According to a report released by the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau, developing some of the surface parking lots at Miller Park could be a good way for the Brewers to increase revenue and attract possible buyers for the team, which is currently up for sale. Suggested uses include restaurants/bars, retail stores, hotels, and parking garages to replace the displaced parking spaces.
The land upon which the stadium and parking lots sit is owned by the State, which in turn is leased to an entity known as the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, which in turn is leased to the Brewers. Under the commercial development plan, the Brewers would receive the proceeds from the land that is subleased to developers and/or tenants.
Read more about it in the
Business Journal (three-pages):
Field of development?: Development in stadium lots would benefit Brewers
The Brewers should definitiely consider this option, not only for their own benefit, but for taking a more responsible approach to how their stadium and surrounding property can be developed to benefit the City as well. It makes sense to develop the parking lot areas that are close to the stadium with these complimentary uses, rather than building a retail/restaurant/shopping mall project way over on the adjacent non-stadium land on the extreme far side of the parking lots, like was proposed in various incarnations several years back (on the former Milwaukee Road Shops/Rail Yard land--where planning is well underway to redevelop for an urban industrial/office/recreational park).
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Trader Joe's, a discount/gourmet grocery store is looking for sites in Milwaukee and Madison to build a few stores.
Also from the
Business Journal:
Trader Joe's seeks grocery sites in Milwaukee
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Alderman Michael D'Amato has been appointed the new chairman for the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee, which oversees how architects, developers, planners, builders, organizations, and residents shape the city. One of the committee's biggest jobs is reviewing development proposals.
Some of the major issues D'Amato will be dealing with include the heavily-debated community benefits agreements proposed to be attached to developments in the Park East corridor (he supports the prevailing wages clause, but not the afforable housing mandate); the controversial Harley-Davidon Museum proposal (he feels there are site design issues that do not promote the highest and best use for the location); and the Granville Station/former Northridge Mall redevelopment (emphasising a need to focus attention on areas other than just Downtown and near-Downtown neighborhoods).
The
Business Journal has a profile and interview wih D'Amato, outlining some of the goals he hopes to accomplish (three-pages):
Norquist protégé takes helm of development panel - D'Amato chairs powerful committee facing Harley, Park East issues
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Mayor Tom Barrett and County Executive Scott Walker will be attending the annual International Council of Shopping Centers convention to promote the Milwaukee area to national/international retailers.
More details in the
Business Journal (two-pager):
Barrett, Walker shop local sites to dealmakers
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Trouble is brewing at PabstCity. Local investor/developer James Haertel has filed a lawsuit against his much larger partners, Milwaukee-based Wispark and the Cleveland-based Ferchill Group, on the basis that he has not received the ownership titles to the three buildings he was to receive under their partnetship agreement.
Under the agreement, Haertel was to receive three small buildings on the 22-acre site--the Pabst office building, gift shop, and Blue Ribbon Hall. He has plans to redevelop them into a museum of beer and brewing, a beer bed and breakfast, a Hofbrauhaus restaurant/pub, and offices. He and his crew had even uncovered old Pabst artifacts (paperwork, photos, 1940s radio show/commerical recordings, etc.) while cleaning out the old buildings. In the meantime, according to the breach-of-contract lawsuit Haertel filed, Wispark and Ferchill provided him with a set of development restrictions for the three buildings, which essentially gave them control over how they were to be redeveloped.
Negotiations between the three developers to settle the dispute during the past year have failed, which now places the entire redevelopment project in jeapordy.
See the
Journal Sentinel for more:
Lawsuit filed against PabstCity developers - Investor says he was pushed out of partnership plan
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Alderman D'Amato and the aforementioned Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee have concerns about Harley-Davisdon's proposed motorcycle museum at 6th and W. Canal Streets. The committee has taken issue with the large surface parking lots proposed right at the intersection and the closing of Canal Street east of 6th.
The City's Menomonee Valley redevelopment plan, released back in 1999, calls for the intersection of 6th and Canal to be a gateway into the Valley, and encourages all four corners to be built-up in some form, not reserved for parking lots. Harley's proposal shows surface lots on two of the four courners. Certain Common Council members would like to have the site plan reconfigured/reduced to avoid having surface lots on the high-visibility corner. Harley contends the lots would also be used for staging outdoor events, so they are of benefit to the public.
The City's redevelopment plan also calls for linking the eastern end of the Valley with the Walker's Point neighborhood in the future, with a bridge on Canal Street across the South Menomonee Canal. Harley's proposal actually calls for turning Canal Street east of 6th into a private street running through the museum/office complex, thus preventing a bridge linkage from ever occurring.
The
Journal Sentinel has more:
Harley still can't get museum into gear - With aldermen pursuing amendments, review by zoning panel postponed