A lot's been going on the past few days...
Wisconsin is expected to receive $150 million worth of federal tax credits, which will be used to help developers finance projects in low-income areas across the state. Cities in southeastern Wisconsin would likely receive a bulk of the credits, as that's where many of the poorest areas are located. Credits targeted for Milwaukee could likely go toward several major sites (Park East corridor, PabstCity, the Menomonee Valley, the Tower Automotive complex) and/or other smaller neighborhood projects.
See the
Journal Sentinel article for more:
State gets $150 million aimed at development in poor areas
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Mayor Barrett officially proposed to consolidate and relocated some Department of Public Works facilities to the underutilized Tower Automotive factory complex--an idea he often mentioned during his recent campaign. The plan calls for relocating DPW's Traser Yards facility that now stands at 6th and West Canal Streets in the Menomonee Valley to make way for the proposed Harley-Davidson motorcycle museum/office complex. Also included in the site-consolidation are two Water Works facilities.
The Tower Automotive site (formerly A.O. Smith) is located on the Northwest Side, bounded by W. Capitol Drive, N. 35th, N. Hopkins, and W. Townsend Streets. Tower Automotive's operations have downsized significanly over the past few years, as the company has disconsinued or shifted production to other places (earlier this year the compnay announced it was shifting one of its last production lines to Mexico), thus most of the factory complex is sitting underutilized. Relocating some DPW facilties there would bring jobs and much-needed commerce to the depressed neighborhood, and would likely be a catalyst for new development in the area.
The Common Council is discussing the idea.
Here's an article from the
Journal Sentinel:
Tower site proposal would cost $24 million - Mayor seeks to move city employees to complex
And another from the
Business Journal:
Barrett proposes moving Traser Yards to Tower site
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In other news, Mayor Barrett will hold off looking into a Downtown casino--at least for the time being. Several months ago a group of politicians and business groups proposed moving the Potawotomi Bingo Casino out of the Menomonee Valley and into a site Downtown, in the Park East corridor. The Potowatomi tribe, however, was not involved with the proposal. Acting-Mayor Pratt and County Executive Scott Walker created a task force in late-March to study the feasability of the idea, which was expected to reveal its findings on May 15--but the task force has never met.
To further complicate matters, there are two active court cases challenging expanded state-tribal gaming compacts that regulate the casinos. The state Court of Appeals is expected to give its rulings on the cases this summer.
Mayor Barrett supports the idea of studying the feasability of a casino relocation, but feels it would make more sense to actually have the Potawatomi tribe involved with the relocation study (nobody's really ever asked them, it's just been non-tribal people making suggestions) and also after the court has made a ruling on the future of tirbal casinos.
Check out the
Journal Sentinel article for specifics:
Barrett puts downtown casino on back burner - Park East, other issues will take precedence
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Coincidentally, the Potawatomi tribe has just announced a $240 million expansion plan for its Milwaukee casino. The tribe will begin preliminary design work, but will hold off on construction pending the aforementioned court rulings due this summer. This will allow the tribe to get a "head start" on the expansion, should the rulings come out in their favor.
In the meantime, the tribe will be doing some minor construction work to support its current operations in the Menonomee Valley--in the form of a parking garage addition.
Read it in the
Business Journal (scroll down, two-pager):
Potawatomi tribe announces $240 million casino plan
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And still in other news, Mayor Barrett has appointed a top position in the Department of City Development--Bob Greenstreet has been selected to become City Architect/Planner. Greenstreet is currently dean at the UW-Milwaukee School of Architecture and Urban Planning, and welcomes the challenge of taking on both jobs simultaneously. He's no stranger to such arrangements either (he's been dean for SARUP, acting-dean for the art school, and chairman of the City Plan Commission--all simultaneously; he's also been dean for SARUP, interim-chancellor for UWM, and chairman of the City Plan Commission--all simultaneously; and also had a lighter work load as dean for SARUP and chairman for the City Plan Commission--both simultaneoulsy...plus teaching, or at least guest-lecturing, plus being a family-man, etc). Under the new arrangement, however, he will have to step down as chairman for the City Plan Commission.
The details still have to be worked out, as far as exactly what kind of services Greenstreet will have to perform, and how the interaction between his jobs will work. They may try an arrangement where the City contracts with UWM for Greenstreet's services as architect/planner for Milwaukee--which may be the first arrangemetn of its kind, ever, anywhere.
The connection between the City and SARUP is already pretty strong. A few years ago former-Mayor Norquist taught an introductory urban planning class for a couple semesters. Former- Director of DCD Peter Park also taught several classes and studios over the past few years (he was whisked away to a top planning job in Devener a few months ago--Greenstreet will be his replacement at DCD). The school has been a "testing ground" of sorts for many projects throughout the city that have become a reality, or will become a reality (East Pointe Commons, the Park East Freeway redevelopment, the Milwaukee Public Market, the RiverWalk, to name a few).
Once the legal deatils are figured out, the appointment must be approved by the Common Council, perhaps by the end of the month.
Have a look through the
Journal Sentinel article and get to know Dean Greenstreet:
Barrett picks UWM's Greenstreet as city's architect - Town-gown partnership would share dean's services