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August 3-10, 2007 | August 10-17, 2007 | August 17-24, 2007 | August 24-September 7, 2007

Development News for the week of 8/24/07 to 9/07/07 2wks

Editors Note: I’m back -- and as promised to too two weeks in one…

Conservancy Place Opens Third Subdivision

Thursday, August 30, 2007 - Rivers Turn, the third of four neighborhoods at the 650-acre Conservancy Place in DeForest, has opened, Park Towne Development announced. Thirty-four home lots are available in the first phase of the subdivision, which eventually will include 104 single-family lots. In addition, two lots designed for up to 352 apartments and lots targeted for 135 condominiums are for sale. Rivers Turn is the third of four subdivisions at Conservancy Place, which ultimately will include 1,274 residential units and the 140-acre Innovation Springs Business Park. Thirty percent of Conservancy Place remains in its natural state, with a 3.5-mile stretch of the Yahara River winding through the property…

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Building Permits Thursday, September 6, 2007

Building Permits Thursday, August 30, 2007

Large Property Transactions

Raquetball Master Not Ready To Retire

Fri Aug 24 2007 - The rumor was that Madison's Ivan Bruner , who last month won the National Masters Racquetball Association's 2007 International Championship for doubles in his age group, was retiring from the sport. And Bruner admits that at age 82, he was mulling leaving the tournament circuit, having won both the national and international competitions this year with his partner, Vic Sacco from New York. (That brings Bruner's total masters tournament victories to 31.) But Bruner, who owns Bruner Realty and Ivan Bruner Construction Co., says he's changed his mind…

Editors Note: WOW! at 82 I hope to be walking…

Cream of Wheat cultivates new home in Stoughton

8/30/07 - America’s most popular hot breakfast cereal, Cream of Wheat, will soon be manufactured right here in Stoughton, alongside the plant that produces Ortega’s Mexican fare. Ortega’s parent company, B&G Foods, Inc., acquired Cream of Wheat in January of this year from Phillip Morris Companies, Inc., and in May approached the city’s Plan Commission about expanding its current facility, located at 430 Industrial Circle, to include the manufacturing of Cream of Wheat…

Editors Note: I promise that the Cream of Wheat article next to Ivan’s story was purely coincidental…

State will take charge of Forward Wisconsin

State will take charge of Forward Wisconsin. Department plans to boost marketing to attract businesses. The state Department of Commerce will take over management of Forward Wisconsin, seeking to "dramatically improve" efforts to attract business here ...

Bergamont Development Develops Better Image

Thursday, September 6, 2007 - Young Families Targeted By Area's Country Club And Golf Course. Amy Roberts moved to Oregon's Bergamont neighborhood about a year ago with her husband, Lance, and their three children. The family bought a membership in the new Legend at Bergamont club and they're looking forward to taking advantage of it when the pool building and clubhouse are finished. "There's a lot of children in our neighborhood and most people seem to be excited about the pool, slide, lazy river and basketball courts," Roberts said. A decade after it was first proposed, the Bergamont neighborhood on Oregon's west side is overcoming image problems caused by investor squabbles and unsold million-dollar homes…

Pasqual's Coming To Hilldale - 2 Major Chains Also Added To Mix

Tuesday, August 28, 2007 - Three more businesses have announced plans to open at the Hilldale Shopping Center - two national chain stores and one local restaurant, Pasqual's. All three will be located in the new "streetscape shops" along the road built between the existing mall and the parking ramp. Pasqual's, which features Southwestern cuisine, is planning a 4,500 square-foot, full-service restaurant with sit-down dining and full bar. That's a departure from the counter service at its two other locations. "We have been watching the development at Hilldale very closely and we're very interested, because Hilldale is bringing to Madison the kind of fine shopping experience seen at Mayfair in Milwaukee…

Council Votes On Allied Drive

Wednesday, September 5, 2007 - The Madison City Council on Tuesday night approved the first step toward turning over redevelopment of the Allied Drive neighborhood to the city's Community Development Authority. The resolution authorized the city to negotiate a plan with the CDA, which has proposed a redevelopment that relies on hefty city subsidies and the project receiving federal tax credits in order to maintain affordable housing for low-income families. After more than two hours of debate, including several objections from Ald. Brenda Konkel, 2nd District, the council voted 18-2 in favor of the resolution. CDA Chairman Stu Levitan said the city's development arm has the best shot at completing an application for the federal tax credits before the Feb. 1 deadline. He also noted that a public developer would be more transparent and allow any revenue from a revitalized neighborhood to fund other redevelopment projects. Konkel criticized the process as not being transparent to this point…

EDITORIAL Taking A Chance On Allied Drive

Tuesday, September 4, 2007 - The city of Madison has been slow to respond to the challenges that have arisen on Allied Drive. It is not for lack of pressure, or good intentions. Everyone wants to help this vital neighborhood break the grip of poverty and crime. The problem has been that, too frequently, city leaders have wanted to address Allied's issues in the easiest - or, to be more precise, cheapest - manner. But there are no easy or cheap solutions…

Developer Seeks To Establish New Biotech

Saturday, September 1, 2007 Center - 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…

Fyfe's Corner Bistro Closing

Thursday, September 6, 2007 - One of the city's most visible restaurants and a popular spot for wedding receptions, rehearsal dinners and election night gatherings is going out of business. Fyfe's Corner Bistro, 1344 E. Washington Ave., will close its doors in the next two months, co-owner Susan Breitbach said Wednesday. Three years of road construction on East Washington Avenue combined with the city's smoking ban and a growing number of restaurants in the city all played roles in the 75-seat restaurant's demise, said Breitbach, who opened the business with Keith Blew in the summer of 1993. "We tried to hang in there the last three years of road construction but at a certain point the overhead overwhelms the revenue," Breitbach said. "The banquet room has recovered from the road construction but the dining room and bar area had not…

Minn. Firm To Build Senior Housing At Monona Site

Thursday, September 6, 2007 - Nearly a year after a Middleton developer's plans to remake a troubled Monona neighborhood crumbled, a Minnesota firm has sold the city its vision of the area as a senior housing center. After eyeing several proposals, the city of Monona has decided to work with MSP Real Estate Inc., of St. Louis Park, Minn., to redevelop the Garden Circle apartments. "We're excited. It's a nice project that meets some unmet needs in the community," Mayor Robb Kahl said. Jacob Klein, director of development for MSP Real Estate, said the project is proposed to include 80 independent-living apartments…

Housing Slump Spurs Local Lender Layoffs

Thursday, September 6, 2007 - Turmoil in the home mortgage industry has forced a Middleton lender founded by former CUNA Mutual employees to trim its workforce and reduce pay for remaining staffers. Greystone Residential Funding has laid off 14 of some 50 employees in its mortgage department. Remaining staff were asked to take a 10 percent pay cut, sources told The Capital Times…

8333 Greenway Blvd.

Saturday, September 1, 2007 - This three-story mixed-use development is the latest from developer T. Wall Properties and fits into the company's pledge to construct multitenant "green" buildings that are environmentally friendly and energy efficient. The building will be equipped with a geothermal heating and cooling system instead of rooftop units. The company also has a six-story building planned along the Beltline in Middleton that may have solar panels to produce electricity. Developer: T. Wall Properties, 8401 Greenway Blvd., Middleton. General contractor: Miron Construction, 8401 Greenway Blvd., Middleton…

Urban Solutions Will Buy Royster Clark Site

Thursday, September 6, 2007 - After sitting dormant for more than a year, the site of the former Royster Clark fertilizer plant on Madison's East Side could be humming with activity again soon. But don't expect to find workers sweating over machinery. It's likely the Madison company buying the land will convert the 27-acre site into a mixed-use development. Urban Solutions has agreed to buy the site from Agrium for an undisclosed sum and Michael Hershberger, president of Urban Solutions, expects the sale to close by the end of the year. More than 30 workers lost their jobs in July 2006 when the plant, at Cottage Grove and Dempsey roads…

Foreclosure notices hit record

FRI., SEP 7, 2007 - WASHINGTON -- The number of homeowners receiving foreclosure notices hit a record high in the spring, driven up by problems with subprime mortgages. The Mortgage Bankers Association reported Thursday that mortgage-holders starting the foreclosure process in the April-June quarter reached 0.65 percent, marking the third consecutive quarter that this figure has set an all-time high. The delinquency rate, which tracks…

A Model Cafe? The Blue Spoon Cafe, A Culver's Experiment, Could Be A Franchise Template.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007 - If the Blue Spoon Cafe grows into a franchise, this could be the model. Natural light floods the 150-seat restaurant that is almost twice as large as the first Blue Spoon Cafe, an experiment by Culver's, which opened in downtown Prairie du Sac in 2000. There's a freezer case with 12 flavors of fresh gelato; a coffee bar; a menu that includes gourmet pizza and fresh sandwiches and salads; and a second-floor bar and lounge that serves wine by the glass and beer by the bottle and tap. "The Blue Spoon was a change for Culver's and this is a change for the Blue Spoon," said Mike Boss, the restaurant's director of operations and development. "This is part of the experiment."…

Biomass firm gets $21M in funding

9/06/2007 - A local firm that is developing technology to convert various forms of carbohydrate-based biomass to gasoline and other fuels has raised $21 million in new venture funding. Madison-based Virent Energy Systems on Wednesday announced the financing round, which was led by Venture Investors of Madison and Stark Investments of St. Francis, and included Cargill Ventures, the venture capital arm of agribusiness giant Cargill and a previous Virent investor. With the funding, which was the company's second round of venture financing, Virent now has raised nearly $40 million in venture funding and grants since its founding in 2002…

Subprime Lending In Dane Lags Well Behind The Nation, But Is Increasing Rapidly

Sunday, September 2, 2007 - Subprime loans in general are made to borrowers who do not qualify for conventional loans at market interest rates because of problems with the borrower's credit. Typically the interest rate and/or fees on a subprime loan are higher and the terms of the loan can be more restrictive. It is important to recognize that not all subprime loans are predatory. In fact, the growth in subprime loans has increased the availability of credit to many who otherwise would have been unable to purchase a home…

Sale Of North Side Apartments Hailed - Two Sites Have Been Troubled

Saturday, September 1, 2007 - Word that two troubled apartment complexes on Madison's north side likely will be sold soon is good news for tenants, Jim Powell of the Northside Planning Council said. "Everyone is excited about the potential sale," Powell said in an interview this week. "We feel like it will improve the neighborhood." Tenants of the two 128-unit apartment complexes - the Woodlands, 523 Northport Drive, and Woodland Park apartments, 1502 Troy Drive - had complained of poor maintenance, unsafe conditions and frequent police calls. Powell, facilitator of the planning council, worked with residents over the past year to form a tenant association…

State And Dane County Foreclosures Increase More Than U.s. Average

Saturday, September 1, 2007 - Foreclosures in Dane County and Wisconsin had a bigger increase than the national average during the first half of 2007, compared to the same period last year. With 440 foreclosures from January through June, Dane County had a 424 percent increase over the same period in 2006. Wisconsin's foreclosures were up 63 percent to 5,925 from 3,627 filings during the first half of 2006. The national increase was 56 percent…

Hendricks Plans $2.5 Million Retail Project In Janesville

Hendricks Development Group in Beloit has signed a tax incremental financing (TIF) agreement with the city of Janesville to redevelop the 5-Points retail center at 216 Center Ave. The development company, owned by ABC Supply founder Ken Hendricks, purchased the property in the spring of 2005. The redevelopment project is intended to encourage retail investment in the area.

Developer Says $52 Million Bentley Green Project Will Stand Out

The developer of a luxury condominium project on Madison's Far West Side 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 materials mixed with modern amenities. Surrounding the homes will be cobblestone pathways, neighborhood gathering areas and a council ring. Construction on the 13-acre site began in July and is scheduled to take about five years, DeNoble said…

Villager Tops City's Capital Budget

Friday, August 31, 2007 - The long-awaited redevelopment of the Villager Mall on Madison's South Side tops the list of projects Mayor Dave Cieslewicz is proposing to fund in his 2008 capital budget. The city would spend $6.8 million to renovate space and add a building for health, education and social service providers, plus $2.2 million to triple the size of the library at the city-owned mall on Park Street near the Beltline. The project is significant because the Villager is critical for reviving a struggling neighborhood and it provides a gateway to the city and university, Cieslewicz said. The project also will allow the Harambee partnership of social service providers to stay together, rather than disperse throughout the city, which nearly happened before the city bought the property in 2004, he said…

Farm Property Values Rise 12 Percent Here

Saturday, August 25, 2007 - The total value of all land and buildings on farms in Wisconsin rose 12 percent in 2007 to $49 billion, the Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service reported. Nationally, the total value of farm real estate rose 15 percent to $1.71 trillion. Farmland values ranged from $12,500 per acre in Rhode Island to $560 per acre in Wyoming. Per acre in Wisconsin, the total value of all land and buildings rose 19 percent to $3,800, as fewer acres were farmed. State cropland value rose to $3,520 per acre, an increase of $520, while pasture rose to $2,100 per acre, a rise of $300.

Around The State and Points Elsewhere
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 $100 Million Gaming Complex Planned

Monday, August 27, 2007 - Plans for a $100 million gaming and resort complex in the Shawano County community of Bowler were unveiled Friday by the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. The tribe said the gaming facilities will include 1,400 slot machines, 32 table games and a bingo center, and the project also will include two restaurants, entertainment facilities, conference space and a parking garage…

Manpower raises its flags

Manpower Inc. unveiled its new global corporate headquarters in downtown Milwaukee during a media event Tuesday. The $78 million, 280,000-square-foot, four-story building is located along the Milwaukee River, southeast of North Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Cherry Street.

Downtown Courtyard hotel sold

Downtown Courtyard hotel sold. Investor group pays $26.1 million. The Courtyard by Marriott hotel in downtown Milwaukee has been sold for $26.1 million to a group of investors led by a Los Angeles-area firm, according to documents filed Thursday with the Milwaukee County register...

New tenants signed to Downer Ave. project

New tenants signed to Downer Ave. project. Medical offices to occupy renovated building; parking structure construction to start soon. The developers who are creating new medical offices, a hotel and condominiums on Milwaukee's N. Downer Ave. announced Thursday that they had signed leases with...

Bass Bay development still up in the air

Bass Bay development still up in the air. Owners want lake access for both lots. Plans to turn the former Aud-Mar Supper Club property into four luxury condominiums and two single-family units were approved by the Plan Commission earlier this week, but the project may not go forward, a lawyer...

Architecture firm moving to Third Ward

Architecture firm moving to Third Ward. Engberg Anderson going to Buffalo St.. One of Milwaukee's largest architectural firms is relocating to the Historic Third Ward...

get, city officials close in on architectural agreement

Target, city officials close in on architectural agreement. Store to join new development near Highway 100 and Drexel Avenue. Target and city officials edged closer Friday to agreement on a revised architectural plan for a 125,000-square foot store at the soon-to-rise Shoppes at Wyndham Village...

Land near parkway could become residential spot

Land near parkway could become residential spot. Homes would be designed for setting. A wooded parcel of the Oak Creek Parkway near the Mill Pond would be developed into housing parcels under a unique proposal submitted to the Plan Commission...

City to fund part of office building repairs

City to fund part of office building repairs. Council approves $3.2 million toward downtown renovations. The owners of a downtown Milwaukee office building will receive city financing to help with repairs - even though the comptroller's office questions whether the funds are needed, and even as...

New life for old nursing home?

New life for old nursing home?. Days Inn proposed at shuttered Jackson Center site. The owner of a former Milwaukee nursing home, located north of downtown, hopes to convert the building into a 70-room Days Inn and Suites hotel...

Freeway deal struck for Pabst Farms mall

Freeway deal struck for Pabst Farms mall. Oconomowoc, developer, state, county to pay for interchange. Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas is to unveil today an agreement on a $25 million freeway interchange deemed crucial to the development of a large upscale shopping center at Pabst Farms...

Firm to get $750,000 in state aid for skin substitute

Firm to get $750,000 in state aid for skin substitute. Doyle announces loan, grant for Madison company. A Madison company working to develop human skin substitutes that can heal wounds will receive $750,000 in financial assistance from the state, Gov. Jim Doyle's office said Wednesday...

Wal-Mart proposes Waukesha Supercenter

Wal-Mart proposes Waukesha Supercenter. Site is a few miles from existing store. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has announced plans for a new Supercenter on the south side of Waukesha...

Gehl Co.: A win in West Bend

Gehl Co.: A win in West Bend. In economic development, avoiding a loss is as good as a win. That's the case with Gehl Co., which was considering a move from Wisconsin...

Village aims to fill business park

Village aims to fill business park. New commission to create a development plan for Germantown. The Village Board has created an Economic Development Commission to recruit businesses, particularly in Germantown Business Park, where slow development threatens to put a financial burden on...

Another plan bites the dust

Another plan bites the dust. Milwaukee got a major-league downer last week - news that homegrown international conglomerate Johnson Controls was scaling back big plans to spur renewal in a 10-block stretch of the inner city. The news was depressing on two counts: • The inner city's...

Future homes to emphasize owners' new wants

Future homes to emphasize owners' new wants. They'll stay big but gain more bathrooms, abandon living room. Fifty years ago, new-home buyers were moving into Cape Cods, ranches and split-levels...

Development News for the week of 8/17/07 to 8/24/07
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Editors Note: I will be out of town on the 31 st but will include the weeks news in September 7 th Edition…

Big Projects Thrive - Commercial Construction Has Been Strong In Dane County This Year

Sunday, August 19, 2007 - Construction Update 2007. Home building may be in a slump, but businesses and health-care organizations are keeping Dane County construction crews busy. Construction starts for stores, offices, hospitals, warehouses and car dealerships in the city of Madison were up 5.6 percent over the previous 12 months, hitting their highest level in at least six years, even as residential projects have slid to their lowest point during that time period. "I have more (buildings) under construction this year than I've ever had in my life," said developer John K. Livesey, co-owner of Livesey Co. Throughout Dane County from the new YMCA in Sun Prairie to the SuperTarget in Fitchburg to the huge University Square retail, office and housing project in Madison bulldozers are kicking up dust all over…

LARGE PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS July

LARGE PROPERTY TRANSACTIONS June

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Siting haggle: Mad City Power, city differ on how to face store

8/23/2007 - Wisconsin's largest-volume Honda dealer is hitting snags with the city over siting a giant new showroom along Interstate 90-94 on Madison's north side. Mad City Power Sports wants the front of its new 24,000 square-foot showroom of boats, jet skis, ATVs and motorcycles facing the busy highway. But urban planners with the city of Madison have other ideas. They'd rather see the one-story building oriented toward Manufacturers Drive, a curving street which bisects the new Interstate…

How much land does a man need?

Sunday, August 19, 2007 - Tolstoy once suggested a six-foot plot, but Dane County Board Member John Hendrick of Madison believes the answer may be two acres. Limiting rural residential lots to that size is one of several ideas Hendrick announced last week as part of a plan to preserve Dane County farmland and support local farmers. The problem, Hendrick said, is the fragmentation of farmland by a growing number of people living on large rural lots. As of 2000, the Madison metropolitan area ranked fifth nationally in the percentage of its population considered "exurban." Exurbs are towns on the fringe of a major city with at least 20 percent of the town's population commuting into the city and high population growth…

Editors Note: Verona looked at a ratio system that would allow a farmer to develop only a small portion of his land for capital gains every several years. 5% every 10 years for example, subject to a land use approval. A farmer not wanting to develop could sell his or her rights to another development creating an actual incentive to farm. The real problem is requiring 30 + acres to build a home which creates unfarmed, unmowed, unused, unpublic, backyards for the rich and famous…

No Dinner Drinks - City Balks At Outdoor Libations At New Brazilian Grill

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - Developers looking to convert the historic Woman's Building into an upscale three-level venue are feeling the wrath of the city's new "get tough" attitude toward downtown nightlife. Patrons of the Samba Brazilian Grill at 240 W. Gilman St. will be able to dine outdoors, but they won't be able enjoy a glass of wine with their meal - at least initially. Monday night, the Madison Plan Commission OK'd a 42-seat patio for the project that does not include serving liquor. That's because the city's Alcohol License Review Committee last week denied the restaurant a permit for drinks outside. The denial of outdoor service at Samba for at least one year is being backed by campus area Ald. Eli Judge, city police, the Capitol Neighborhoods group and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, who has been taking heat over alcohol-fueled problems downtown…

Editors Note: Yes -- because everyone knows it is outdoor wine drinking at upscale Brazilian restaurants that cause us all to go nuts and ravage State Street. Samba on Garth…

The little train that couldn't - The mayor reflects on his abandoned plan for streetcars

It was really just a small train, not a plague of locusts. The streetcar I proposed before my first election as mayor and occasionally studied for four years was blamed for more debacles than Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. Budget shortfalls? It was the streetcar's fault. Real estate downturn? The streetcar did it. Gingivitis? It's the trolleys! Whatever Lindsay Lohan is going through? Blame the train…

Editors Note: Lindsay visits Samba’s gets drunk in the garden, can’t find a trolley, chooses to drive, takes out a peddle cart on State street…

WPPI installs solar at Sun Prairie headquarters

Wisconsin Public Power Inc. has put into operation two 2.8-kilowatt photovoltaic solar arrays at its headquarters in Sun Prairie. The panels are mounted on poles and equipped with sunlight-tracking technology so they can follow the sun's path across the sky, increasing the $60,000 system's efficiency by as much as 30 percent. The installation will provide WPPI with about 9,000 kilowatt-hours of power per year, which would be enough to power three energy-conscious homes…

Allied Drive Plan Is Costly - Project Depends On Three Funding Sources

Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's plan to redevelop the Allied Drive neighborhood would cost millions in city tax dollars, drain the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and relies heavily on uncertain federal tax credits. Cieslewicz says the city could recoup some of those costs and bring needed safe, affordable housing into one of Madison's poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhoods. But others worry that it's too much of an investment in one neighborhood and that the project may fall apart if the city doesn't get the tax credits. Cieslewicz is proposing to grant control of the project to Madison's Community Development Authority, an independent organization that acts as the city's public development arm. Cieslewicz said earlier that he would seek proposals from both private developers and the CDA…

Zilber to donate $50 million to help 'fix' Milwaukee

Tuesday, August 21, 2007- Milwaukee philanthropist and real estate developer Joseph Zilber announced this morning he will make a $50 million gift to organizations in the Milwaukee area, including a $30 million gift to the Marquette University Law School. The gifts are part of an initiative Zilber launched today, called the "New Potential for Milwaukee." "We are not the city we were," Zilber said. "We need to concentrate our energy and resources on the city we can be. We need more and better jobs. We need more funding and a broader commitment to improving the quality of the education of our young men and women and to improve the commitment of government at all levels to efficiency and bipartisan public policy. The strength of our ethnic parts must come together for one purpose - to make life in Milwaukee better, richer, fuller for all its citizens."…

Most Grant Money To Improve State Roads Goes To Highways

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - Less than one-quarter of the federal grants intended to improve road safety go to local roads where most of the state's fatal crashes happen. Twenty-five percent or less of Wisconsin's grants from the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program goes to county highways, town roads and city streets, according to the state Department of Transportation. Those roads see about 60 percent of the state's yearly fatal crashes. About 80 percent of the grants is spent on state and federal highways, where about 40 percent of the state's fatal crashes occur. Fred Abousleman, deputy executive director of the National Association of Regional Councils, a group that represents metropolitan planning agencies, said the grants should go where they are most needed not necessarily to state highways…

Boa In The Back Yard - 6-foot-long Snake Nabbed, Now At Shelter

Wednesday, August 22, 2007 - Anyone lose a boa constrictor? A 6-foot-long boa "as big around as your arm" is residing at the Dane County Humane Society shelter today, a week after scaring the bejabbers out of a north side woman who almost stepped on it while watering bushes in her back yard. The woman, who would identify herself only as Jen, ran into the snake Aug. 14 in the yard of her Browning Road home. "I almost stepped on it," Jen said. "He lifted up to my knees, mouth wide open, fangs exposed." Jen said she slowly backed away, then ran to her house and called police. "Every other word was 'snake,' 'big snake,' 'real big snake,' " Jen said. "I was so scared, I almost peed my pants."…

Editors Note: The boa epidemic on the north side should substantially reduce property values. Also if she lived in a condo she wouldn’t have to water. Finally why was she watering this week anyway…

Are subprime woes ending or just beginning?

8/24/2007 - The Army has a way of teaching -- or should I say bludgeoning -- troopers into learning things. I can still recall the mind numbing first-aid classes I endured during basic training: stop the bleeding; clear the air passage; bandage the wound; treat for shock. Today, our global markets have…

Madison Selected For Durrant's State Office

Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - Durrant Group, an architecture, engineering and construction management firm based in Dubuque, Iowa, is consolidating its Wisconsin offices. The company will merge its Hartland office with its Madison office effective Oct. 1. The combined office will be at 4600 American Parkway. Durrant, which grew from a small firm in Boscobel founded by Joe Durrant to 10 office locations, also is building an 18,000-square-foot corporate headquarters in Dubuque…

East Towne Mall Announces Changes

Saturday, August 18, 2007 - The Victoria Secret store will reopen Aug. 30 in a larger and renovated space, said mall marketing director Julie Cubbage. Mall officials also have announced that clothing store Hollister Co. will open later this year in space that had housed Victoria Secret. New York & Co., Stir Fry 88 and Zales all recently opened at the mall, while Maurices and Fred Meyer Jewelers underwent major renovations, Cubbage said…

Revamp Plans Aired For Stoughton Rd. Area 'revitalization'

Friday, August 17, 2007 - Consultants for the Stoughton Road revitalization project are recommending extensive new development and streets for what they see as a dramatically "underused" area east of Stoughton Road near the Beltline. "We are building streets all the time in this city," city urban design planner Rebecca Cnare told 100 people gathered Thursday night at Olbrich Gardens to learn more about the project. Cnare said the consultants' work would help the city identify priorities for street construction. About 75 percent of attendees said the meeting was their first introduction to the Stoughton Road project, which covers the area between West Broadway and Highway 30…

Around The State and Points Elsewhere
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Pabst Farms YMCA plan approved

Aug. 22, 2007 - Oconomowoc - The Common Council on Tuesday approved a plan by the YMCA at Pabst Farms to build an indoor soccer and basketball facility on the city's north side, but first, the non-profit agency plans to expand its 4-year-old facility on Valley Road. Aldermen voted to approve a conditional use permit for about 20 acres near Highway Z and the Highway 16/67 bypass for a new satellite branch of the Pabst Farms YMCA. City Planner Jason Golla said architectural plans call for a building with a central portion and two wings "like a butterfly."…

Comfort Suites at Park Place to open next year

Oshkosh-based WHG Companies LLC has begun construction of a 120-room Comfort Suites hotel at 10831 W. Park Place, on Milwaukee's far northwest side. The hotel is expected to open in January. The four-story, 87,000-square-foot building is being built just northwest of North 107th Street and Good Hope Road, near a Ruby Tuesday Restaurant. The hotel will have a conference room that can accommodate meetings of up to 150 people.

State attracts branch stores

State attracts branch stores. But report shows overall business climate sluggish. Maybe it's business development by retail-chain expansion...

Stockbridge-Munsee Tribe.  To build new $100 million gaming destination resort.

Governor.  Announces $2 million for Gehl Company expansion in West Bend.

WisDOT.  $223,384 project at Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport in Janesville (runway de-icing vehicle)

WisDOT.  $4,047,882 for projects at Dane County Regional Airport (taxiway, parking ramp)

Increased tax base is priority, official says

Increased tax base is priority, official says. Oconomowoc aims to control its growth. In prioritizing new development to avoid overwhelming city resources, building up the tax base should remain the main goal, Ald. Dave Nold said Thursday...

Gehl to stay in West Bend

Gehl to stay in West Bend. Company receives $7 million incentive package; UWWC to train its engineers. The reputation of the fledgling Milwaukee 7 was on the line when the economic-development group learned that Gehl Co. in West Bend might uproot and leave Wisconsin after 148...

State OKs bid for incorporation

State OKs bid for incorporation. Town of Richfield to hold referendum. A state review board has granted the Town of Richfield permission to incorporate as a village, which, if approved by voters, would protect its entire 36 square miles of territory from annexation...

At 25, mall ready for rebirth

At 25, mall ready for rebirth. Grand Avenue to add tenant, build on city development. At 25, the Grand Avenue mall is a young adult with a troubled past but the potential, at least, for a better future...

Construction boom keeps state trades workers busy

Construction boom keeps state trades workers busy. Commercial projects boost employment in building sector. Metro Milwaukee's skyline is being transformed this year by a construction bonanza that is delivering full employment to several building trades...

More building on tap in West Allis

More building on tap in West Allis. New development will provide senior living. West Allis has had at least one common theme throughout the last decade: development, and lots of it...

District wants to sell 111 west-side acres

District wants to sell 111 west-side acres. A 111-acre tract of land acquired many years ago as a potential second high school site should be sold for development, the Mequon-Thiensville School Board has decided...

Urbanist design envisioned for northern parcel

Urbanist design envisioned for northern parcel. A vacant parcel along North Chicago Avenue targeted for redevelopment has attracted the attention of a New Berlin architectural firm interested in building on the site in tandem with a developer...

Ashley buys site for store

Ashley buys site for store. Property abuts Cabela's in Town of Polk. Plans for a 56,000-square-foot Ashley Furniture store near the Cabela's outdoor gear store in the Town of Polk are proceeding, with Ashley recently completing its purchase of the development site...

Smart Growth: No time to tinker

Smart Growth: No time to tinker. Republicans in the state Legislature tried to ax Wisconsin's Smart Growth planning program two years ago, and they're at it again...

Parkland deal gets mauled by cost issues

Parkland deal gets mauled by cost issues. Property owner, city blame each other for failed effort. The deal for the old Parkland Mall property on Janesville Road in downtown Muskego has fallen through, and city officials and a representative for the property owner have differing views as to...

Agreement renders Iceport a puddle

Agreement renders Iceport a puddle. Sportsites agrees to sell to developer. A skeleton made of rusting beams is all that remains of the Powerade Iceport, a project that was supposed to bring a $29 million sports and entertainment center to the South Shore...

Village aims to recruit businesses

Village aims to recruit businesses. Group to create development plan for Germantown. The Village Board has created an Economic Development Commission to recruit businesses, particularly in Germantown Business Park, where slow development threatens to put a financial burden on property...

Pabst Farms YMCA plan approved

Pabst Farms YMCA plan approved. Satellite branch to follow expansion. The Common Council on Tuesday approved a plan by the YMCA at Pabst Farms to build an indoor soccer and basketball facility on the city's north side, but first, the non-profit agency plans to expand its 4-year-old...

Urban-growth plan fails to find footing

Urban-growth plan fails to find footing. Johnson Controls' idea falls flat in Milwaukee. The proposal that Johnson Controls Inc. pitched to Mayor Tom Barrett and his top staffers on Feb. 22, 2006, was bold...

Setting sail with luxury

Setting sail with luxury. Businessman waited for right time to pursue dream. From the deck of his 77-foot sailing yacht, Curtis Crain has a view of Milwaukee that he figures is worth $500 an hour...

Regional transit control backed

Regional transit control backed. Area officials now hope to get a plan into the state budget. Eight of the region's top elected officials agreed Monday to work together to try to create a regional transit authority that could take over public bus systems and run commuter trains in a...

Mayor looks downtown

Mayor looks downtown. Beach expansion, lakeside park among his development suggestions for Oconomowoc. A parking structure, expansion of City Beach and a lakeside park are among the projects that Mayor Maury Sullivan is proposing as he urges aldermen to set development priorities...

The Edge under construction

Construction of The Edge, a $13.7 million, 133-unit condominium development at 1890 N. Commerce St., Milwaukee, began recently and is expected to be completed by next fall, said Jonathan Dennis, vice president of development for Chicago-based Tandem Developers LLC. Tandem and Milwaukee-based Brewery Works Inc. are developing The Edge. So far 45 percent of the condominiums in the development have been sold, Dennis said.

Development News for the week of 8/10/08 to 8/17/07
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Study heralds Wisconsin as a place to do business

It may seem counterintuitive to some, but Wisconsin really is a great place to expand or relocate a business, according to Penton Media's Expansion Management, a business magazine for executives of companies actively looking to expand or relocate their facilities. The magazine today released its 2007 "Mayor's Challenge" rankings, a "best of the best" list based upon the results of seven research studies the magazine has published over the past 12 months. Actual List Found Here

Editors Note: Special thanks to Noel Radomski, Ph.D. who sent me this article… If you catch something we should know about send it my way…

Home Building Slowest In Decade

Thursday, August 16, 2007 - Construction of new homes fell to the lowest level in more than a decade in July as builders continued to struggle with the steepest housing slump since 1991. The Commerce Department reported today that construction of new homes and apartments dropped 6.1 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.38 million units. That was down 20.9 percent from the pace of activity a year ago and represented the slowest pace since January 1997. The housing industry, which had enjoyed a prolonged boom until 2006…

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Mayor Kills His Streetcar Proposal

Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - Stung by criticism that he was putting his proposed trolley system ahead of crime-fighting and regional transportation woes, Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz on Monday killed his dream for city streetcars. Cieslewicz said he wanted to make sure a proposal for a Regional Transportation Authority scheduled for votes by the Dane County Board on Thursday and City Council on Sept. 4 wasn't tainted by the trolleys' bad karma…

Editors Note: I do hope that Madison will continue to consider unique ideas that will create a national interest in our community as a destination for tourism, conferences and new business…

East siders hunger for grocery to call their own

8/14/2007 - Monroe Street has Trader Joe's. Hilldale is getting a new Whole Foods Market. The north side landed Pierce's Supermarket in the former Sherman Plaza. And the Willy St. Co-op is planning to open a second location in Phase II of the Metropolitan Place condos downtown. Now, east siders are wondering: Where 's ours? Drew Hanson, who lives on Milwaukee Street, said he's been frustrated since his neighborhood of modest homes and small apartments lost its grocery when the Kohls at Union Corners closed three years ago. "Since then we've watched wealthier neighborhoods…

Editors Note: I am a fan of Jennifer Street Market, is there an opportunity for a second store for them. They are a great neighborhood fit, good food and wine, nice produce…

Condos Have Unexpected Amenities

Thursday, August 16, 2007 - Lower-priced Units Feature Hardwood Floors And Granite Countertops. When veteran Madison real estate agents Tien Truong and Jim Hess decided to build their first condominium project, they wanted to take a nontraditional approach. They spent six months taking buyers on tours of competitive condos and did a lot of listening to find out what they liked. They set the price at $164,900 to $174,900 before construction and decided to target young professionals. "We started with the buyers and worked backwards," Hess said, letting their preferences dictate…

Artists' Colony

Thursday, August 16, 2007 - Stoughton Officials Are Considering Renovating A Manufacturing Plant And Turning It Into Shops And Housing For Artists. Already known for its historic opera house, Main Street galleries and resident rosemalers, Stoughton could enhance its arts community by turning a boarded-up brick warehouse into a retail space, studio, gallery and living space for artists. The Stoughton Chamber of Commerce plans a meeting tonight for interested artists and anyone else to learn more about the proposal to create an arts development in the vacant three-story Highway Trailer building at 513 E. South St. The plan calls for putting retail space on the ground floor and apartments for artists or others on the upper floors, said Ed Bieno, the chamber's executive administrator…

Drawn To The Beacon

Sunday, August 12, 2007 - Lighthouse On Lake Wisconsin Is A Special Spot For Hosts And Guests. When Wayne Sadek wants his neighbors to come over to play cards, he simply turns on the revolving blue light at the top of his lighthouse. "Then they'll come over and we'll turn it off," Sadek said. Sadek had the lighthouse built onto his condominium, which is part of the Anchor Point Condominiums project he developed on Lake Wisconsin outside of Lodi. The development off Highway 188 consists of seven stand-alone condominiums like his and one designed as a duplex-all with log construction and intended to create the sense of a north woods community…

New Luxury Condos Feature Euro Theme

A new luxury condominium project with a European village theme is coming to the Hawks Landing golf course development on the far west side. The $52 million Bentley Green project could eventually have 164 units priced between $279,900 and $700,000. The first model is scheduled for completion Oct. 1. The 13-acre development will feature a reflecting pond, stone bridge, community gazebo, and three putting greens, with a park adjoining the property. Local custom home builders Hart DeNoble Builders and Temple Construction are handling the project. Go to www.bentleygreenhomes.com…

Editors Note: Do the above four projects suggest we step outside the box in light of the challenging market??? I’ll let you know what is selling in future Notes…

Housing Declines This Year - Construction Update 2007: Residential

Sunday, August 12, 2007 - Dane County Is Especially Hit By The Slump, But Some See Future Stability Or Rise. It has been a second consecutive year of belt-tightening for area home builders as they've continued to cope with high inventories of unsold new and existing homes and condominiums. The number of Dane County permits issued between July 1, 2006, and June 30, 2007, for single-family homes and duplexes was down 37.1 percent to 1,202 from 1,911 the prior year, the lowest level in at least eight years, according to a report by MTD Marketing Services of Neenah. Of more than $500 million in Dane County residential construction over the past year, single-family homes and duplexes accounted for $292.5 million, down 37.3 percent from $466.9 million during the prior year. And that amount was down nearly 20 percent from $577.5 million in 2004-05…

Airport Wins Award For Project

Thursday, August 16, 2007 - The Dane County Regional Airport is one of three airports to receive environmental achievement awards from Airports Council International of North America, which represents governing bodies that operate commercial airports in the United States and Canada. The airport won the Mitigation Award for a runway safety improvement project that required relocating 2.4 miles of an active rail line and 0.8 miles of a county highway over Starkweather Creek. The project also involved 36 acres of wetland fill and 35 acres of secondary impact. An on-site mitigation plan was developed to compensate for the wetland impact that included buffer plantings and sediment removal…

BRIEFLY

Irish Waters Restaurant & Pub, 702 N. Whitney Way, is closing with the site sold to an unidentified developer, the Wisconsin State Journal reported today. The last day of business will be Aug. 25…

Home construction down in July

Aug 16, 2007 WASHINGTON (AP) -- Construction of new homes fell in July to the lowest level in 10 1/2 years, and analysts said there is no end in sight to the deepening housing slump. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that construction of new homes and apartments dropped by 6.1 percent in July from the June pace to an annual rate of 1.38 million units. That was down 20.9 percent from the pace of activity a year ago and represented the slowest construction pace since January 1997…

Scanning The Brain

Sunday, August 12, 2007 - Uw Madison's Noted Mental Health Research Program Is Expanding With A New Building, More Faculty On The Way And Big Plans. A low-profile building opening in Madison this month comes with high expectations in one of medicine's most dynamic fields: brain research. The Hedberg HealthEmotions Research Building, tucked behind a wooded slope off Research Park Boulevard, will expand UW-Madison's already notable program in mental health research, scientists say. More researchers will be recruited to study disorders of the mind. And the facility's new magnetic resonance imaging scanner, or MRI, is enabling plans for a major study of people with depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and other conditions…

Blue Chalk Club Will Close By September

Thursday, August 16, 2007 - Owner Ron Dobosenski Is Blaming Undercapitalization For The Close After Being Open For Just Over A Year. Just over a year after opening, the Blue Chalk Club in Middleton will close its doors at the end of the month. Owner Ron Dobosenski said Wednesday undercapitalization is forcing him to close the $3.25 million pool hall that he built in the Discovery Springs development. When the business opened last year it had 41 employees. Now it has nine employees including Dobosenski. Hours were reduced last month after Dobosenski said he made the decision to close. "I probably shouldn't have built such a big place," Dobosenski said from his McFarland home. "If I would have had better capitalization there's no doubt in mind that area could have supported it. The business area out there is still growing…

Editors Note: I always thought pool halls were a basement / backroom sort of thing… I’m guessing they missed seeing The Hustler or The Color of Money…

County Board backs creation of RTA

FRI., AUG 17, 2007 - The Dane County Board on Thursday endorsed the creation of a countywide transportation authority that initially would operate a Middleton-to-Sun Prairie commuter rail line but later could take over bus lines, bike trails and other mass transit options. Several hurdles remain for a Regional Transportation Authority, however. The state Legislature must pass legislation to allow one and the federal government would have to chip in money for the first rail line…

Madison Forest Products Lab Due For Big Development

August 16, 2007 - MADISON, Wis. -- The problem of mold in houses, schools and other buildings is expected to be a focus of study at an expanded national research lab in Madison, thanks to federal grant money in the works. The US Forest Products Laboratory is located near the University of Wisconsin Hospital and it's expected to get nearly $50 million to help expand research into mold and other wood-related issues…

Forest Service Announces Grants for State Wood Energy Programs

August 6, 2007 - MADISON, Wis.— $800,000 for a one-time grant program has been awarded to State Foresters to support the development of projects that will help jump start statewide programs that implement wood-to-energy-technology. “Our goal is to provide financial assistance through State Foresters that will accelerate the adoption of woody biomass as a renewable, domestic energy source while maintaining or restoring forest health” said USDA Forest Service Dave Atkins, coordinator for this grant initiative...

$36 Million Research Facility Coming to Forest Products Laboratory

August 6, 2007 - MADISON, Wis. — Groundbreaking ceremony kicks off construction project. The U.S. Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory (FPL) will soon begin construction on a new 90,000 square foot Multi-Use Laboratory (MUL). The $36 million facility will house state of the art equipment and laboratories for four major areas of research: wood preservation, durability, engineering mechanics, and composite sciences. “The Administration and the Congress have recognized…

Stoughton council votes against RTA

8/15/2007 - STOUGHTON -- Despite Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's announcement this week that he'd no longer push for a streetcar line through Madison, Stoughton on Tuesday joined the ranks of Dane County communities opposed to the creation of a regional transit authority. Sun Prairie, Waunakee and Cross Plains officials this summer all have voted to oppose the idea, which would raise the county sales tax by 0.5 percent to fund a mix of transportation improvements that could include buses, roads, bike trails, paratransit and commuter rail…

Farm and Fleet gets final approval

8/14/07 - Farm and Fleet is on its way to Verona. Nine months after first proposing a concept for a rural-themed discount department store on the east side of the city, parent company Blain’s Supply earned a swift approval at the Common Council level for the third and final stage of planning Monday night. Construction is expected to begin by November on the 28-acre former Hometown Village site along East Verona Avenue, and the company hopes to open its 114,525-foot store this time next year…

Top executive leaving nanotechnology company

Top executive leaving nanotechnology company. Imago CEO Stultz takes job in Silicon Valley. In a blow to Madison's biggest nanotechnology company and to the city's growing entrepreneurial community, Imago Scientific Instruments' top executive is leaving to head a Silicon Valley firm...

Around The State and Points Elsewhere
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Doyle Unveils Plan For North Woods

Tuesday, August 14, 2007 - Revitalizing and redeveloping waterfronts as well as expanding cell phone and Internet access are parts of a plan Gov. Jim Doyle announced Monday to improve economic development in northern Wisconsin. Doyle plans to put the state Department of Commerce in charge of pulling together state resources for communities looking to revitalize areas located next to rivers, lakes and streams. Doyle also said that the state will provide $7.5 million in sales tax exemptions and tax credits for businesses to expand broadband Internet access to 350,000 people statewide under an existing program. That includes $5.9 million to bring cell phone and high speed Internet services to 75,000 customers in northern Wisconsin…

Mayor looks downtown
Mayor looks downtown. Beach expansion, lakeside park among his development suggestions for Oconomowoc. A parking structure, expansion of City Beach and a lakeside park are among the projects that Mayor Maury Sullivan is proposing as he urges aldermen to set development priorities...

Olson plans Walker's Point project

A developer who had more than $324,000 in overdue property taxes as of late July, and has been unable to get city approval for a project in Brewers Hill because of unpaid building code violation fines, plans to convert a 103-year-old, seven-story building in Walker's Point into an upscale apartment building. The developer is Tim Olson, principal of Olson Management Group. He plans to purchase the 98,035-square-foot building at 223 W. Pittsburg Ave., Milwaukee, from the Ronald and Miriam J. Cohen Family Limited Partnership…

NIH giving Medical College of Wisconsin $4.6 million grant

Aug 15, 2007 - MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Medical College of Wisconsin says it will receive $4.6 million during the next five years from the National Institutes of Health to establish a research center at the Children's Research Institute focusing on kidney diseases in children. "It's going to be the start of big things here," said Richard Roman, professor of physiology and pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "We are only going to grow from here."…

Mitchell St. funding advances

Mitchell St. funding advances. Development panel OKs $3.1 million for improvements. The city Redevelopment Authority on Thursday approved a plan to make $3.1 million worth of improvements along Historic Mitchell St., one of the city's oldest commercial districts...

State attracts branch stores

State attracts branch stores. But report shows overall business climate sluggish. Maybe it's business development by retail-chain expansion...

Neighbors await new west side attraction

Neighbors await new west side attraction. Ecology center comes to park. Once it was a ragged corner of the east side, underused and overgrown. Today Riverside Park is a magnet, its little playground alive with kids, its trails groomed and well-trod and its handsome Urban Ecology Center abuzz...

Board approves zoning for Pilgrim Spring project

Board approves zoning for Pilgrim Spring project. A coffee shop, salon and restaurant could soon become staples at a well-traveled intersection in Menomonee Falls under the name of Pilgrim Spring Marketplace...

Loomis Road condo proposal a no-go
Loomis Road condo proposal a no-go. City leaders say plan would hamper growth of business in the area. The Muskego Plan Commission rejected a proposed condominium development along Loomis Road on Aug. 7, despite changes made to the plan...

West Allis restricts big-box stores

West Allis restricts big-box stores. The West Allis Common Council approved an ordinance Aug. 7 that forces large, warehouse-like stores to fulfill several new requirements as part of the development process...

City gears up for possible Delphi departure

City gears up for possible Delphi departure. Transmission maker holds prominent land in Oak Creek. With rumors swirling that a major automotive contractor may depart Oak Creek within months, city officials have begun to speculate about the future of the large industrial campus left behind...

Business district looks at two improvement plans

Business district looks at two improvement plans. Cost could be anywhere from $1.2 million to $2 million. Whitefish Bay's East Silver Spring Drive business district could take on one of two new looks presented to the public last week...

Building, parking plans for Harley-Davidson OK'd

Building, parking plans for Harley-Davidson OK'd. Expansion will create about 196 new jobs in Menomonee Falls. The Menomonee Falls Village Board recently amended a conditional-use permit allowing for building and parking lot expansions at Harley-Davidson Motor Co., N9000 Pilgrim Road...

Plans tweaked for Deer Creek Inn

Plans tweaked for Deer Creek Inn. Underground parking reduced to four tiers. The New Berlin Plan Commission has given its OK to some tweaking of the $55 million Deer Creek Inn and Conference Center, proposed for the southwest corner of Moorland Road and Greenfield Avenue...

Police recover SpongeBob stolen in Sheboygan 3 years ago

Aug 16, 2007- SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (AP) -- A 9-foot-tall SpongeBob SquarePants balloon has been recovered nearly three years after being stolen, and the cartoon creature with the yellow sponge head is reported in good condition. The balloon is leaking a little air, but the "exact extent of his injuries are unknown," police said in announcing the recovery Thursday…

Editors Note: Thank goodness. I had lobbied to place a missing persons label on beer cans in the Sheboygan area but I was just laughed at… I know your thinking I made it all the way to the bottom and all I got was SpongeBob SquarePants but hey it’s FRIDAY…

Development News for the week of 8/03/08 to 8/10/07
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SUN PRAIRIE WILL GET NEW CLINIC

Thu Aug 9 2007 - The company that runs St. Mary's Hospital in Madison plans to build an emergency medical facility on the west side of Sun Prairie to serve the needs of a burgeoning population. Sun Prairie is one of the fastest-growing cities in the state, with a 2006 population of 25,180, up 23.6 percent since the 2000 census.

Culver's Is Ranked No. 1 By Magazine

Thursday, August 9, 2007 - Culver's has been rated the best burger chain in the country, according to the 2007 annual survey of diners conducted by Restaurant & Institutions magazine. More than 3,000 consumers rated 120 restaurant chains on food quality, menu variety, value, service and other attributes. This year's recognition marks the fourth time consumers ranked Culver's among the top burger chains. The Prairie du Sac-based franchise chain has more than 360 restaurants in 16 states, with franchises planned for the first time in Tennessee, Arkansas and Arizona…

New Commercial Listings From PropertyDrive.com

Companies turn to prairies

FRI., AUG 10, 2007 - The sweeping grasslands surrounding American Family Insurance 's corporate headquarters were not planted with biodiversity in mind. The goal, in part, was much simpler -- to save money on maintenance by planting the 75-acre grassland on the 400-acre tract of former farmland on the Far East Side. Prairie landscaping, such as American Family 's smaller native prairie butterfly garden, has a higher starting cost for businesses but such habitats can eventually have lower maintenance costs. And more businesses are seeing the benefits, both financial and environmental…

Electric car: No gas, no emissions and a top speed of 25 mph

August 9, 2007 - STOUGHTON — Lucy and Mike Zweep may garner some funny looks when they roll through the Culver's drive-thru or past a bank teller's window. But it's not the Stoughton couple attracting the stares — it's the car they're driving. The electric-powered California Roadster is one of the cars sold at Ozee Cars in Stoughton, owned by the Zweeps and their daughter and son-in-law Lisa and Juan Olveda. Zweep believes Ozee Cars is the first neighborhood electric vehicle dealership in Dane County…

Editors Note: I ran this story last week out of the Stoughton paper. I am glad to see it picked up by the big guns. These cars are interesting and could fit into some of the New Urbanism developments. And hey, last week they we giving away a Prius with a condo --- Hilldale goes electric????????

City faces struggle on bar limits

8/09/2007 - Facing more than a twofold increase in downtown alcohol licenses over the last 10 years, Ald. Mike Verveer warns that " State Street will look more and more like Bourbon Street" if Madison does not act to limit the number of bars downtown. But the proposed solution -- capping the number of alcohol licenses -- has met with strong opposition from central businesses, which argue that broad market forces are at work in changing the nature of State Street, among other downtown blocks and imposing a cap will not have the intended effects…

Editors Note: I question whether the number of licenses is the cause of any problems here. I would point out that a number of these licenses came with some pretty special establishments, Brocach Irish Pub, Fresco, Harvest Restaurant, Hawk's Bar & Grill, Ocean Grill, Old Fashioned… and that is a random sampling… I’m hungry, and for the record Bourbon Street has some pretty good eats as well…

RTA Gets Lukewarm Response - Critics Question Transit Proposal

Thursday, August 9, 2007 - For backers of a proposed Regional Transit Authority in Dane County - and the commuter-rail system and half-cent sales tax hike that would come with it - Wednesday's presentation before Dane County town and municipal officials was all about the big picture. The county's population is expected to increase by more than 150,000 by 2030. And to accommodate the pressures that will put on transportation while maintaining the area's quality of life and strong economic development, "using a roads-only way of dealing with traffic is not a solution," said David Trowbridge, project manager for Transport 2020, a joint city-county-state group studying transit needs in Dane County. Such assurances received a lukewarm response during a forum hosted by the Dane County towns and Dane County cities and villages associations in Fitchburg…

Large Property Transactions

Thursday, August 9, 2007 - The following are commercial and residential properties that sold during June for at least $300,000. Listing includes seller, buyer, dollar amount based on transfer tax and address…

Building Permits

Thursday, August 9, 2007 - The listing of area building permits is gathered from records filed with planning officials in Madison, Fitchburg, Monona, Middleton and Sun Prairie…

Real Estate Group Cuts Home Sales Forecast

Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - A trade group for real estate agents today lowered its outlook for existing home sales this year by 1 percent, or 70,000 homes, as the housing market continues to slump. The National Association of Realtors' revised forecast calls for existing home sales of 6.04 million in 2007, down from July's prediction of 6.11 million. The trade group expects sales to climb to 6.38 million next year, up slightly from July's forecast of 6.37 million. There were 6.48 million sales last year. "With the population growing, the demand for homes isn't going away, it's just being delayed…

Farm and Fleet impresses Plan Commission

8/7/07 - Blain’s Farm and Fleet is one step away from becoming Verona’s first “big box” store. A project that started slowly and with some misunderstandings and complaints has evolved into an “exceptional” one that has “impressed” Plan Commission members, “pleased” alders, drawn grass-roots community support and converted its opponents. “Many people in this community are looking forward to your store opening,” Mayor Jon Hochkammer said after the commission voted 6-0 Monday to forward the final stage to the Common Council with a positive recommendation. Based on the limited concerns mentioned then and the reactions of alders who got a sneak peak at it the previous Wednesday in the basement of City Hall, it should have no trouble winning approval at the council level….

St. Paul's Plans Dorm, New Church

Monday, August 6, 2007 - Officials at St. Paul's University Catholic Center plan a new center on the State Street Mall and a residence hall for UW-Madison students. The proposal comes just weeks before the first students will move into the newly completed Pres House Residence, connected to a Presbyterian church also on State Street Mall. Under the plan, St. Paul's two buildings - a church and adjacent house - would be torn down to make way for a new building or buildings that would house a chapel, student center and student residence hall, said lawyer Ron Trachtenberg, who represents St. Paul's. The residence hall wouldn't be limited to Catholics, but would require residents to participate in a program studying faith and reason, Trachtenberg said…

City Council Oks Dot Property Plan

Wednesday, August 8, 2007 - Twenty Acres Will Make Way For Homes, Offices And Stores, While The Fate Of The Community Gardens Is Still Unknown. The Madison City Council approved a plan Tuesday that would see 20 acres of mostly paved-over and under-used state property on the West Side converted into housing, office space and shops. Now home to state Department of Transportation headquarters and about 18 acres of parking, the property on Sheboygan Avenue in the Hill Farms neighborhood would be developed over the next two to 10 years, according to Brian Munson, a principal with Vandewalle & Associates, the design firm hired by the state to come up with a plan for the site. With the council's approval, the state will now request proposals from firms interested in developing the property.

EDITORIAL Dane County Comprehensive Plan Ready To Be Finalized With Citizen Help

Tuesday, August 7, 2007 - Dear Editor: As co-chairs of the Dane County Comprehensive Planning Steering Committee, we invite the public during the month of August to provide feedback on the draft for the Dane County Comprehensive Plan. For the past four years, over 120 citizens and local officials across Dane County have volunteered thousands of hours to develop a draft of the Dane County Comprehensive Plan to meet the requirements of Wisconsin's Smart Growth law. The process relies on input from citizens to develop a vision of Dane County's future for land use, housing, transportation and economic development. We continue to seek your input as we finalize this planning process. The broad scope of this plan reflects our community's values…

Etc Details Expansion Of Middleton Facility

Tuesday, August 7, 2007 - ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls) announced that it will spend an estimated $9 million to add about 78,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space to its Middleton facility in an expansion approved by the city earlier this summer. The international entertainment- and architectural-lighting manufacturer just moved into its distinctive 250,000 square-foot headquarters facility at 3031 Pleasant View Road three years ago. The expansion will be to the factory portion of the building, on its southern quadrant where it now has parking. Ground is scheduled to be broken in mid-October with completion expected about a year later…

Hill Farms Plan Gets Zoning Ok

Tuesday, August 7, 2007 - A sweeping plan to redevelop the Hill Farms State Office Building property into a complex of office buildings, housing and retail has cleared an important hurdle. The Madison Plan Commission on Monday night approved rezoning the 21-acre site bounded by University Avenue and Segoe Road, clearing the way for potentially the largest infill project in city history. Plans call for creating an urban setting on a site currently dominated by a giant surface parking lot. The design includes five development sites that would include a mix of building heights, open space, shops and gardens. The centerpiece is a new headquarters building for the Department of Transportation on the far western end of the property. The state could sell other portions of the site to private developers…

Foreclosure Filings Up 5-fold Here - But State Rate Is Still Below U.s. Average

Friday, August 3, 2007 - While the home foreclosure rate in Wisconsin remains below national averages, foreclosure filings in the Madison area are soaring. In perhaps the clearest sign yet of the headwinds facing the local housing market, there were 440 home foreclosure filings in Dane County during the first half of 2007. That's a five-fold increase over the 84 filings - which include default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions - during the first half of 2006. By comparison, there were just 14 foreclosure filings in the same period in 2005…

Around The State and Points Elsewhere
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Rezoning OK'd for shopping center

Rezoning OK'd for shopping center. Traffic influx among neighbors' concerns. Waukesha - The Common Council approved rezoning for a proposed shopping center development of nearly 54 acres at the former Fleming Co. site Thursday...

Milwaukee area industrial space vacancy rate dips

The Milwaukee area's industrial space vacancy rate fell during the second quarter of this year from 7.6 percent in the first quarter to 7.3 percent, according to a report by Boston-based Colliers International. The company's local office is Milwaukee-based Colliers Barry. Milwaukee's industrial space vacancy late is lower than the national industrial space vacancy rate of 8.23 percent, which is up from 7.98 percent in the first quarter, according to Colliers International…

Commissioners OK deadline extension for Capitol Heights

Commissioners OK deadline extension for Capitol Heights. New owner requires more time for Phase II. Brookfield's Plan Commission on Aug. 6 extended the deadline for the next phase of construction at a development along Capitol Drive to accommodate a Waukesha developer's plans to construct four new buildings...

Whispering Woods gets loud endorsment from city

Whispering Woods gets loud endorsment from city. Mayor refers to new tony subdivision as a 'dream' development. A high-end, 24-lot subdivision near Tuckaway Country Club was unanimously backed by the Franklin Plan Commission at a special meeting Aug. 2...

Proposal plagued by parking problems

Proposal plagued by parking problems. Commissioners view concept plan favorably. With zoning and design standards adopted for the Town Center, the Mequon Planning Commission on Monday considered a mixed-use concept proposed by developer Cindy Shaffer...

Proposed subdivision draws fire

Proposed subdivision draws fire. Flooding, house sizes named as concerns. The Mequon Planning Commission on Aug. 6 tabled a request for a fill permit for nine acres at 9805 N. Cedarburg Road after a group of neighbors raised issues about a concept plan for a seven-lot subdivision on...

Commission OKs massive building

Commission OKs massive building. Office would be part of city's southern gateway at Moorland and Greenfield. Brookfield's Plan Commission on Aug. 6 enthusiastically backed a proposed 127,000-square-foot, multi-purpose office and medical building designed for the city's southern gateway...

Muskego condos rejected again

Muskego condos rejected again. Rezoning doesn't please commission. A proposal to rezone land for a condominium development along Loomis Road near the Muskego Lakes Country Club failed again in Plan Commission on Tuesday, despite the developer having enlarged the area to be zoned commercial...

Carroll to affirm interest in housing complex

Carroll to affirm interest in housing complex. Plan commission to review proposal. Waukesha - A Carroll College representative will attend tonight's Plan Commission meeting to confirm the college's interest in a proposed student housing development on W. College Ave., Carroll spokeswoman Claire Beglinger...

Attracting, keeping businesses here is vital

Attracting, keeping businesses here is vital. When business owners are looking for places to locate new businesses, expand existing facilities or grow their operations, where do they look for information about which states are good for business? One place is Forbes magazine, which recently published...

Aurora hospital latest for Grafton

Aurora hospital latest for Grafton. Village wants health system to study effect on municipal services. Aurora Health Care announced last week that it plans to build a hospital in the village near the booming I-43/Highway 60 interchange...

Mandel buys 6 Walker's Point buildings

Mandel buys 6 Walker's Point buildings. Firm working on development plans for the 3-acre site. A Milwaukee firm that has developed housing throughout the downtown area has acquired a group of large buildings in the Walker's Point neighborhood, near the Milwaukee River...

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...

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?...

Ag committee looks at priorities

Ashland - Aug. 7, 2007. Planning grant less than hoped for.

Machine tool company utilizes former Ironsides property:

Fond du Lac - Aug. 7, 2007. The area is reaping the benefits of well-paying jobs, and a property that paid no taxes in recent years is again on the tax rolls.

4 firms receive $7 million in venture capital

Aug. 6, 2007. Mainly out-of-state companies contribute.

Attracting, keeping businesses here is vital (guest opinion)

Aug. 5, 2007. It will be very difficult for Wisconsin to compete until we make changing our regulatory environment a primary goal as a state government.

Dept. of Tourism.  Walworth County communities awarded $40,000 tourism marketing grant.

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