I-94 and south of Burnham St. Druml operates River Corner LLC, which is seeking approval from the city Board of Zoning Appeals for the project. The board will consider the development at its Thursday meeting...

Oak Creek - Jun. 11, 2009 - Wispark LLC will develop a 169-acre business park south of W. Oakwood Road and west of S. Howell Avenue, it was announced Thursday. The land was purchased for $5.4 million by the City of Oak Creek, and then sold to Wispark for the same amount, said Doug Seymour, Oak Creek community development director. He said there's no immediate timetable on developing the business park...

Oak Creek - Jun. 9, 2009 - An apartment development at 8379 S. Oak Park Drive, Oak Creek, has been sold for $10.6 million, according to documents filed with the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds...

Milwaukee - Jun. 9, 2009 - Employing a rarely used provision of city code, Milwaukee officials are poised to take two commercial lots from one owner and then sell them to another developer who has made campaign contributions to a key alderman...

Port Washington - Jun. 9, 2009 - With pedestrians threatened by falling debris from a downtown landmark, city officials have begun making repairs to the façade of the former M&I Bank building and are threatening to go to court to force its owner to make further repairs, as they promised last fall. Port Washington City Attorney Eric Eberhardt last week gave Port Harbor Investments 24 hours to repair part of the building that was crumbling onto the sidewalk at 122 N. Franklin St...

Milwaukee - Jun. 8, 2009 - There are now 10 separate lawsuits filed by people seeking to back out of their agreements to buy condominiums at the Park Lafayette development on Milwaukee's east side. Most of the suits, all pending in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, argue that developer Renaissant Lafayette LLC started construction...

Wisconsin - Jun. 8, 2009 - For years, the beaches and parks around Lake Michigan here were the victim of age, neglect and changing times. The shoreline was filthy, smelly and used as a dumping ground for trash. Less funding for maintenance compounded the problem, and the debris washed in from the lake stayed put....

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.

Please forward any information you would like included for consideration. We do our best to include any non advertising stories, press releases, or articles from other sources that you feel would be of interest to the reader. WDN can also host your news stories and press releases online. Please feel free to forward WDN.

We continue to develop this newsletter because of the positive feedback we have received in the past and strong encouragement to continue. As always let us know what you think.

Ken

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