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July 6-13, 2007 | July 13-20, 2007 | July 20-27, 2007 | July 27-August 3, 2007

Development News for the week 7/27/07 to 8/03/08

UPDATE Regional Economic Development Entity

Since the launch of the Regional Economic Development Entity (or REDE—“ready”), we’ve been busy. Below is a brief update on what we’ve accomplished… and what’s coming up next…

Get A Hybrid With Purchase Of A Condo

Thursday, August 2, 2007 - In the latest sign that the housing market in Madison isn't exactly on fire, a Downtown condominium development is giving a free car to anyone who buys a unit priced at $299,900 or higher. The promotion at Metropolitan Place runs through August and offers a Honda Civic Hybrid as the incentive. The car, powered by a combination gasoline-electric motor, retails for around $22,000. "It brings an interesting twist to condo sales," said Darren Kittleson, a member of the Metropolitan Place sales team. "I don't think anyone else is doing anything like this." Developer Cliff Fisher said the promotion isn't a desperation move, just an attempt to stand out in a crowded field…

Editors Note: I need a car and a condo, Cliff can you do something in Verona…

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Bridge repairs could cost state over $2 billion

FRI., AUG 3, 2007 - Wisconsin's bridges are considered safer than the national average, but the state still has more than 2,100 bridges that fall short of federal standards for carrying loads and providing wide lanes for cars, according to a Wisconsin State Journal review of state and federal records. The safety of the state's bridges has improved over the last two decades, but a recent report by the Wisconsin section of the American Society of Civil Engineers also found that uncertain funding for future projects puts Wisconsin at risk of backsliding. That funding, the report said, is critical in a state with hundreds of bridges that are more than 50 years old…

Ground Broken For Monona Complex

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - Ground was broken in June for the 42-unit Water Crest condominiums on Lake Monona. The development, at 101 Ferchland Place, is near Monona Drive and Cottage Grove Road in Monona. The $17 million project includes one- to three-bedroom condominiums priced from $189,000 to $775,000, said developer Kevin Metcalfe of Metcalfe Co. All but four units have a view of Lake Monona and the Madison skyline…

St. Paul's Rebuilding On Hold

Thursday, August 2, 2007 - Talks with the Catholic Diocese of Madison have stalled the rebuilding of St. Paul's University Catholic Center, 723 State St., according to the church's pastor, the Rev. Eric Nielsen. Ron Trachtenberg, a lawyer working with St. Paul's, said rebuilding the church is part of a plan to turn the facility into a combination chapel, student center and student residence hall. Trachtenberg said the student center and residence halls could provide space for the discussion of faith and reason by those who attend or live in it. Nielsen first discussed the project with The Capital Times on June 11, but said Wednesday that an official announcement about plans was expected to come out soon and will now likely be delayed a few months…

New neighborhood electric vehicles hit the streets

7/26/07 - Given the price of gasoline these days and with global warming issues heating up, it’s no wonder more and more people are thinking “green.” Toward that end, many motorists are giving more thought to not only what they drive, but how they drive. One entrepreneurial Stoughton family hopes more motorists are considering going “electric.” In June, Mike and Lucy Zweep of Stoughton and daughter and son-in-law Juan and Lisa Olveda launched Ozee Cars, LLC (Olveda Zweep Electric Enterprises), one of a handful of Wisconsin dealerships that sell what are known as Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs). The “street legal” vehicles run entirely on electricity-charged batteries that run 50 to 70 miles per charge and take about six to eight hours to charge, says Lucy Zweep…

Multitenant 'Green' Buildings Planned

T. Wall Properties , of Middleton, one of the state's largest commercial developers, has pledged to construct multitenant "green" buildings that are environmentally friendly and energy efficient…

County Could Spend $27.5 Million On Parks, Open Space With Plan

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 - Dane County would spend up to $27.5 million to purchase parks and open space over five years under a new conservation plan announced Monday. The conservation fund would replace the existing fund, which has raised $27.8 million since 1999, when three out of four voters approved a non-binding referendum designed to raise $30 million in a decade. The new Lewis-Lunney Fund, named in honor of long-time Dane County Parks Commission members Elizabeth Lewis and William Lunney, would raise $5 million a year through capital borrowing. Another fund would raise $500,000 a year to restore and develop existing parkland…

Get Right Of First Refusal For Future Space Needs

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - One of the major questions for many business owners looking to lease is: "How much space do I need?" The main concern is over future expansion. This may cause you to lease more space than needed and pay more than your growing company can afford. One of the best ways to alleviate this problem is to add a right of first refusal clause into your lease. This clause gives you, as the tenant, the first opportunity to lease additional space that might become available in your building, often at the same price and on the same terms and conditions as those in a third party offer…

136-room Marriott Hotel Opens In Middleton

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - A 136-room Courtyard by Marriott hotel opened in July at 2266 Deming Way in Middleton. Located in the Discovery Springs development, the $9.9 million hotel is managed by North Central Management of Middleton. The four-story Middleton hotel features 1,980 square feet of meeting space and a business library with individual work stations and high-speed data ports. It also includes the Courtyard Cafe Restaurant , a 24-hour food and beverage area, an indoor swimming pool, spa and exercise room. $4 MILLION IN UPGRADES START AT MARRIOTT WEST…

Atc: Rural Dane County Or Beltline Best For Power Line

Thursday, August 2, 2007 - Should a new high-voltage transmission line run along the Beltline or take a longer path through rural Dane County? Those are the two primary alternatives American Transmission Co. presented Wednesday for a 345-kilovolt line designed to bring more electricity into and around the county. And opponents have not been mollified. "We still would like the Wisconsin Public Service Commission to seriously explore the need for this power line in the first place," Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said. "There has never been an objective study…

Facility to be built in biz park / New Reserve center OK'd

8/02/2007 - With base closings causing more reservists to train in Madison, the State Building Commission Wednesday authorized the $3.97 million purchase of 31.7 acres of land on the city's northeast side for a new Armed Forces Reserve Center. The center, proposed to cost $38.3 million, is to be built in a new business park south of U.S. 51 and Interstate 94. The proposed 139,529-square-foot building will provide training space when two Army Reserve centers and a…

COMMUNITY CREATION

FRI., AUG 3, 2007 - VERONA -- Mixed in among the coffee aroma, artwork, pottery and other fair-trade items that fill Indigo Coffee and Tea are handmade cards with a special purpose. Spectrum Sisters Arts and Crafts, a group of Verona High School students with disabilities, created greeting cards that are on sale at the coffee shop and art gallery, 300 S. Main St…

EDITORIAL State can't ignore flop with Forbes

TUE., JUL 31, 2007 - A prominent business magazine says Wisconsin is one of the worst states for business. Forbes also ranks the Madison area as an average place for commerce and careers despite our highly educated work force and wonderful quality of life. Magazine rankings are a loose science that vary dramatically from year to year. They should never be taken as gospel. Yet even if we disagree with some of Forbes' findings, the magazine's negative review hurts…

Editors Note: I sincerely hope as many people read Money Magazine as Forbes because #1 is a much better number.

Local Laser Maker Alfalight Sold

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - Madison-based laser firm Alfalight Inc. has been acquired by a California-based laser company that trades on the Australian Stock Exchange. Exact terms of the deal, expected to close around Nov. 1, were not disclosed. But the new owner, Arasor International Limited, did announce this week it had acquired both Alfalight and U.S.-owned, Australian company AOFR Pty Ltd. for $63 million. Arasor said the acquisitions would be earnings positive, as both Alfalight and AOFR are cash-flow positive…

CEO Had 'vision' For UW - Hospital Leader Leaves For Texas

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - What will Donna Sollenberger's legacy be after she leaves her position as chief executive of University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics to lead Baylor College of Medicine's first college-owned hospital? Most people will look at bricks-and-mortar achievements, most notably the construction of American Family Children's Hospital. But perhaps her greater impact has been on health policy and her vision for the hospital, said Steve Brenton, president of the Wisconsin Hospital Association. "I have been extremely impressed with her comprehensive vision for the organization. She has done a terrific job as a partner with the physicians group and the medical school - the other two parts of UW Health," Brenton said…

City digs in, ready to build its new digs

7/26/07 - By the time you read this, Verona's priciest-ever municipal project should finally be under way. The city held a groundbreaking ceremony last Thursday, and crews from Fischl Construction were set to begin work on Verona's new municipal building by Thursday or Friday of this week after months of fretting over the details of the $7.5 million project with city officials. "I know they're chomping at the bit to get started," city administrator Shawn Murphy…

Liliana's To Specialize In New Orleans Fare

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - Liliana's Restaurant , which will offer New Orleans-style dining, is expected to open in September at 2951 Triverton Pike in Fitchburg, the former site of Happy Wok. Owner and executive chef David Heide said he is building a 1,500-square-foot addition to the front of the restaurant, which will accommodate 150 diners plus 27 people at the bar. Heide, who has worked at Cocoliquot in Madison and at a California restaurant, said Liliana's will offer more than the best-known New Orleans foods of jambalaya…

Finding, Buying Another Company Requires Planning / There Are Some Gems Out There

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - When looking to grow your small business, it's natural to think of ways to stimulate organic growth - expanding sales within existing markets, launching new products, or expanding services. Consider, too, the opportunities for growth through the acquisition of other companies. Acquisitions may be selected for their potential to expand a company's current market share or as a way to diversify operations by adding a company in an unrelated sector. Finding and selecting companies to acquire can be a challenging process. In a former life, I was involved in the merger/acquisition process, acting on behalf of my employer to identify potential businesses to acquire…

Great Big Pictures - Family Printing Business Puts Plus-size Art On World Display

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - The next time you walk into an Ann Taylor store, take a look at the posters of models wearing the company's tailored suits and casual apparel. When you duck into a Disney store, watch for human-sized cardboard cutouts of familiar mice and other cartoon creatures. Chances are, those images were made in Madison, on the plus-size printers of a longtime, family-owned business that could be on its way to becoming a great big company: Great Big Pictures. Great Big Pictures enlarges images - art and photos - up to giant proportions. Its client list includes a few dozen…

Recycling Shingles - Landscaping Company Is Finding Greenbacks On Area Rooftops

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - The Bruce Co., of Middleton, long a prominent fixture in the landscaping business, is branching out into recycling. Since last summer, the company has been grinding used asphalt roofing shingles - known as tear-offs - and selling the fine powder to asphalt plants. And later this year, the company is going to begin recycling waste from construction projects, said James Altwies, the firm's environmental initiatives coordinator. While such recycling efforts can have an environmental impact…

Transactions - Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Building Permits

Capital Region Indicators - Understanding The Market

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - HIGHER INCOME HOUSEHOLDS IN THE CAPITAL REGION. According to the 2005 Consumer Expenditure Survey, households with an annual income of $100,000 or more outspent the average U.S. household by more than 113 percent. While these higher income consumers account for only 16 percent of U.S. households, they are responsible for more than one third of all expenditures…

Olde Towne Center

Wednesday, August 01, 2007 - Brothers Dwight and Dale Huston are working on the second and final phase of the $42 million Arrowwood Community, a mix of primarily senior housing, offices and retail space on the east side of South Main Street and adjacent to the Glacial Drumlin State Trail. The Olde Towne section of the Arrowwood development is desidned for senior citizens, with the exception of some apartments above the retail spaces that front South Main Street…

Empty nests...Oregon is overloaded with condos, but developers see hope on the horizon

7/26/07 - In three years, Chuck Elliott has seen the ups and – more recently – the downs of Oregon's condominium market. In early 2005, the Middleton-based developer began selling the first of 75 condos in the Alpine Meadows neighborhood on the village’s booming west side. “When that started, you couldn’t build them fast enough,” he said. “We’d sell out before we were done building.” But today, another Elliott venture is a testament to how quickly the market can sour…

Plans draw more criticism - Verona district questions effect on schools

7/26/07 - The debate continues over the city’s land use plan and whether the city should exercise control over development adjacent to its borders. At the July 17 meeting of the Plan Commission, Phil Salkin with the Realtors Association of Southcentral Wisconsin, who said he was speaking as a private individual at the behest of several Fitchburg residents, criticized the city’s attempt to define a 50-year urban growth boundary…

Making Cherokee More Of A Marsh And Less Of A Lake

Sunday, July 29, 2007 - Cherokee Marsh, on the edge of Madison, is serving as a landscape-scale laboratory this summer. Since 2000, when flooding caused problems on Madison's lakes, Russ Hefty, the Madison Park Division's conservation supervisor, has been reshaping Cherokee Marsh so that it is more of a marsh and less of a lake. The flooding highlighted a couple of major problems that concerned Hefty. One, it showed that continued destruction of wetlands around the city has come at a price; loss of wetlands to development and agriculture has removed a natural buffer against flooding. Those lost wetlands acted like sponges, soaking up and holding floodwaters. Also, Hefty said, high water in Cherokee Marsh is chewing away at the valuable and rare sedge marsh that line the marsh, breaking them loose and sending them floating out into the lakes…

LAST WEEKEND -- Stroll Through Condo Living

Sunday, July 29, 2007 - Despite a flood of condominium projects in the market, the Madison Area Builders Association Parade of Condominiums is a bit smaller this year. After a fairly steady climb, the parade dropped back to 28 sites this year in eight communities. The 12th annual parade runs today through Aug. 5…

Around The State and Points Elsewhere
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Dells Resort Completes First Condominium

Wednesday, August 1, 2007 - WISCONSIN DELLS - A year after it was announced, activity is stepping up at the $160 million Grand Cambrian Resort in Wisconsin Dells. The development's first stand-alone condominium was recently finished and construction is proceeding on four other stand-alone condominiums, said Craig Wilkinson, general manager and operations director. He said a permit from the state Department of Natural Resources is needed to begin construction in late summer of the five-story hotel-style condominiums along the Wisconsin River…

Zilber tears down Pabst smoke stack

Construction crews recently demolished the iconic Pabst smoke stack at the former Pabst brewery in downtown Milwaukee. Attempts to save the smoke stack and the building that it sat on were unsuccessful, said Mike Mervis, assistant to Joseph Zilber, the founder of Zilber Ltd. who is redeveloping the former brewery property…

Proposed West Bend development gets grant

Proposed West Bend development gets grant. $500,000 to be used for site cleanup. A proposed $12.8 million development that would replace an empty building along West Bend's riverfront with office and retail space is getting a state grant...

City gives green light to Highlands

City gives green light to Highlands. Budget Cinema will be razed by 2009. After a 90-minute closed session, the Greenfield Common Council voted 3-2 July 24 to approve a development agreement for the Greenfield Highlands project, part of a 47-acre tax-incremental financing district along...

New store's design becomes a target

New store's design becomes a target. Some lobby for more than 'big box' look. Franklin will more than likely welcome a Target store sometime next year, but the major question now is, what kind of Target - the typical "big box" or a more architecturally upscale facility?...

Officials weigh options for houses

Officials weigh options for houses. Renting, maintenance or tearing them down under consideration. The Mequon Finance-Personnel Committee continues to discuss the future of two city-owned properties on the Milwaukee River across from City Hall...

Pabst Farms I-94 work could start in spring

Pabst Farms I-94 work could start in spring. Interchange project awaits funding, DOT manager says. Construction of a new I-94 interchange needed for development of a proposed upscale shopping mall in Pabst Farms could begin as soon as next spring if the money can be found to pay for it, state transportation...

Developer trying to put project on firm ground

Developer trying to put project on firm ground. He hasn't received OK on plan to stabilize receding lake bluff. In 2000, a prominent developer announced a large mixed-use development proposed for the last major undeveloped stretch of lakefront between Milwaukee and Port Washington...

Best Buy plans store in Grafton

Best Buy plans store in Grafton. Best Buy is the latest national retailer planning to add a store at the booming interchange of I-43 and Highway 60 in Ozaukee County, officials said Monday...

Business in Wisconsin

Business in Wisconsin. ConstructionBerghammer Construction, Butler, was selected by Next Door Foundation to complete interior renovations at its 29th and McKinley facility. The work includes a new medical clinic to be staffed by Children's Hospital of Wisconsin...

We should care about good design

We should care about good design. Every now and then, a comment from a reader stops me in my tracks. I'm not talking about the e-mails that begin: "You're an idiot." That's what the delete button is for. Rather, I'm talking about inquiries like the one I got recently from a vexed caller...

Rivermoor won't be annexed

Rivermoor won't be annexed. Waterford board denies club's request. The Village Board has denied a request for annexation into the village by owners of the Rivermoor Country Club...

Can we all get along? Region's leaders debate about challenges ahead

Can we all get along? Region's leaders debate about challenges ahead. Regional cooperation will be needed to address economic growth, mass transit, water. Since March, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Editorial Board has hosted a series of round tables with community leaders to discuss the quality of life in the metropolitan...

DNR halts Big Bend development at old dump

DNR halts Big Bend development at old dump. Requirements must be met before rezoning, conditional-use permit. Potentially rezoning land containing a polluted old dump for commercial purposes, and granting the developer a conditional-use permit to fill the area, has been put on hold until more...

The Park condos receive final council approval

The Park condos receive final council approval. A proposed condominium development that drew criticism for what some said was lackluster design received final approval from the Common Council...

Condo plan for Loomis a no-go

Condo plan for Loomis a no-go. Rezoning land not in city's best interest, say mayor, alderman. A proposed 175-unit condominium development could cost Muskego too much precious land for future business development, according to city leaders...

Officials want resident input on land use plan

Officials want resident input on land use plan. 'Blueprint' for future redevelopment. The first of what will be many public meetings on updating the city's comprehensive land use plan will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, at City Hall and officials are hoping residents show up to share their...

Condo sales at a trickle due to stagnant market

Condo sales at a trickle due to stagnant market. Officials cite concern over construction sites as hangouts. Although there have been some snags, plans are proceeding to construct three separate condominium developments along Buckhorn Avenue...

Rail funds plan disputed

Rail funds plan disputed. Project would take transit money from areas such as Waukesha, some say. Supporters and opponents of a proposed commuter rail network in southeastern Wisconsin disagree strongly on whether the $200 million project would threaten state transit funding...

Development News for the week 7/20/07 to 7/27/07
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Roaring Retail

Thursday, July 26, 2007 - Supertarget Is The First In A Line Of Five Super-big Boxes Bound For Dane County. The 180,000-square-foot SuperTarget that opened Wednesday near Verona Road and Highway PD is just the start of what will become one of the largest retail developments in Dane County over the next few years. Plans for the Orchard Pointe development call for an additional 620,000 square feet of restaurants, banks and smaller big-box stores. When the project is finished, it will rival the size of East Towne Mall (839,608 square feet) and West Towne Mall (915,307 square feet) in floor space. The development is Fitchburg's first major shopping center. It's also the first in a line of five supercenter-style stores to combine retail and a full-service grocery that are either open, under construction or proposed in Dane County…

Editors Note: I visited opening day. It is bigger -- I am not sure about better. As for groceries, try pilgrimages to Trader Joe’s or Miller’s in Verona - I actually chant for good tuna and great steak ohmmmm...

Parade Of Condominiums Starts Next Saturday

The Madison Area Builders Association's 12th annual Parade of Condominiums runs through Aug. 5. The event features 28 condo projects in Madison, Fitchburg, McFarland, Middleton, Oregon, Sun Prairie, Verona and Waunakee. For details, go to www.paradeofcondosmadison.com. Tickets are $9 in advance, $10 at the sites. Hours will be 3-8 p.m. weekdays and noon-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays…

Great Wolf signs deal for indoor waterpark at Mall of America

7/26/2007 BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The Mall of America today announced that it has signed a letter of intent with Madison-based Great Wolf Resorts to incorporate an indoor waterpark in Mall of America's pending Phase II expansion. The Great Wolf Lodge participation is contingent upon the finalization and approval of Phase II plans. Mall of America spokesman Dan Jasper said the $1.9 billion project needs state approval for about $181 million in infrastructure funding…

Editors Note: Doesn’t the Madison area need a destination attraction? Send me your ideas and I will put together a list… editor@parktowne.com.

Nicer digs on campus

TUE., JUL 24, 2007 - The newest multimillion-dollar residence halls on Madison campuses feature semi-private bathrooms, walk-in closets, wireless Internet connections and even spots for professors to hold office hours. Such perks aren 't luxuries these days, university officials say. They 're essential for recruiting the best students and helping students to succeed. "It 's funny to think that one year…

Madison.com Gets New Look, Now More User-friendly

Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - A redesigned Web site intended to be more user-friendly will be unveiled today at www.madison.com to offer information on life in the Madison area. "Users will have a much easier time and spend much less time finding what they're looking for," said Jon Friesch, marketing director of Capital Newspapers, which owns the site…

Editors Note: Very nice look, congrats. And the archives of News and Notes found on this site still work.

Large Property Transactions

Power Systems to see a boost

THU., JUL 26, 2007 - A $70 million order for American Superconductor, to provide wind turbine electrical systems for Sinovel Wind Corp., in China, will be a boost to Power Systems, American Superconductor's division based in Middleton and New Berlin, company spokesman Jason Fredette said. "Our Wisconsin operations are certainly in the middle of that," said Fredette, at company headquarters in Westborough, Mass. "We're scaling up hiring in Wisconsin and overseas."…

House Sales Off, But Prices Inch Up

Saturday, July 21, 2007 - Sales prices for existing homes and condominiums showed modest gains over a year ago despite the slower real estate market, according to the latest report from South Central Wisconsin MLS. The median home sale price in June was $219,650 in Dane County, up from $217,900 a year ago. In the region, the median sale price was $184,000, up from $180,050 in June 2006. Median sales prices declined since last year in Grant and Sauk counties, but were higher in Columbia, Dodge, Green, Iowa and Rock counties. Dane County had 894 sales in June, down about 6 percent from 951 a year ago, while the region's 1,680 sales were down 11.6 percent from 1,900 last year. Through the first half of 2007, Dane County had 3,480 sales, down 9.1 percent from 3,827 last year, while the region had 7,239 sales, down 8.4 percent from 7,901 last year…

Other Retail Hot Spots In Dane County

Thursday, July 26, 2007 - Monona: Dane County's first Wal-Mart Supercenter is scheduled to open in September at South Towne Drive… Stoughton: The City Council in November approved a neighborhood plan for a 180-acre retail and housing… Sun Prairie: Prairie Lakes development, which would have about 890,000-square-feet of retail space… Middleton: A 152,000-square-foot Costco is under construction in Discovery Springs… Verona: The city is considering a proposal for a mix of retail, restaurants, public space and housing called The West End…

Economy growth is best in a year

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The economy snapped out of a lethargic spell and grew at a 3.4 percent pace in the second quarter, the strongest showing in more than a year. A revival in business spending was a main force behind the energized performance. The new reading on gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department on Friday, marked a big improvement from the first three months of this year…

No Nicey-nice On State Budget

Thursday, July 26, 2007 - Compromise Is Out The Window As Legislators Battle On Health Care. It took less than an hour for legislative leaders trying to negotiate a state budget deal to switch from promises of cooperation to attacks on one another. At their first meeting of the budget conference committee, leaders of the Democrat-controlled Senate and Republican-controlled Assembly squared off Wednesday over the Democrats' $15 billion universal health care proposal, which appears to be the biggest sticking point between the two sides. After declaring "We have to demonstrate the fine art of negotiating," Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, appeared to suggest that, for Democrats, the health plan was not negotiable…

6 Condos Ok'd For Sensitive Cherokee Site

Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - In January, owners of Cherokee Park Inc. and the city agreed on a concept plan to allow future development while protecting sensitive marshland on Madison's north side. At the time it was hailed as opening the way for the largest open space purchase in city history. Now come the messy details of approving specific developments in an environmental corridor. Monday night, the Madison Plan Commission unanimously approved…

Commission Sees Hill Farms Plan

Tuesday, July 24, 2007 - Plans to change the zoning of a 20-acre plot in the Hill Farms neighborhood on Madison's West Side to allow a multiuse development were presented Monday night to the Plan Commission. Also Monday, the commission OK'd the purchase of land for another bike path that would connect the Military Ridge Trail to Madison. The Hill Farms proposal has been in development since last fall, when remodeling the headquarters of the state Department of Transportation was deemed "extremely expensive," said Brian Munson, principal of Vandewalle & Associates, the firm hired by the state to come up with a plan to redevelop the property. "The state recognized early on this was an opportunity both to facilitate a new state headquarters for the DOT…

Condos Perched In Prime Spot

Sunday, July 22, 2007 - Whispering Pines Condominiums In Middleton Was Designed As "workforce Housing." A nearly 11-acre parcel of land - too high to become part of surrounding parkland - is enjoying a more appropriate life as Whispering Pines Condominiums. The condominiums, off Pleasant View Road and Airport Road, are designed as "workforce housing," a natural designation given they are next to Middleton Business Park. The first buyer noticed the sign for the condominiums on his way home from work at the business park. "I was really intrigued," said Sean Penrice, who works across the street at Electronic Theatre Controls. "It's hard to find anything for that price, much less for brand new."…

Developer Hopes To Create Biotech Community

Saturday, July 21, 2007 - Welton Enterprise Center Seeking Specialized Companies. A new business center aimed at young biotechnology companies is being established on the Far West Side. Developer Welton Enterprises hopes to create a biotech community at Welton Enterprise Center, 802 Deming Way. "It's unique building space, very attractively priced, at $20 per square foot," said Welton marketing director Dan Ramsey. Two young biotechs, Centrose and BioSystem Development, have leased space at the center so far, Ramsey said…

Linnerud tract plans taking shape

7/19/07 - Slowly but surely, Stoughton city staff members, the Stoughton Plan Commission and teams of consultants with expertise in everything from traffic to landscaping to light poles are making headway on the proposal to develop the 183-acre Linnerud tract at USH Hwy. 51 and CTH B. Starting last month, the Plan Commission began meeting twice monthly to review and recommend changes to voluminous development plans submitted for the tract as a whole…

Around The State and Points Elsewhere
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The Park condos receive final council approval

The Park condos receive final council approval. A proposed condominium development that drew criticism for what some said was lackluster design received final approval from the Common Council...

Condo plan for Loomis a no-go

Condo plan for Loomis a no-go. Rezoning land not in city's best interest, say mayor, alderman. A proposed 175-unit condominium development could cost Muskego too much precious land for future business development, according to city leaders...

Pieper plots Milwaukee redevelopments

Ann Pieper Eisenbrown, the president and founder of Milwaukee-based Pieper Properties Inc., is redeveloping buildings in the Third Ward and in the Fifth Ward in Milwaukee. Earlier this year, a group of investors organized by Pieper, called 234 Florida LLC, purchased the 100,000-square-foot, 115-year-old former Allen D. Everitt Knitting Co. building at 234 W. Florida St. for about $1.9 million from Mitchell B. Van Dyke LLC…

Getting into a TIF

Getting into a TIF. Village officials learn more about development tool. Greendale officials received a crash course in tax-incremental financing at a joint meeting of the Village Board, Plan Commission and Community Development Authority on July 23...

Jazz club planned for King Drive

Tina Chang, chief executive officer of Brookfield-based SysLogic Inc., plans to open a jazz club called Jazzmine in a two-story building at 1821 N. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive that she and jazz musician Steve Peplin purchased three years ago. Chang and Peplin live on the building's second floor. Peplin will be the jazz club's creative director. He and Chang…

Officials want resident input on land use plan

Officials want resident input on land use plan. 'Blueprint' for future redevelopment. The first of what will be many public meetings on updating the city's comprehensive land use plan will take place at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18, at City Hall and officials are hoping residents show up to share their...

Condo sales at a trickle due to stagnant market

Condo sales at a trickle due to stagnant market. Officials cite concern over construction sites as hangouts. Although there have been some snags, plans are proceeding to construct three separate condominium developments along Buckhorn Avenue...

Best places to live

Best places to live. Money Magazine ranks Germantown 30th in country. Its people, parks and businesses are among the reasons why Germantown was ranked the 30th best place to live in the country by Money Magazine...

Carroll officials not ready to back developer's plan

Carroll officials not ready to back developer's plan. Waukesha - Carroll College officials are uncertain how interested they are in a proposed student housing development at the corner of Maple and College avenues brought to the Plan Commission on July 11 by developer Bill Huelsman, a college spokeswoman...

Downtown office repair project stalls

Downtown office repair project stalls. Council panel rejects $3 million financing. Plans to redevelop one of downtown Milwaukee's oldest office buildings are in limbo after a Common Council committee Tuesday rejected a proposal for about $3 million in city financing for the $23 million project...

He'll focus on both research, economic development

He'll focus on both research, economic development. New UWM official aims to create entrepreneurial environment here. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has recruited the chief economic development strategist from Mississippi State University with the goal of transforming UWM into a research-driven...

Paying the bill for development

Paying the bill for development. Germantown wrestles with debt repayment after revenue from business park falls short. When the village borrowed nearly $21 million to create the Germantown Business Park, the aim was to attract employers and ease the burden on property taxpayers...

Rebirth of Old World 3rd St.

Rebirth of Old World 3rd St.. Hotels, condos planned. In July 2006, three people were shot - two fatally - outside a bar on N. Old World 3rd St. Three months later, one of the street's longest-running restaurants closed, followed by another business shutdown earlier this year...

Some suburbs not hit by slump

Some suburbs not hit by slump. New construction holding its own in some smaller towns. The home building industry hasn't had an easy year, and it's likely to get worse. But the slowdown is playing out unevenly in the Milwaukee area, with some communities - especially those on the...

Park East developer downsizes plans

Park East developer downsizes plans. Developer also drops pursuit of aid from city. The developer of a controversial project proposed for Milwaukee's Park East area has decided not to pursue city financial assistance and is scaling back his plans...

Dept. of Commerce.  Governor Doyle announces $200,000 in Technology Zone tax credits for Zepnick Solutions, Inc…

Governor Doyle. Announces over $7 million to benefit homeless people…

Rep. Moore.  Announce $600,000 to boost inner-city entrepreneurs and bus system in Milwaukee…

Development News for the week  7/13/07 to 7/20/07
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Money Magazine Likes Middleton, Wis.

MIDDLETON, Wis. - This small town in the shadow of Madison has its own reason to boast. Money magazine announced Monday that Middleton is the " Best Place to Live" in America for 2007, citing its tight-knit community and proximity to the cultural and economic benefits of Madison. That city, the state capital and roughly 14 times larger than Middleton, was named by Money as the best place to live in 1998…

Editors Note: CONGRATULATIONS!!! And only one week after I told Forbes they were nuts (44 th Best Place To Do Business my @#%). Of course Middleton is well deserving of this honor and I hope to see Verona on the list soon. Wisconsin is a GREAT place to live and do business and we will prove it one great city at a time!

Middleton Tops Money's List

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - The City Is Dubbed The Best Place To Live In The U.s., And Shares The Love. The Good Neighbor City is being quite neighborly. Instead of taking all the credit for its top spot in Money Magazine's annual best place to live list, Middleton officials say the award announced Monday will be good for the Dane County area and wouldn't have happened without the amenities offered in Madison and other nearby communities. The city of more than 17,000 that abuts Madison's Far West Side was ranked seventh in 2005, the last time the magazine ranked cities with between 7,500 and 50,000 people. Madison got the top nod for all cities in 1998. "It's good for the Capital region," said Van Nutt…

An editorial — Middleton is the best

7/18/2007 -- When Money magazine's editors were putting together this year's "Best Places to Live" issue, they decided to look at 2,876 communities with populations between 7,500 and 50,000. That ruled out great small towns like Mount Horeb and great cities like Madison. But it ruled in Middleton, which was ranked No. 1 in the nation. That will come as no surprise to Dane County residents, who have watched as Middleton has strived and thrived in recent years, attracting a smart mix of new urbanist development while maintaining the charming historic character of the city's residential neighborhoods and downtown…

Let's promote our state as a great place to do business

7/17/07 - Forbes Magazine just ranked the "Best States For Business," and I for one am outraged at the 44th-place ranking Wisconsin received. And before we all point the proverbial finger at someone else for this, we need to take a long hard look at ourselves. We are not good at doing what needs to be done to attract new business to the state and promote and nurture the businesses that are already here…

Editors Note: Who wrote this? Let me know what you think… editor@parktowne.com

BUILDING PERMITS From Wisconsin State Journal, Thu Jul 19 2007

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

PropertyDrive Adds 28 New Listings

Madison, Wisconsin – July 18, 2007 – PropertyDrive Adds 28 New Commercial Listings to Its State-Wide Database from July 11 – July 17, 2007PropertyDrive, an online listing service for commercial real estate in Wisconsin, added 28 new listings to its database of over 1,300 commercial listings during the period July 11 – July 17. PropertyDrive (www.PropertyDrive.com) is available to anyone to perform free searches for buildings, land or businesses for sale or lease…

Editors Note: I will include the new listings link each week.

Is this what we’ve been missing?

7/12/07 - Now you can really shop. SuperTarget opens July 25. SuperTarget has arrived. After several years of planning and months of construction, the grand opening of the gargantuan new store at 6321 McKee Road is set for Sunday, July 29. You can stop by sooner than that, however, since it will be open for business on Wednesday, July 25. Target’s grand openings tend to be rather low-key events, a way of welcoming the community, said Joshua Thomas, a public affairs specialist with Target. The SuperTarget in Fitchburg is one of approximately 40 new Target stores to open in July…

Local Housing Market Steadies

Thursday, July 19, 2007 - While still below a year ago, the local real estate market showed some signs of stabilizing in June, the Realtors Association of South Central Wisconsin reported. The 894 sales of homes and condominiums reported in June in Dane County were 5.9 percent fewer than the 951 last June, but that was not as bad as the 15.8 percent decline in May sales compared to last May. The 3,480 sales reported in the first half of the year here were 9 percent below the 3,827 a year ago, but that is not as poor as the 11.2 percent decline in May…

Small banks can compete with big ones

WED., JUL 18, 2007 - Size doesn't matter when it comes to a bank's financial strength. "The smaller ones are just as likely to perform as well as the bigger ones and can be better from an earnings perspective," said Phllip Van Doorn, senior banking analyst with TheStreet.com Ratings. The Bank of Prairie du Sac and Premier Bank of Fort Atkinson, each with assets of less than $250 million, were among six Wisconsin banks recently to receive the highest A+ ratings from TheStreet.com, based on 2007 first-quarter data…

Bank Rankings Don’t Tell the Whole Story

As a banking professional with more than 20 years in the industry, I feel I must offer my opinion on your recent ranking of a number of Wisconsin banks (“How Strong Is Your Bank?” WSJ, July 19, 2007). As the accompanying article states, the chart reflects rankings by TheStreet.com and Bauer Financial based on banks’ first quarter 2007 profitability. To rank or “grade” banks on the basis of such limited data does a great disservice to local financial institutions, and misleads consumers as well. First, it concerns me to see that the rankings are based on financial data from just one quarter…

Forget High-tech, Wisconsin Thrives On Beer And Cheese

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - While economic development officials tout Wisconsin as a hotbed for biofuels and biotech, it's the beer and cheese business that really puts us in the spotlight. One case making national news is the trademark fight between tiny Capital Brewery of Middleton and Anheuser-Busch of St. Louis, the world's leading beer maker. The other involves price manipulation on the spot cheese market. OK. Maybe beer and cheese don't hold the key to Wisconsin's economic future like stem cells or fuel cells. But at least I know what they are. On the beer front, Capital is definitely fighting an uphill battle in trying to trademark its slogan " America's #1 Rated Brewer," according to a local trademark attorney…

Editors Note: News and Notes and WisconsinDevelopment.com is pleased to award Capitol Brewery it’s own “ America's #1 Rated Brewer” award based on extensive personal taste testing.

Timeshares Get Boost From State - License Swaps Made Easier

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - Timeshare vacationing in Wisconsin just got modernized. A bill signed by Gov. Jim Doyle Tuesday allows the resort industry to sell blocks of vacation time without requiring consumers to purchase an actual piece of real estate. The law change is aimed at attracting visitors who may already hold a timeshare "license" for a resort in another state. It also brings Wisconsin in line with the 49 other states that allow the sale of timeshare licenses without a registered real estate deed…

OPINION Consider Residents When Siting Industry

Thursday, July 19, 2007 - Sparta-area farmer David Rundahl sees a perfect location for a $115 million ethanol plan, according to a July 9 State Journal article. If it is a perfect location, why is there opposition? Maybe "perfect" is a loosely-used term with preference behind it. Another perfect location for an ethanol plant might be in Gov. Jim Doyle's front yard, to some. Wasn't it our governor who invited ethanol plants to Wisconsin and never addressed the obvious battle of location? It is time to wake up developers, council members and government officials. These "smoke stack" industries with negative impacts are never perfectly located when in close proximity of people. Long battles result…

EDITORIAL Economy Is Dependent On Good Road System

Wednesday, July 18, 2007 - Here's a novel idea: How about if we start spending our transportation tax dollars on projects that will actually improve transportation in the Madison area? Although that seems obvious, it's not happening. Our elected officials want to use our hard-earned tax dollars on projects that have nothing to do with the real transportation problem: congestion. In fact, they want to use our taxes to increase congestion.

Uw Hosting Global Turfgrass Conference

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - The University of Wisconsin-Madison next week is hosting more than 1,100 attendees of an international turfgrass industry convention, symposium and trade show. The events include a field day July 26 at the UW-Madison's O.J. Noer Turfgrass Research and Education Facility near Verona. The largest contingent will come from Turfgrass Producers International, comprised of turfgrass sod producers from more than 40 countries around the world…

Editors Note: I new people were coming to Madison for the grass. We need a grant for this.

Organization Nears Fundraising Goal

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - The Yahara River Grocery Cooperative in Stoughton is nearing its fundraising goal of $100,000. Officials have said that $90,000 has been raised but another $10,000 is needed to open the doors of the store in the city's downtown. A fundraiser for the co-op, which has about 400 members, is scheduled for July 29 at Vincenzo's Wine Bar, 176 E. Main St., in Stoughton. Tickets are…

City To Decide On Park Funds

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - The Madison City Council will consider tonight whether to use about $340,000 earmarked for east Isthmus parks to complete improvements at Breese Stevens Field. The Board of Estimates last week endorsed a Parks Division plan to use money from the Law-Tenney parks improvement fund, along with $100,000 from general citywide development fees, to pay for additional costs imposed by handicapped-accessible ramps, restrooms, and seating and concession areas at the field. But Ald. Brenda Konkel, whose 2nd District includes Breese Stevens Field, said while the field needs to be renovated, the funding should not be diverted from other parks…

Danisco Expansion Work Starts

Saturday, July 14, 2007 - The Madison division of Danisco, a Danish producer of food ingredients, began construction Thursday on another expansion project at its Southeast Side location. The 19,200-square-foot building at 3322 Agriculture Drive will house an ultra-cold storage facility and packaging operation for frozen dairy cultures. It is part of a larger expansion Danisco began last year with the construction of new offices and research labs. The local staff has increased from 83 to 125. The division, which started as Marschall Dairy Laboratory in 1906…

Condos To Have French Features

Saturday, July 14, 2007 - A bit of Europe is coming to Madison's Far West Side, and the developer of the luxury condominium project thinks it will stand out in the highly competitive market. The $52 million Bentley Green project could have up to 164 units priced between $279,900 and $700,000 and is in the Hawks Landing subdivision west of Highway M and south of Valley View Road. But what separates the project from others, according to developer and builder Jason DeNoble of Hart DeNoble Builders, will be the four design choices, which include a combination of wood and stone building…

Mayor: Beware Of Big Metal Boxes

Tuesday, July 17, 2007 - On a grassy terrace on West Lawn Avenue Monday was a vision of the future Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and state Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, hope to avoid.\ The metallic gray refrigerator-size box at Monday's news conference was a replica of the 60-by-42-by-20-inch metal boxes AT&T would install to bring its video services to the area. "These can be graffiti magnets throughout the city," said Cieslewicz…

Editors Note: Hmmm… - Graffiti bad - mass transit good – Has Dave been to NYC? For the record, that is an observation not my personal opinion.

Old Wood, New Space

Sunday, July 15, 2007 - Home Builders Finally Erect Their Timber-frame Dream House Of Reclaimed Materials. After two decades of building dream homes for others, Tom and Sue Holmes of Glenville Timberwrights decided it was time to create one for themselves. In 2004, they purchased an old farm a half mile south of their shop on Highway 113 in the town of Greenfield. About a mile outside of Baraboo…

Around The State and Points Elsewhere
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Eminent domain's use for developments argued again

Eminent domain's use for developments argued again. House Republican Jim Sensenbrenner of Menomonee Falls teamed up with California House Democrat Maxine Waters last week to tout their remedy to the controversial 2005 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Kelo vs. City of New London...

30-story Park East tower wins zoning approval

30-story Park East tower wins zoning approval. Development would combine hotel, condos, retail space. A $73 million, 30-story development planned for the southwest corner of W. Juneau Ave. and N. Old World 3rd St. received zoning approval Thursday from the city Redevelopment Authority...

Rezoning approved for Rivianna, BreakWater

The Milwaukee Common Council recently approved the re-zoning requests for the Rivianna and The BreakWater Condominiums projects. Rivianna is the $100 million development proposed by Bob Schultz along the Milwaukee River just south of the Third Ward. The project would feature three towers, each 16 stories high, with a total of 165 condos and a 60-room boutique hotel. The project was opposed by several residents in the area who said it would be too tall and out of scale with the neighborhood. However, aldermen voted 13-1 in favor of the re-zoning…

'Back to the City' will be theme of Commercial Real Estate and Development conference

After a decades-long exodus from downtowns into the suburbs, Americans are returning to the city. Why? What are the driving motivators for people to move downtown? What are the driving motivators for developers to invest their dollars downtown? What are the driving motivators for companies to move their offices downtown? Furthermore, what types of commercial real estate development are needed in downtown Milwaukee, according to the people who live there?

Cities try to market 27th Street

Cities try to market 27th Street. Corridor's future awaits firm ideas. An effort to have a marketing firm brand the future South 27th Street Corridor Plan has crept forward as two communities continue to seek a forward-looking concept...

Zoning compromise leaves homes, businesses neighbors

Zoning compromise leaves homes, businesses neighbors. The Common Council on July 10 amended the zoning and land-use maps for two Mequon neighborhoods, easing some problems raised by residents in both areas...

Comprehensive plan off to rocky start with council members

Comprehensive plan off to rocky start with council members. The first chapter of Mequon's comprehensive plan drew so many comments from aldermen last week that it was sent to the Public Welfare Committee for review and possible action...

New restaurant to join party at Old World 3rd

New restaurant to join party at Old World 3rd. Kincaid's is one of 3 changes to nightlife scene. A Seattle-based company that operates high-end restaurants in 13 states will open a seafood and steak eatery in downtown Milwaukee...

Fate of Silver Lake eatery unclear

Fate of Silver Lake eatery unclear. Judge reverses zoning variance that had allowed construction to start. A Waukesha County circuit judge has reversed a city zoning variance that had allowed a long-vacant restaurant just 17 feet from the waterline of Silver Lake to begin remodeling...

Comprehensive plan nearly complete

Comprehensive plan nearly complete. Goal is to keep high quality of life while plotting future needs. The process of creating Elm Grove's first Comprehensive Plan is nearing its completion as village officials met for the third and final plan review July 12...

Town Center zoning OK'd after traffic debate

Town Center zoning OK'd after traffic debate. Traffic likely will increase on Mequon and Cedarburg roads whether the Town Center is developed or not...

Delayed condo project approved

Delayed condo project approved. Oconomowoc council OKs changes. After a feud with developers of an adjacent property stalled the project for a year, the Common Council on Tuesday gave the go-ahead to a condo, townhouse and retail project on a prominent downtown site next to City Hall...

Too-high bid could spell end of bike bridge plan

Too-high bid could spell end of bike bridge plan. Interurban Trail project over I-43 goes back to the drawing board. It's back to the drawing board, or maybe the death knell of the project altogether, after a bid for construction of a 430-foot-long bike bridge over I-43 in Ozaukee County came in at...

Printer ponders move to valley

Printer ponders move to valley. Splat Digital is seeking $690,000 loan. A digital printing firm is considering a move from downtown Milwaukee to the city's Menomonee Valley Industrial Center, the company's owner said Monday...

For towers, good design is high priority

For towers, good design is high priority. Suburbs spread out. Cities, where buildable land is at a premium, go vertical. But where planners and developers see taller buildings and density as signs of urban vitality - expanded tax base, cultural diversity, a market for new restaurants and shops...

Union Grove opening up downtown

Union Grove opening up downtown. Panel seeking ideas for new look of village hub. Residents are being asked this week to imagine what they'd like the village hub to look like as downtown redevelopment efforts take shape...

Group continues Wal-Mart fight

Group continues Wal-Mart fight. Battle focuses on permit for store's oil-change bay. The opponents of a Wal-Mart Supercenter on the city's west side are still fighting, taking their case to a three-judge state appeals panel hoping to get their "day in court."...

Oak Creek industrial building sells for $18 million

Oak Creek industrial building sells for $18 million. Illinois company buys it from Opus North. A new industrial building in Oak Creek has been sold for just more than $18 million, the latest in a series of recent industrial property sales in the Milwaukee area...

Rep. Kind.  Announces $618,000 for Driftless Area Renewable Energy Institute.

Dept. of Commerce.  Governor announces $54,000 for Custom Metal Fabrication, Inc.

Dept. of Commerce.  Governor announces $250,000 Brownfield grant to City of Lake Mills.

Development News for the week 7/06/07 to 7/13/07
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Mayor Wants 3% Spending Cut - Police, Fire Would Be Exempt

Thursday, July 12, 2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz issued instructions to city agencies Wednesday for the 2008 operating budget that are a repeat of last year's orders. He is asking all department heads, except the police and fire chiefs, to prepare plans to cut departmental spending by 3 percent. Cieslewicz instructed the police and fire departments to submit budgets at "adjusted 2007 levels." Some other agencies' targets were also adjusted to…

Affordable difference: 91-unit condo project proposed at Market Square

7/12/2007 - Retail. Condos. Movie theater. The multimillion dollar makeover at Hilldale? No, we're talking about Market Square, the 1980s-era shopping center on Odana Road that features a budget cinema with cheap seats on second-run films, and Steep & Brew coffee as its longest-running tenant. An ambitious plan is now moving forward to build 91 budget-priced condominium units in a new four-story building in the 150-space parking lot in front of the theater. The theater will remain but parking for the balance of the shopping center will be reduced overall to 510 spaces. Plans call for a four-story building with 20 one-bedroom and 71 two-bedroom units ranging in size from 875 to 1,300 square feet. Parking is provided underground with 137 spaces on two levels…

Editors Note: Market driven affordable housing, no mandates, great planning, good use of existing space, revitalization of aging urban area… hmmm…

YOUNG PLANNERS PRESENT IDEAS

THU., JUL 12, 2007 - Making Madison more bike- and pedestrian-friendly, cutting taxes and eliminating Lisa Link Peace Park were three of the ideas that middle schoolers presented to the mayor Thursday after working as city planners for four weeks through a UW-Madison computer simulation. The Madison students were split into groups and focused on three areas of the city: State Street, the Schenk-Atwood neighborhood and the North Side…

FORBES The Best States For Business

You use its products every day--when you take a cross-country flight on a Boeing jet, when you sip your morning Starbucks coffee, when you order the latest Harry Potter book from Amazon.com and when you use the Microsoft operating system on your PC. Washington state is home to these companies and more, befitting the state's tagline, "Innovation is in our nature." In Forbes.com's second annual Top States for Business, Virginia… Table: The Best States For Business

Editors Note: I included this article as a challenge to all of us. Wisconsin should be a great state for business. Especially the Madison Region. The state ranked 44 th -- give me a break, -- and we were 8 th in quality of life. We need to deal with this now! Write Forbes, call your reps, CEO’s share your success stories…

BUILDING PERMITS - From Wisconsin State Journal, Thu Jul 12 2007

Supertarget Eyed For Sun Prairie

Monday, July 9, 2007 - A second SuperTarget could be headed for Dane County. Prairie Development Ltd. on Tuesday will seek approval from the Sun Prairie Plan Commission to locate a SuperTarget store on 16 acres at the northwest corner of South Grand Avenue (County C) and Hoepker Road. Target Corp. is planning to open its first SuperTarget in Fitchburg later this month. "We chose Target because we believe it is a better fit with what we're trying to accomplish," Prairie Development President Jerry Connery said of the proposal…

Condoldrums

Sunday, July 8, 2007 - The Sluggish Housing Market Extends To Many Of The Area's New Condominium Projects. Like the single-family housing market, the Dane County condominium market suffers from excessive inventory. A total of 2,470 condos were on the market during the first quarter of 2007, more than double the number two years earlier, and 252 were sold…

Editors Note: What I see is a great opportunity to encourage the 60somthings from the Midwest to move to “ Madison” where their carefree lifestyle awaits. Cappuccino, lakes, parks, theatre, shopping, great food, health care, education, and a great place for the grandkids to visit, plus in the winter you can lock the door and travel. I’m ready!…

The Crossing - condominium project is targeting aging baby boomers

Sunday, July 8, 2007 - A Fitchburg condominium project is targeting aging baby boomers with what the developer calls "step-less design." The Crossing along Lacy Road, where construction began last July, eventually will have 62 condominiums in duplex and four-unit buildings, said Scott Berger, senior vice president of Appletree, the developer…

Editors Note: see I told you…

Condominiums Cater To Pets

Sunday, July 8, 2007 - Metropolitan Place Opens Its Second Phase With A Dog Run And An Elevator Just For Pets And Their Owners. The recent opening of the second phase of Metropolitan Place is anything but old hat. Residents just started moving into the new 164-unit building Downtown and along with it came an adjacent dog run, a one-acre, two-tiered rooftop garden and a grocery store in the near future…

Editors Note: I could live here…

Fieldhouse Gridlock - Regent-monroe Plan Still Stalled

Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - Madison architect Bob Sieger isn't sure what's next for his proposed $12 million retail/condominium project at the corner of Regent and Monroe streets across from Camp Randall Stadium. "I'm just about ready to throw in the towel," Sieger said after the Madison Plan Commission Monday night delayed action for another 120 days on "Fieldhouse Station." Sieger has spent the past two years…

Madison's Central Park: Figment of imagination?

THU., JUL 12, 2007 - There 's a new status symbol for American cities, and it's not a soaring office tower. To many civic leaders, nothing says progressiveness and prosperity like an elaborate urban park. In Irvine, Calif., work has begun on a $1.1 billion recreational area that will be 60 percent larger than New York 's Central Park. Private donors in Houston financed the bulk of a $93 million downtown greensward, while the mayor of Louisville, Ky., wants to ring the city 's borders with 100 miles of trails…

Todd Drive Renewal Advances

Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - After a series of delays, the redevelopment of the Todd Drive/Beltline interchange is moving forward rather quickly. The Madison Plan Commission Monday night approved without objection plans for a pair of six-story, mixed use buildings at 2501 W. Beltline Hwy. The project from Arbor Gate Development involves seven different parcels of land on the east side of Todd Drive south of the Beltline…

Fischl scores hotel, City Hall

7/10/2007 - Monday was a good night for Fischl Construction, as long as it didn’t mind a little criticism. The Common Council approved two major projects for the Verona-based contractor, including a highly competitive bid for the $7.5 million City Hall, which Fischl won by just over $1,000 and one vote. The other, a 114-room Holiday Inn Express on West Verona Avenue that was originally planned for Rex Fletcher and Jerry Wuebben’s Home Towne Center development before it became the West End, earned a unanimous vote after alders spent several minutes offering suggestions for improving it. But the 43,000-square-foot City Hall/police station bid was the real jackpot, particularly because it was anything but a sure bet….

'THE FARM' CLEARS PLANNING HURDLES

Thu Jul 12 2007 - After being rebuffed twice before, Doug and Jim Bradt have won a battle in their campaign to turn their overgrown former golf course into a residential development. Despite neighborhood opposition, the Cottage Grove Village Board and Plan Commission each voted 4-3 Wednesday in favor of the Bradts' request to change the future use of the land from parks and open space to a planned neighborhood in the village's long-range Smart Growth comprehensive plan…

Jobs Key In Effort To Revive Allied Dr.

Thursday, July 12, 2007 - It's telling - and disturbing - that your recent editorial on how to "revive" Allied Drive barely mentions the word "jobs." We can create countless units of improved housing, but if low-income residents lack income sufficient to afford these new homes, we have ultimately failed. It's true that under Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's leadership we have made great strides in addressing safety issues and improving Allied's physical appearance…

Competitor with Botox plans Madison factory

WED., JUL 11, 2007 - Madison will become an outpost in the war on frown lines. Mentor Corp., a Santa Barbara, Calif., company that makes face- and body-enhancing products, is building a factory at University Research Park that will make PurTox, a botulinum toxin product to compete with the popular Botox. The two-story, 37,000-square-foot building is…

Sluggish housing market extends to many of the area's condominium projects

July 6, 2007 - Like the single-family housing market, the Dane County condominium market suffers from excessive inventory. A total of 2,470 condos were on the market during the first quarter of 2007, more than double the number two years earlier, and 252 were sold, according to statistics compiled by the South Central Wisconsin MLS. The high inventory is the result of slower sales and a boom in condominium construction. The number of Madison condominium parcels in new and converted buildings rose 12 percent last year to 14,012, representing about 21.4 percent of all residential and commercial properties, according to the city assessor's office. About $194 million worth of condo projects were completed last year in the city, more than six times the $32 million in projects completed in 1997…

Anchor BanCorp expands

7/12/2007 - Madison-based Anchor BanCorp Wisconsin Inc. today announced that it has reached a deal to acquire New Richmond-based S&C Bank. Terms were not disclosed. S&C Bank is a $400 million community bank with 17 banking locations in northwestern Wisconsin and the Twin Cities area. Anchor has branches in that area in Chippewa Falls and Hudson…

Market memo

7/12/2007 Organic Valley adds distribution center. Organic Valley will celebrate the grand opening of its new $17.5 million primary warehouse and distribution center in Cashton on July 27…Alliant pledges aid biomass study. Alliant Energy today announced that its Wisconsin Power and Light Co. unit has pledged $12,000 to the Southwest Badger Resource Conservation and Development Council… The Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau has launched a new advertising campaign…

Compromise Sought On South Side Park - Meeting Gets Testy As City Explains Plan

Wednesday, July 11, 2007 - Neighbors should envision the type of park where before or after Thanksgiving dinner the cousins could gather to throw a football around, Madison Parks Superintendent Jim Morgan said after a sometimes contentious meeting about the future of Thut Park in the city's south side Waunona neighborhood. "We are trying to get the right balance so the flavor of the park stays as a neighborhood park," Morgan said…

Venture Funding In Demand

Tuesday, July 10, 2007 - Patrick Genn is bullish on Wisconsin's new economy. And he's putting money where his mouth is. As managing director of the Middleton-based Continuum Investment Partners, Genn has been working the past two years connecting local "angel" investors with new companies in need of working capital. Flying largely below the radar screen, Continuum invested more than $16 million in its first two years in 15 different ventures. The firm's other principal is Bruce Neviaser, a well-known local businessman whose successes include…

Fitchburg in 50?

6/28/07 - Several Fitchburg residents aren’t pleased with the city’s 50-year land use plan, but the Plan Commission is sticking to its guns. When it met June 19, the Commission solidly endorsed the proposed borders, after making a few modifications. It attributed some of the opposition to the failure of residents to understand how it arrived at the map. The Commission asked the City Council to extend the Aug. 1 deadline to approve a final version until Oct. 1…

Badger State Trail Link 'a Beautiful Addition'

Saturday, July 7, 2007 - The trail between Fitchburg and Madison remains a missing link, but the Department of Natural Resources and Friends of the Badger State Trail are holding a grand opening Sunday to celebrate the completion of the trail between Basco - about four miles north of Belleville - and the Illinois state line. The Badger State Trail is a 40-mile, $1.8 million trail extending from Madison to Illinois…

Around The State and Points Elsewhere
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Tosa building sells for $96.5 million

Tosa building sells for $96.5 million. Home to GE workers is half-million square feet. The Wauwatosa office building that houses much of GE Healthcare's local operations has been sold for $96.5 million, the largest commercial property sale in the Milwaukee area so far this year...

Rivianna developer 'gets no respect'

Bob Schultz, the developer who has proposed the mixed-use Rivianna project along the Milwaukee River just south of the Historic Third Ward, said he feels like the "Rodney Dangerfield of developers in Milwaukee." Schultz believes he ought to get a little more respect for proposing a $100 million development, which would feature three towers, each 16 stories high, with a total of 165 condominiums and a 60-room boutique hotel…

Prime land along U.S. 45 is sold

Prime land along U.S. 45 is sold. Warehouse sites bring $8.5 million. A prime development spot along U.S. Highway 45 in Wauwatosa has been sold to Chicago-based investors...

For sale: Real estate in search of a plan

For sale: Real estate in search of a plan. Waukesha may solicit development proposals for downtown property. Tim Davies is selling six downtown properties that occupy nearly a city block, providing business and city leaders a rare chance to directly oversee redevelopment of a central city area...

West Allis complex to house seniors

West Allis complex to house seniors. Developer plans 200 apartments. A Minnesota-based housing developer plans to build nearly 200 apartments for elderly people in West Allis...

Committee backs café at former Locker's site

Committee backs café at former Locker's site. The Wauwatosa Community Development Committee this week recommended approval of a conditional-use permit to operate an Alterra Café in the new Locker's Pointe condominium/retail building at Swan Boulevard and North Avenue...

Village master plan leaves many hungry for details

Elm Grove - Village master plan leaves many hungry for details. Guide for Elm Grove offers an overview of directions the municipality could take. Elm Grove should preserve its quaint but upscale, small-town ambience while allowing for some new commercial growth and road improvements, a first-ever village master plan...

China trade outpost may join Pabst site

China trade outpost may join Pabst site. Business agents would offer goods to U.S. wholesalers. It seems Milwaukee Bucks draft pick Yi Jianlian isn't the only hot Chinese import considering a move to Milwaukee...

Most details of retail/office building accepted

Franklin - Most details of retail/office building accepted. The Franklin Plan Commission has unanimously approved a site plan for a proposed 9,040-square-foot multi-tenant retail/office building in the 7200 block of West Rawson Avenue...

Little Switzerland ski resort to go on the auction block

Little Switzerland ski resort to go on the auction block. Owner dispels rumors by posting notice online. The landmark Little Switzerland ski resort in Slinger is for sale and scheduled to be auctioned in August, according to notices posted online...

Effort to revamp mall site proceeds

Effort to revamp mall site proceeds. Firm hired to find new life for Northridge area. The owner of Milwaukee's former Northridge Mall has hired a new broker to pursue redevelopment prospects for that property...

Celebrating Harley-style

Celebrating Harley-style. New, updated bikes commemorate 105 years. Harley-Davidson Inc. on Monday rolled out plans for limited-edition motorcycles to commemorate its 105th anniversary...

Citizens need to speak up about development

Citizens need to speak up about development. On Thursday, Mayor Tom Barrett will unveil his Milwaukee Economic Opportunities Vision and Strategic Framework for public comment at the annual Urban Economic Development Association Community Development Summit...

Apartment building changes owners

Apartment building changes owners. Purchasers plan condo conversion. One of Milwaukee's biggest developers of housing in and near downtown has sold another apartment building on the city's east side, with the buyer planning to convert the rental units to condominiums...

Tenant leaves Park East plan

Tenant leaves Park East plan. Development too slow, firm says. A large development planned for Milwaukee's Park East area has lost an anchor tenant, leading the developer to drop the project's office segment and expand plans for a hotel at the site...

Tower land may be sold

Tower land may be sold. Non-profit city-linked agency considers purchase of 85 acres. A non-profit business lending agency affiliated with the City of Milwaukee is exploring the possible purchase of around 85 acres at the former Tower Automotive complex, with plans to eventually...

Fate of old fire stations debated

Fate of old fire stations debated. Proceeds could go to new stations or future development. Debate is starting about what to do with two city fire stations closing in 2009, with one city official proposing to sell or lease the stations to fund redevelopment...

Dept. of Tourism.  Tomahawk region awarded $34,200 Tourism Marketing Grant.

Dept. of Tourism.  St. Germain Rib Fest awarded $23.350 Tourism Marketing Grant. 

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