Volume 2 - Issue 7 - Circulation 3,500 Week of 2.12.09 to 2.19.09

Madison - 2/19/2009 - The state Building Commission Wednesday added $7.1 million to the Union South replacement budget, bringing the project total to $94.8 million. University of Wisconsin System Vice President David Miller explained that construction costs have been better identified as the project planning progresses. While a number of cost-cutting alternatives have been considered, including reducing the number of guest rooms from 120 to 60, the project remains above the estimated budget, and further cuts would contradict the student-approved scope of the project funded from $85.7 million in student fees....

Ken Notes: I still believe that the UW will continue to lead the charge on development in the region. From the new research facility to the public private partnerships on campus they are doing a lot right these days.

Madison - 2/18/2009 - The guy overseeing Wisconsin's slice of the $780 billion federal stimulus package knows something about messy jobs. As a student at Loras College in the mid-1970s, Gary Wolter worked after class butchering hogs at a Dubuque packing plant. "There were a bunch of other college guys there working the swing shift...

Ken Notes: ...and MGE is not far behind!

Middleton - 2/19/200 - T. Wall Properties, already known for several large projects in the area, unveiled plans for its most ambitious development yet before the Middleton Common Council and Plan Commission at a special joint meeting on Jan. 27. Company president and CEO Terrence Wall described a "revolutionary sustainable mixed-use" community that would allow residents to walk or bike to work, school and shopping destinations, incorporate alternative energy and utilize local agriculture. ...

Madison - 2/17/2009 - A San Diego real estate group has purchased seven properties in downtown Madison from local landlord Harold Langhammer, with eyes on redeveloping the busy corner of West Washington Avenue and Broom Street. Cardinal Group Investments, LLC announced Tuesday it acquired the seven properties totaling 78 bedrooms for $4.5 million. The purchase includes the historic 25-room Zeta Beta Tau fraternity building at 233 Langdon St., along with six stand-alone buildings across Broom Street...

Ken Notes: Welcome - Their website is Here.

Fitchburg - 2/15/09 - The first annual Mad City Mardi Gras to benefit the Henry Vilas Zoo will be held this Sunday, February 22 at Liliana's in Fitchburg. David Heide Chef/Owner invites everyone to attend this special event featuring live music and special events all day! They hope to raise $3,000.00 for the Henry Vilas Zoo...

Ken Notes: If you haven't had the gumbo yet, this may be too good to pass up. See you there!

Madison - 2/17/2009 - A controversial five-story, mixed-use apartment project featuring a large health club at 425 W. Washington Ave. will get another airing before the city Urban Design Commission on Wednesday. The review panel has been working with developer Erik Minton and architect David Ferch on design elements of the $7.4 million project, which has been scaled down from its original configuration...

Wisconsin - 2/19/2009 - Gov. Jim Doyle has backed away from his staunch stand against charging tolls on Wisconsin highways. The governor has indicated for the first time that he would be open to the idea. Doyle told the Journal Sentinel that he dislikes the idea of toll roads, but said the state must find new ways to pay for roads and other transportation as gas tax revenue falls in the years ahead....

Ken Notes: How about just at the borders for those entering the state.

Oak Creek - 2/18/2009 - The Goodwill Industries of Southeastern Wisconsin board of directors has approved plans to build a new 142,000-square-foot Center for Work & Training in Oak Creek at 140 E. Rawson Ave. The new facility will replace a building that Goodwill presently leases near Mitchell International Airport at 200 W. Vogel Ave. This new facility also will enable Goodwill to free up space and renovate the James O. Wright Center (JOW) at 6055 N. 91st St. to better serve Milwaukee's northwest side. Renovation plans at the JOW include expanded vocational training, day services and senior services, and a new cafeteria and kitchen with improved food service training space. A Workforce Connection Center is also under consideration....

Madison Area - 2/17/2009 - Two Madison-based biotechnology firms are collaborating to advance research into human embryonic stem cells. Stemina Biomarker Discovery Inc. and Promega Corp. announced the collaboration Monday. Promega, a global leader in biotechnology for 30 years, will provide supplies and equipment to Stemina...

Madison Area - FEB 18, 2009 - A climate of fear is the biggest obstacle to reviving the Dane County housing market, said David Stark, president of Stark Company Realtors. Despite a low local unemployment rate, historically low interest rates and plenty of housing choices, Stark said buyers are afraid to invest partly because of what they hear about other housing markets on the national news....

Ken Notes: Dave points out what we need to market. Madison is a far more stable economic region than most and this is good for both business and families.

Madison Area - February 19, 2009 - One of the proposals in Gov. Jim Doyle's newly unveiled state budget plan would impact Dane County directly, reviving a commuter rail project in the area as well as a higher sales tax...

Ken Notes: The Video report is Here.

MADISON - Thursday 02/19/2009 - Back in February 2005, when then editor Marc Eisen's original "Boom Town" led the issue, I remarked in this column that we'd continue to follow the story of Madison's development. "There is plenty of story left to tell, and we'll be telling it for some time to come." Well, here it is four years later, almost to the issue, and we are still writing about it. Welcome to David Medaris' "The Sky's the Limit."...

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...

Fitchburg - 2/17/2009 - Officials of the Alexander Co. said Monday they are willing to sell a controversial community gardens parcel near Rimrock Road to the city of Fitchburg. The company, which is developing the 70-acre Novation Campus business park, also is willing to sign a lease with the Community Action Coalition to make the land available for community gardens this year and possibly in 2010...

Ken Notes: One would think in a year or two that land zoned ag could be found for a great community garden even a regional facility.

Madison - FEB 18, 2009 - Madison officials are divided on whether to bend finance policies to secure a dynamic project for the emerging BioAg Gateway on the Southeast Side. The city hopes to develop a world-class Midwest BioLink Commercial and Business Center that would create 40 jobs and be a catalyst for the BioAg Gateway between the Interstate, Beltline and Highway 51....

Ken Notes: To bad we could not make this a more regional project.

Madison - FEB 17, 2009 - Cuts and sacrifices, while required, should not be the only priorities for Wisconsin lawmakers as they cope with the looming state budget deficit. They should also focus on what the state can do to help Wisconsin grow its way out of the economic downturn that triggered the deficit. That's why legislators should expand and improve the tax credit that encourages investments in new, growing businesses...

Middleton - FEB 18, 2009 - After achieving record revenues in 2008, Electronic Theatre Controls (ETC) in Middleton is branching out into the field of LED (light-emitting diode) lighting products with the purchase of Selador, a Salt Lake City company. Founded in 2003, Selador has four employees. Terms of the acquisition last week were not disclosed by the two privately owned companies. LED production will move to Middleton...

Ken Notes: There are now several Madison area companies on the cutting edge of LED technology. There are a LOT of light bulbs to replace in this world. Hmmm????

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 - February 18, 2009 - Gov. Jim Doyle is proposing eliminating lucrative film tax credits that helped lure the Johnny Depp film "Public Enemies" to Wisconsin last year. A Commerce Department review of the "Public Enemies" film showed that while it brought about $5 million in economic activity to the state, it collected $4.6 million in tax breaks...

Madison - 2/18/2009 - Herzing College in Madison will become Herzing University at a sign-changing event on March 2. The event will begin 11:30 a.m., at the Herzing campus at 5218 E. Terrace Drive. Campus President Donald Madelung said the addition of master's degree programs in management, technology management and health care management prompted Herzing's name change...

Wisconsin - February 18, 2009 - A $215 million tax on large multistate businesses has cleared the state Senate with no Republican support. The plan pushed by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle is slated to pass the Democratic-controlled Assembly later on...

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...

Verona - 2/13/2009 - The state of the economy weighed heavily on the minds of Verona alders Monday night. The debate over the latest proposal for David Reinke's 240 acres of land on the southeast side of the city kept coming back to the cost of doing something, of doing nothing and of doing the right thing the wrong way. In the end, though there was no action taken (or requested), it was clear most on the Common Council liked at least some of what they saw. ...

Ken Notes: See Article...

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!...

Wisconsin - February 16, 2009 - Totals in the stimulus package for infrastructure, including money for highways and bridges, public transit and water projects: Illinois $1,579,965,373 Indiana 836,483,568 Iowa 447,563,924 Michigan 1,150,282,308 Minnesota 668,242,481 Ohio 1,335,600,553 Wisconsin 716,457,120...

Wisconsin - 2/18/2009 - To accelerate new business development in Wisconsin, I am launching an Accelerate Wisconsin initiative that will enhance the existing angel investment and venture capital investment tax credit program (Act 255) and offer a capital gains re-investment incentive. These initiatives will support start-up technology companies, increase flexibility for entrepreneurs seeking tax creditable investment, increase ease of program administration and provide parity between investor groups, and spur investment in Wisconsin start-up companies by insurers....

Madison - February 19, 2009 - For a long time, the housing market has looked as bad as some Wisconsin winters, but some local first-time buyers say they think the worst is over, and they're ready to open a new door...

Ken Notes: Video HERE

Madison - February 17, 2009 - Members of Madison's city government geared up Monday night to take advantage of the $787 billion federal stimulus bill that President Barack Obama likely will sign this week. The city's federal legislative lobbyist Len Simon spoke by phone from Washington, D.C., to of the Board of Estimates Monday, explaining the various components of the bill and how they will be distributed among states and municipalities...

Middleton - 2/19/2009 - Two centenarian oak trees being cleared to make way for a new Middleton Police Station on Donna Drive could end up reincarnated as furniture in the Washington D.C. office of the Chief of the United States Forest Service. Robert Falk, a research engineer with the U.S. Forest Service Products Laboratory in Madison, recently approached city officials in Middleton with a somewhat unprecedented request...

Oregon - 2/18/2009 - The Lyman Anderson family farm could someday hold a baseball diamond, walking paths and a future bike path, as Dane County officials unveiled far-reaching plans Monday to buy the town of Oregon farm and turn it into a public park. Anderson, the well-known local politician and farmer, died in 2005, leaving behind roughly 400 acres of property that includes some woodlands and rolling hills. ...

Middleton - 2/5/2009 - Middleton and Dane County have resolved a long-running disagreement over the establishment of a natural resource area to the city's north. At a joint meeting on Jan. 27, the city's plan commission and common council both approved a compromise between the city's proposed 120-acre conservation corridor and the county's proposal to establish a 420-acre "natural resource area." The attempt at environmental protection is part of a larger effort to jumpstart plans for the North Mendota Parkway...

Fitchburg - 2/18/2009 - The city is making another attempt to revise some of the regulations governing the location of houses that have irritated some landowners in rural areas. Landowners say the regulations are too restrictive and subjective. Critics say relaxing the standards will lead to uncontrolled sprawl that requires expensive services. In a preliminary review of the proposal on Feb. 3, not everyone on the Plan Commission agreed with the proposed changes...

Fitchburg - 2/18/2009 - Time to start over? That appears to be one option as members of the Community and Economic Development Authority continue to question major tenets of the city's comprehensive plan, and are considering delaying its implementation to address their concerns. The policies of concern, which will guide the city's growth, are slated for final approval in a few months. CEDA questioned a potential commuter rail line, buffers around wetlands and a 75-acre annual growth rate...

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...

Middleton - 2/12/09 - John Q. Hammons, the nation's largest Holiday Inn franchise holder, is building a 300-room, 30,000-square-foot hotel and trade center in Middleton. Scheduled to open in March 1990, it is already raising hackles in local hospitality and convention circles, editor Marc Eisen reports. "I think it's going to be difficult to compete with Hammons...

Madison - February 17, 2009 - The city of Madison, which just passed one of its tightest budgets in years, stands to get millions of dollars in the new $798 billion federal stimulus package, officials learned Monday. "We have a terrific opportunity in Madison," Len Simon, the city's federal lobbyist told the Board of Estimates by phone from Washington, D.C. "There is a large amount of funding available." A lot of the stimulus money is targeted to urban needs...

Wisconsin - FEB 18, 2009 - Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin, the Madison-based parent company of AnchorBank, Tuesday reported a net loss of $167.3 million for the last quarter of 2008. The loss, which equals $7.96 a share, was due mainly to a $93 million provision for loan losses, up from $7.8 million a year ago, and a $72.2 million write-down in the value of certain assets....

Wisconsin - February 16, 2009 - The job now is to make the best of a deeply flawed federal economic stimulus package. Keen decision-making, along with vigilant oversight, will be required not only in Washington, D.C., but also in state capitols, corporate suites and households around the nation. Just don't expect a miracle...

Stoughton - 2/18/2009 - The Yahara River Grocery Cooperative's (YRGC) effort to raise $30,000 in 30 days - and help the fledgling co-op gain a new lease on life - was successful. Friday, Feb. 13 co-op officials learned the Dane County Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Committee recommended giving a $60,000 loan to the co-op. This amount was matched by $32,525 in cash contributions raised in the last 30 days by the co-op's members and customers...

Cassville - February 15, 2009 - It seemed like a good idea at the time. That's why Luke and Darcy Ploessl own six extra houses in Cassville, a pleasant village of about 1,000 inhabitants on the Mississippi River. The Ploessls hope to sell the houses to someone for $100 each, so long as there are several thousand other people who inarticulately don't buy them for $100. And therein lies a story of a can't-lose plan gone sour, a power plant not built, $4-a-gallon gasoline, a contest requiring modest skills of literacy and the American dream modified to fit the circumstance...

Milwaukee / Lake Geneva - 2/18/2009 - Milwaukee-based Marcus Corp. announced Tuesday that it will immediately begin "major renovations" at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center hotel in downtown Milwaukee and at the Grand Geneva Resort & Spa in Lake Geneva. The total cost for the two projects is about $30 million. The renovations at the downtown Hilton Milwaukee City Center will begin with guest...

Oconomowoc - February 19, 2009 - Where Waters Meet, Where Oconomowoc Meets Daily and Where Visitors Meet Oconomowoc are a few of the brand promises presented by Hitchcock Design Group during its open house Tuesday night at City Hall.. Where Waters Meet, Where Oconomowoc Meets Daily...

Delafield - February 19, 2009 - A land-use proposal that has long-range implications into the development of Lake Country might be discussed at next week's Plan Commission meeting.. A land-use proposal that has long-range implications into the development of Lake Country might be discussed...

MILWAUKEE - 2/18/2009 - First Industrial Realty Trust Inc., a Chicago-based real estate investment trust (REIT), recently closed its Milwaukee area office. First Industrial opened its Milwaukee office in 2004 and was active in southeastern Wisconsin purchasing several buildings and developing several others. The REIT's developments in southeastern Wisconsin include a 721,000-square-foot distribution center that is under construction in Kenosha for Affiliated Foods Midwest, a 600,000-square-foot facility for Rust-Oleum in Kenosha, and a 388,800-square-foot distribution center in Menomonee Falls for Quad/Graphics Inc....

MILWAUKEE - 2/18/2009 - In his "state of the county" address this week, Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker proposed selling the county's land in the Park East corridor to the city of Milwaukee. "One of the biggest and most visible tracts of land that is ripe for development is the Park East Corridor," Walker said. "To jump start work on this area, I propose selling all of the Park East county land to the City of Milwaukee. City officials have the tools necessary for a large-scale project and they need the flexibility to attract a wide range of interests."...

Menomonee Falls - February 12, 2009 - A big-box store is a probability in the southwest area of Menomonee Falls...

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

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Kenneth Harwood
WisconsinDevelopment.com LLC
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