Park Towne : News & Notes

Oct. 1, 2007 - A planned $150 million research and business incubator in Madison will be housed in one building, with two institutes representing the public and private sectors each having their own lab areas. Architectural renderings unveiled Monday on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus showed a building with three towers. One tower will be used for the public Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, one for the private Morgridge Institute for Research, and the third will be split by each. The building will have a first-floor town center designed to encourage gatherings, with a coffee shop, a few stores and a Rennebohm's soda fountain, said Carl Gulbrandsen, managing director of the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, which contributed $50 million to and is managing the project. It was designed to encourage collaboration between UW-Madison researchers and business acceleration…

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - A 151-room Hyatt Place boutique hotel on West Washington Avenue that will cater to business travelers cleared its first major hurdle Monday night, paving the way for consideration by the Madison City Council tonight. After lengthy discussion, the city Plan Commission approved the general design and plans for an 11-story hotel at 333 Washington Ave. as part of the Alexander Co.'s $110 million Capitol West development. City approval will be needed later for more details, and the plans could change. For example, Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, Monday made a last-minute suggestion that the hotel could be allowed to add one or two stories in exchange for additional green space at the dropoff point at street level. The hotel would replace a 13-story, 84-unit condominium tower originally planned by the Alexander Co…

Wednesday 10/03/2007 - A pair of high-profile resignations and criticism from three prominent business groups isn't deterring Bill Clingan from accepting Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's nomination to become the city's new economic and community development director, a cabinet-level position created to elevate business issues among other city priorities. After the mayor picked Clingan…

Editors Note: Interesting interview. If he is confirmed I suggest we all help him understand the importance of development in and around Madison.

Wednesday 09/26/2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz has sent a barbed thank-you note to Mark Bugher, who resigned Monday from the city's Economic Development Commission with an unexpected blast at the mayor. Bugher, once a key Cieslewicz ally in the business community, left in protest of the mayor's choice of Bill Clingan…

Thursday, October 4, 2007 - Bill Clingan will become part of a bridge between the mayor's office and the Madison Metropolitan School District if the City Council confirms Clingan's appointment as the director of its new Economic and Community Development Department. As Mayor Dave Cieslewicz told The Capital Times' editorial board this week, the city has no real authority over the schools, but they are crucial to the city's success in fighting crime and promoting economic development. "We need to find the right way to engage with the schools," he said. "Bill Clingan is part of the answer." Clingan, 53, was a Madison School Board member from 2003 to 2005…

Thursday 10/04/2007 - While living in Madison, I have never gotten into a drunken brawl in front of a nightclub -- at least not on King Street. Which is to say, the recently re-opened Majestic Theatre was new to me when I went there for the Porchlight fundraiser on Wednesday night. Five dollars gained you entrance to a show featuring the likes of Ben Sidran, Louka Patenaude & Frank Martinez, El Clan Destino, and The Midwest Beat, plus free pizza and beer…

Editors Note: Why aren’t there more fundraisers like this one, beer, pizza, and Ben for five bucks! Venue sounds nice as well.

10/04/2007 - Two higher end furniture stores off Verona Road will launch going out of business sales Friday. Carriage House Gallery Inc., the locally owned Ethan Allen furniture retailer at 5302 Verona Road, begins its public going out of business sale by liquidating $2 million in furniture. Neighboring furniture retailer Stella's Furniture…

Editors Note: We need and IKEA on Verona Road to attract destination shoppers to the area. All boats float with the tide. If you know anyone call me…

THU., OCT 4, 2007 - Construction has begun on a three-level, 500,000-square-foot parking ramp at the Dane County Regional Airport that will add 1,240 spaces. The $30 million project, expected to be completed late next year, also includes a 2,000-square-foot exit plaza with six gates and a parking administration building. Airport revenues, mostly parking fees, will pay for construction and no property tax revenue will be used…

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - Dane County's housing market could be looking better the rest of this year, but that won't necessarily mean it's rebounding, a leading local real estate official said today. "I don't think we're going to see a major rebound in the fourth quarter but I think in comparison to last year the differences won't be as significant as they were earlier this year…

Editors Note: Sort of but we still need a new demographic of buyers in Dane County.

10/05/2007 - Although Mayor Dave Cieselwicz's proposed 2008 operating budget is upsetting some affordable housing activists and advocates for the homeless, individual agency heads say the mayor is facing a difficult task. Ald. Brenda Konkel said Thursday that she "sees fear (among agency heads) such as I haven't seen since the '90s that, if they say something the mayor doesn't like, they will get de-funded." She has been executive director of the Tenant Resource Center since the 1995. The center is funded by the city, the county, the federal Department…

10/4/07 - The city’s Plan Commission did not look at the new West End proposal, after all. The amended plan for the 62-acre mixed-use development on the former Thompson property just inside the bypass was withdrawn from Monday’s agenda last week. On Wednesday, the same day the Verona Press reported that T. Wall Properties was requesting a change to its general development plan (GDP) – including a significant increase in the allotted size of its two anchor retailers – the Madison commercial property magnate told City Hall it had more work to do. City planning director Bruce Sylvester had been in discussions with project manager Sean Robbins…

10/04/2007 - What do you want to eat tonight? That eternal question might set you thumbing through the phone book, searching for something that strikes your fancy. Wouldn't it be great if there was a free place to go that had a menu from every restaurant in the area -- or at least close to it? Now there is. Menupix.com launched its local site at www.menupix.com/madison last…

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - Franklin Electric Co. announced that it is moving its Healy Systems subsidiary and about 100 jobs from New Hampshire to its recently expanded Fueling Systems unit headquarters facility on Marsh Road, north of McFarland. Bluffton, Ind.-based Franklin, the world's largest maker of motors for submersible water pumps and fueling systems, bought Healy last year for about $35 million. The impacted employees will be able to interview for open positions in Madison and other Franklin facilities…

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - People don't immediately think of State Street as a neighborhood where people live, but Bill Cosh has lived on the street for the past 10 years. His apartment, in a 38-unit building above Walgreens on the corner of State and Lake streets, sits across from where the popular campus bar Madhatters planned on opening, causing an uproar. Gervasi's bar closed after 20 years on the corner of University Avenue and Lake Street in June 2006 with the redevelopment of University Square Mall. The city's Alcohol License Review Committee voted 4-1 last month to allow Gervasi to transfer his liquor license from University Avenue to a new location, 651 State St., in what used to be Fuddruckers…

Tue Oct 2 2007 - The city is poised to let developers of a new 11-story Hyatt Place Hotel downtown encroach into the historic 28-foot public terrace along West Washington Avenue. The Madison Plan Commission Monday night on a 6 to 2 vote approved a proposal from LodgeWorks of Wichita, Kan., for a 151-room hotel at 333 W. Washington Ave…

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - The shortage of nurses isn't the only challenge facing Wisconsin as its population gets older and grayer. A far more pressing concern is how the state will raise property tax dollars. Since World War II, the demand for housing in Wisconsin created a tremendous shift in the property tax burden from farmers and business to residential homeowners. Homeowners now absorb nearly 73 percent of the property tax burden in the state, up from just 39 percent in 1945, according to a new report from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance (www.wistax.org). Conversely, the percentage…

Editors Note: We also need to make a serious effort to keep my generation in Wisconsin after we retire. The financial impact of each person leaving this state is huge -- and it is not on anyone’s radar yet. Biotech jobs are nice but if we loose are largest population sector with the most disposable income… I’ll get off my soapbox now -- sorry…

Tuesday, October 2, 2007 - Madison-based Virent Energy Systems, which is developing technology that converts biomass into gasoline, hydrogen and other fuels, has been awarded a $2 million federal grant…

Madison-based Great Wolf Resorts Inc. will open a 100-employee call center later this month in the Novation Campus, just south off the West Beltline at Rimrock Road. Great Wolf, the world's largest developer of indoor waterpark resorts…

Editors Note: Why does Madison get the call center and no water park we are the second largest tourist destination in the state…

ALSO - Madison-based First Weber Group announced that it has acquired Eagan Agency Ltd. in Wautoma, effective this week. Eagan brings more than 20 agents to First Weber.

Monday, October 1, 2007 - After sitting dormant for more than a year, the site of the former Royster Clark fertilizer plant on Madison's East Side likely will be converted 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, was closed shortly after its purchase by Agrium, a fertilizer wholesaler and retailer with locations in North and South America…

Monday, October 1, 2007 - Ground was broken this summer for the 42-unit Water Crest condominiums on Lake Monona. The $17 million development is near Monona Drive and Cottage Grove Road in Monona. It 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…

Editors Note: I put these on the wrong lake in my editorial piece for BusinessWatch Magazine… Sorry Kev…

Monday, October 1, 2007 - Unless you subscribe to glamorous magazines such as Expansion Management or wait impatiently for weekly reports from the State Science and Technology Institute , you probably don't know that Wisconsin does a poor job of marketing itself as a business location. Oh, sure, the Green Bay Packers show up on the occasional Monday Night Football game and there's no end of on-air comments about cheese, beer and frozen tundra. As a result, most Americans know everything about Brett Favre - and next to nothing about what Wisconsin has to offer beyond cheese, beer and frozen tundra. The full story gets told from time to time on the news side of the national press,…

Editors Note: I have been pounding this drum for a while and could not agree more see www.WisconsinDevelopment.com. We need a state cheerleader in chief…

Monday, October 1, 2007 - Wisconsin officials have decided it's better to grow your own. The question is whether that's the best recipe for expanding the state's job base. Under Gov. Jim Doyle, the state has focused its job growth efforts largely on existing Wisconsin companies. Last year, the state Department of Commerce gave out $170 million in tax credits, loans, grants and other help to 403 projects. All but 10 of them were at existing Wisconsin companies…

Sunday, September 30, 2007 - The competition for steak in Dane County is about to get another upscale player. Ruth's Chris Steak House is a national chain based in Florida with more than 100 locations worldwide. But when the restaurant opens Oct. 15 in Middleton's Discovery Springs development, it will have its own Wisconsin flair. The restaurant, where steaks on the a la carte menu can range from $30.95 for a petite fillet to $44.95 for a T-bone, is locally owned by the Livesey Co. and UW-Madison Athletic Director and former head football coach Barry Alvarez. "That's been one of my favorite places to eat. I like the atmosphere, the feel of it, the consistency of it," said Alvarez…

Editors Note: I would have liked a Barry’s Place with a 24 dollar T-bone…

University research: The smarter the better
University research: The smarter the better. New economic data last week confirmed what has become obvious in recent years: Madison is growing far faster than its industrial cousin in southeastern Wisconsin...

10/04/2007 - Wisconsin is losing 30,000 acres of farmland per year, but the state's agricultural diversity has insulated it against farming downtrends, according to a report Wednesday. The study by the Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters found Wisconsin had nearly 24 million agricultural acres in 1950. By 2005 that number had dropped to 15 million. Nearly 60 percent of acres lost between 2000 and 2005 were in 19 counties, including those near the Twin Cities and Wausau as well as between Madison and Milwaukee. "Crops of houses where farms and forests…

September 28, 2007 - City of Milwaukee officials recently began work to update the Milwaukee Downtown Plan, which serves as a guide for downtown development. “We think the process is an opportunity to take a look at the downtown holistically,” said City Planner Robert Greenstreet. For the first time ever, city officials are creating a master plan for the entire city. In addition, city officials are creating 12 area plans, including the update of the downtown plan. All of the planning work is expected to be complete by 2010, Greenstreet said. Once completed, the updated downtown plan will likely be heavily focused on the west side of downtown, which has long been overshadowed by the area east of the Milwaukee River…

October 3, 2007 - The rotating sign on top of the grain elevators at the former Pabst brewery in downtown Milwaukee was lit up and set into motion for the first time in seveal years Tuesday night. Zilber Ltd. founder Joseph Zilber is redeveloping the former brewery property into a mixed-use urban…

Ask Jim Gunnlaugsson for a business card, and he has five ways to respond: moving service operator, building contractor, motel proprietor, storage company and Brothers Too owner. Brothers Too? Jim, 59, and brother Mack, 56, … Multiple hats and odd business pairings are not unusual on Washington Island, whose 680 year-round residents rely on ingenuity, good humor and each other when confined to the island's 35 square miles. About 80 percent of the acreage, off the tip of Door County, is woodland…

Sunday, September 30, 2007 - The City Council has approved the city's first timeshare project. Dells Investment Group got permission last week to build a three-story building with 120 units on its property on Highway 13 behind Field's Steak and Stein in the development it calls Coldwater Canyon Condos. The group has already built some condominiums on its property there and plans to build six buildings of two units each on what is identified as Lot 4. The three-story building will go on Lot 5…

Big box stores might be Pabst Farms' future. Finding a new mall developer won't be easy, observers say. So-called big box stores, such as a Target and Kohl's Department Store, could replace a regional shopping mall planned for Pabst Farms in Oconomowoc, commercial real-estate industry observers...

Pabst Farms may lose builder. Developer seeks backup firm for massive Oconomowoc mall. Developers of Pabst Farms are shopping for another company to build a large upscale mall at I-94 and Highway 67 because General Growth Properties Inc. looks like it is bowing out of the high-profile...

Cudahy proposes streetcar system. He criticizes leaders for lack of agreement. Philanthropist Michael Cudahy blasted local leaders Wednesday for failing to agree on public transit solutions - then offered his own plan for a $140 million modern streetcar system to link downtown, local...

Aurora reveals more details on hospital. Grafton facility will be part of rapidly growing retail area. Aurora Health Care said Tuesday that it plans to build its new hospital on a 105-acre site northwest of Highway 60 and Port Washington Road...

Housing skies haven't cleared yet. Market must weather another choppy year. Housing's forecast: cloudy with intermittent storms, increasing chance of sunniness in a year...

City panel to review plans for Walker's Point site. Office, retail, light industrial space proposed. A Milwaukee developer's proposal to construct office, light industrial and retail space on the former Grede Foundries Inc. site will be reviewed Monday by the city Plan Commission...

Development News for the week of 9/21/07 – 9/28/07
INCLUDES FRIDAY 9/21/07
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September 27, 2007 - dison's economy chugging. While Milwaukee's is a caboose lagging behind. Madison's economy grew about three times faster than Milwaukee's in the recovery from the last recession, although it remains less than half as large, according to a new set of government data released Wednesday...

Tuesday 09/25/2007 - Two prominent members of the city's Economic Development Commission have abruptly resigned after Mayor Dave Cieslewicz rejected a selection committee's recommendation and named former Madison school board member Bill Clingan to a key job-creation post. "Nothing against Bill Clingan, but he doesn't have the right skills or the right background for the job," said Mark Bugher, who quit Monday as EDC chair after 4 1/2 years as the commission's leader…

Editors Note: This may be an opportunity for the council to realign with the business community by suggesting a staff person with more economic development experience is best for the job. There are a number of very significant items on the near term agenda for the Economic Development Commission, and the loss of input from Mark and Tom could prove significant…

WED., SEP 26, 2007 - Mark Bugher, a staunch business community ally of Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, has resigned as chairman of Madison 's Economic Development Commission in response to a recent mayoral appointment. Bugher said he stepped down after 4 years because the mayor rejected the recommendation made by a candidate selection committee and chose Bill Clingan to fill the newly created position of economic and community development director…

Thursday, September 27, 2007 - Three Madison business groups on Wednesday announced their opposition to Mayor Dave Cieslewicz's decision to name Bill Clingan the city's new economic and community development director. The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Madison Inc. and Smart Growth Madison cited Clingan's lack of experience in economic development as a key concern…

THU., SEP 27, 2007 - Mayor Dave Cieslewicz took a huge risk this week with his choice to be the city's new economic and community development director. By selecting a veteran government administrator and former Madison School Board member over the director of a business technology and innovation center…

Sunday, September 23, 2007 - This year's Downtown Living Tour will have a new twist. In addition to showcasing nine properties Oct. 6, a representative will be at each site to highlight a business, organization or activity that adds to Downtown living. This will emphasize the tour's goal: to flaunt what makes living in the city's center unique. For example, a representative will be at 208 S. Henry St., a home which lacks off-street parking, to talk about Community Car - a member-based car-sharing program the homeowners use…

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - The University of Wisconsin athletic department has put forth an ambitious plan for the improvement of its facilities for the next 20 years, with a hockey building and an athletic village concept at the forefront. The plan includes the addition of four facilities and the renovation of five others, a large-scope project that's based on the concept of an athletic village centered around Camp Randall Stadium…

WASHINGTON — New-homes sales tumbled in August to the lowest level in seven years, a stark sign that the credit crunch is aggravating an already painful housing slump. Sales of new homes dropped by 8.3 percent in August from July, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, driving down sales to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 795,000 units. That was the lowest level since June 2000, when sales clocked in at a pace of 793,000…

Editors Note: This is a National Story but I will suggest once again that if we do not change the paradigm in Dane County we too will see a problem and a long road to recovery. We need to place Madison on the map as a destination for all business markets, the senior population, and the outstanding companies already here… My editorials on the subject are at www.WisconsinDevelopment.com on the left (in the left hand column that is)…

The Madison metropolitan area took a tumble in a ranking of job creation in a report issued Wednesday. The area slipped 60 places in job creation among the 200 largest metropolitan areas, falling to No. 95 from No. 35 in 2005…The Madison metro area, which includes Dane, Columbia and Iowa counties, ranked 178th in job growth between March 2006 and March 2007 with a growth rate of 0.15 percent, according to the report…

Tuesday, September 25, 2007 - Time to catch up after a soggy canoe trip into the Turtle Flambeau Flowage in Iron County, where several days of badly needed rain made paddling out easier than paddling in. ArbCo groundbreaking\ No sign of a housing slump near St. Mary's Hospital where construction was to begin today on the Arboretum Cohousing project. Some four years in the making, the $9.3 million, 40-unit development is one of the most ambitious cohousing projects ever launched in the United States…

9/27/2007 - An unused warehouse near the new SuperTarget in Fitchburg is being converted into a retail center, SARA Investment Real Estate of Middleton announced. The one-story building at 6250 Nesbitt Road includes 30,000 square feet, which can be divided into individual retail spaces starting at 5,000 square feet. The spaces have 25-foot high ceilings…

THU., SEP 27, 2007 - The transformation of this night club into a music venue is nearly complete. When actress/musician Mandy Moore and pop singer Ben Lee take the stage at the Majestic Theatre's grand opening on Saturday night, there will be no question about the theater's intended purpose. Where disco balls once revolved, there are now tasteful chandeliers…

9/27/2007 - THIS IS a story about a Madison guy, Todd Barwick, who played golf last week with Tiger Woods. Barwick, 39, entered a contest and hit the jackpot, and he has a great story to tell. The thing is, I can't get another guy, who plays only a minor role in Barwick's story, out of my head. I don't even know this fellow's name, but I can't stop thinking about him. I feel his pain. If you play golf, you will too…

Editors Note: What I want to know is did the unnamed guy finish the round in his boxers…

MADISON , WI — According to the Energy Information Administration, the overall cost of energy for the commercial sector has increased by over 50% since the year 2000. As of 2003 there were 4.8 million commercial buildings in the United States… A team of design and construction professionals from three companies in their respected fields (lighting & electrical, HVAC, building envelope) will conduct a walk-through of a commercial building to document and name-plate building systems and conditions. The service and the report are independent in nature — the Energy Audit team is comprised of experts from The Renschler Company, Kilgust Mechanical, and Schultz Electric…

The Crowne Plaza, 4402 E. Washington Ave., has been sold as part of a $118 million, three-hotel deal. Interstate Hotels & Resorts and Investcorp International's U.S.-based Real Estate Group have formed a joint venture partnership to acquire the 226-room property, the Hilton Seelbach in Lousiville, Ky., and the Sheraton Columbia in Maryland from the Blackstone Group…

FRI., SEP 28, 2007 - After nine months living in her Habitat for Humanity home, Amy Doble hasn 't forgotten the cramped, two-bedroom apartment she and her three children -- two of them teenagers -- shared before moving in December. At an anniversary dinner Thursday night at the Alliant Energy Center, attended by about 300 people, the group announced it has received a $1 million "lead gift " from Bill DeAtley, president of the group's board of directors and a retired East Coast business executive, and his wife, Jan…

Editors Note: Thank You! I have always been a huge fan of Habitat The stories of the families and the opportunities these homes have created is amazing…

Saturday, September 22, 2007 - City Panel Will Meet Oct. 1 To Sift Through Proposals. A) An arts incubator. B) A sustainability center. C) A self-sustaining village. What's the best fit for the former Garver Feed Mill? That's the question a special city panel will try to answer when it meets Oct. 1 to chart the future of the historic building and its grounds. Three prospective developers responded to the Garver Feed Mill…

The Coalition Supporting Equity for Our Nation's Self-Employed, representing more than 40 American small business organizations, is supporting a bill that would change the federal tax code that requires millions of self-employed people to pay an additional 15.3 percent in payroll taxes on the costs of their own health insurance premiums. House bill 3660, also known as the Equity for Our Nation's Self-Employed Act, has been introduced by U.S. Reps. Ron Kind (D-Wis.) and Wally Herger (R-Calif.). The bill would allow sole proprietors to deduct the cost of health insurance premiums as a business expense when calculating their self-employment tax. Currently, all business entities except sole proprietors deduct their health premiums as a business expense and forego FICA (Social Security and Medicare) taxes on those expenses. That leaves more than 20 million self-employed entrepreneurs facing additional taxes on health costs…

9/27/2007 - Ken Monteleone grew up with slow food. Reared in an Italian family in Colorado, his grandfather owned a produce store. His mother's side of the family farmed. This lent itself to a table filled with what today would be considered sustainable and perhaps even gourmet dishes. Fast forward decades…

Monday, September 24, 2007 - Wayne Sweeney made his money by seeing the value of things. A successful investor who nine years ago wanted to build a home to his own specifications, he settled on a new development minutes away from Madison's west side, a former cornfield that is now the site for Pheasant Point, one of several high-end subdivisions in the town of Middleton. He plunked down…

Editors Note: Those who suggest this is a huge boom have never been to North Shore, Neenah, Wilmette, Door County… And the philanthropy of many of these people is pretty good (the Overture Center comes to mind), so from my perspective big is good as long as you share…

A one-of-a-kind, custom motorcycle autographed by Mark Johnson, Ron Dayne, Suzy Favor Hamilton and other former UW sports stars is being auctioned through Oct 5 at www.charitybuzz.com. All proceeds will benefit Gilda's Club Madison. This is no ordinary motorcycle, particularly for those of you who love the Badgers. It is a one-of-a-kind custom motorcycle complete with autographs from many UW sports legends including Bret Bielema, Bo Ryan, Mike Eaves, Barry Alvarez, Lee Evans, Al Toon, Michael Finley, Devin Harris, Brooks Bollinger, Chris Chambers, Mark Tauscher and more. Specific placement of the autographs include…

Editors Note: Speaking of sharing I would be happy to ride this around town for the winning bidder…

Kohl's Corp. flipped the switch on a rooftop solar energy system Wednesday at its store in Laguna Niguel, Calif., beginning the largest planned photovoltaic solar rollout in the nation to date. Michael Peevey, president of the California Public Utilities Commission, joined Kohl's officials to launch the project. Kohl's plans to build solar electric systems at 63 of its 80 California stores. When complete, Kohl's solar program will represent approximately 15 percent of California's photovoltaic installations to date. Kohl's is working with the State of California to help meet the goals set by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger…

September 26, 2007 - The Milwaukee Common Council Tuesday approved a Barrett administration proposal to boost revitalization along West Mitchell Street on Milwaukee's south side by creating a $3.1 million tax incremental financing (TIF) district. The TIF district for the Historic Mitchell Street neighborhood will assist in attracting and retaining retail, office and service businesses in one of the city's oldest commercial corridors. The initiative will assist businesses as well as improve key catalytic properties, add new harp lights, update the streetscaping and improve public safety. Home owners in the neighborhood also would be eligible for loans up…

Sept. 27, 2007 - A rising young product-development company is buying the Milwaukee area's most famous design firm, Brooks Stevens - originator of such industrial-age icons as the Sky-top observation car on Milwaukee Road trains and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Purchasing Brooks Stevens for an undisclosed amount is Ingenium Product Development, an Allenton firm that has averaged 17%-per-year revenue growth since its founding in 1997. Ingenium will hire all 26 Brooks Stevens employees and will take the Brooks Stevens name. "We've been competing against Brooks Stevens since our inception 10 years ago and always admired them as a product-development company," said Ingenium president and co-founder Tim Bartley, who will be president of the merged firm…

Development plan is short on details, applicant told. A developer who sued the village in 2001 after officials rejected his proposal for multifamily housing along Good Hope Road is getting a far better reception to his latest proposal to build senior and assisted-living housing on the 11 acres, along with...

State launching effort to attract new businesses. Division to focus on U.S., international recruitment. In a blunt admission that Wisconsin lags other states in recruiting new businesses, the Doyle administration announced Thursday that it's ramping up efforts to join the fiercely competitive game of...

Deadline to begin hotel project lifted. New Berlin to allow for lawsuit resolution. A hotel project narrowly received Common Council approval this week to have its timeline for development put on hold until a pending lawsuit is settled...

Mayor seeks input on redevelopment of mall site. Mayor John Johnson is calling for a town hall meeting on what to do with the old Parkland Mall Property on Janesville Road and Lannon Drive...

Bradley Village buildings near completion. Bradley Village in the 4300 block of West Bradley Road is taking shape...

Proposed $10M hotel would cater to business crowd. The Franklin Plan Commission has endorsed plans for a 114-suite, five-story Staybridge Suites Hotel on 27th Street near Ryan Road...

River buffer zone considered. Only dying, damaged vegetation could be cut under proposal. The Village Board decided to wait until October to consider if the Milwaukee Country Club violated a River Hills ordinance when it cut trees and shrubs along the Milwaukee River, but officials...

Developer's plans drained by planning panel. Concerns still linger on proposed 22-lot housing subdivision. Acknowledging density and drainage concerns, the Franklin Plan Commission has turned down various requests for a 22-lot subdivision on 18.2 acres in the 7500 block of South North Cape Road...

Board rejects commission's growth plan. A new long-range plan for growth and development in southeastern Wisconsin is not passing muster in Waukesha County...

Development plan OK'd for north side. Landlord's past fails to derail project. On a narrow vote, Milwaukee aldermen decided Tuesday that the benefits of a planned housing development near the Brewers Hill neighborhood outweighed concerns about the developer's troubled record as a central...

Put off Capitol, 124th growth, city told. Economics don't make sense for redevelopment. Sweeping redevelopment of the area near Capitol Drive and N. 124th St. should be put on hold for years until the economics make sense for both the city and private sector, the city's Community Development...

Aurora reveals more details on hospital. Grafton facility will add to rapidly growing retail area. Aurora Health Care said Tuesday that it plans to build its new hospital on a 105-acre site northwest of Highway 60 and Port Washington Road...

Great Wolf to open N.C. resort. Madison company to break ground later this year. Madison-based Great Wolf Resorts Inc. saidit will open the company's 12th water park resort in North Carolina, giving Great Wolf its third property in the southern states...

Condo plan fails again. City wants fewer buildings, more trees in development. A proposed condominium site in the 4900 block of South 60th Street continues to face city resistance tied to the number of people who would live in the development as well as the elimination of trees...

Newcastle Place expansion smaller than plan allows. Apartment complex, carriage houses will be added to campus. Newcastle Place received approval for a second phase of development at its Port Washington Road site...

Developer plans 54 apartments. Northwest side site was once a tannery. A St. Paul, Minn.-based housing developer plans to buy part of a former tannery on Milwaukee's northwest side and build a 54-unit apartment project...

WisDOT. $255,000 for projects at Eagle River Union Airport (land purchase, apron).

THU., SEP 20, 2007 - Construction has begun on Arbor Gate, a $55 million office and retail project south of the Beltline and east of Todd Drive that will replace a strip of aging retail buildings that have been torn down. "This is a really special project for us, " said Sean Baxter of Westwind Associates, which owns the adjacent Kayser Ford and Mitsubishi Motors, 2303 W. Beltline. "This is our neighborhood and this is not just a business venture. " The developers kicked off construction Wednesday…

Capital Brewery was voted one of the "Top 10 college-town microbreweries. " The source? The October issue of Playboy, which just hit newsstands. "We 've gotten quite a lot of feedback on the article already, " says Nolen. "Obviously, they quickly tell us that they heard about the article from a friend who subscribes. " And the Playboy article has an alluring photo: a gorgeous bottle of Capital 's Munich Dark…

EDITORS NOTE: I immediately placed my subscription with the office (purely for economic development research) but Mary rejected it…

Sunday, September 16, 2007 - Smith's Crossing In Sun Prairie, A Veridian Project, Is Influenced By New Urbanism. When the Northeast YMCA opens Monday in Smith's Crossing, it will represent a major piece in the creation of the traditional neighborhood. Smith's Crossing is sprouting up off Highway 151 and Reiner Road. What's built now is 20 percent of what the community will look like. Sun Prairie has started construction of a new elementary school that will open in fall 2008. Commercial development also is under way. In addition, the area just outside Smith's Crossing is targeted for some major commercial growth. Smith's Crossing - named for the historic Smith home that's the soul of the community - is a personal project of David Simon, president of operations for Veridian Homes, the developer…

Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - My father Robert Newcomb started Newcomb Construction in 1976 offering traditional building methods. I grew up around the business and worked here during the summer. After I graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn., with a bachelor's degree in finance, I came to work at Newcomb in 1992, just for the summer, as I had planned to start a career selling insurance in Minnesota. Dad had me making cold calls and one of the businesses that I called said they were looking for a builder who used the "tilt-up" method for building. I said, "Sure, we build tilt-up," not knowing what tilt-up was. Dad and I flew to Ohio to learn…

09/20/2007 - On April 29, 2005, John Ring retired from his job as a city employee. He had worked for Madison's Community Development Authority (CDA), painting apartments for $21.29 an hour. Within a week, Ring was back painting CDA-owned apartments. He never submitted an application or any other paperwork. There was no written contract. The jobs Ring got were not put out for bids…

EDITORS NOTE: An interesting story -- I thought the idea was to use outsourcing to REDUCE costs. Is this the same CDA that will be developing the Allied Drive area without any input from other developers or the private sector?

9/19/2007 - VERONA -- A 5,500-seat auditorium with 500-inch screen and giant decorative fleur de lis on the walls. With a name like Epic, would you expect anything less? Some 3,500 customers of Epic Systems Corp. had a first look Tuesday at the electronic medical records company's "Epicenter," the name for its gargantuan auditorium, during the general session of its 28th annual users group meeting. By comparison, the Overture Center's Overture Hall has a seating capacity of 2,251, and the Kohl Center can hold up to 17,190…

9/20/2007 - The timing was a little tough. Ted Gervasi, the owner of Madhatter's, the popular campus bar that closed in June 2006 with the redevelopment of University Square Mall, went before the Alcohol License Review Committee Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the Madison City Council passed an alcohol license density plan, capping the number of new liquor licenses downtown. Despite that, Gervasi got the committee's OK on a 4-1 vote to transfer his liquor license from University Avenue to a new location, 651 State St., in what used to be Fuddruckers…

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - The Madison City Council put a lid on the number of new liquor licenses in downtown Madison on a vote of 13-6, with one abstention, early this morning. The alcohol license density plan, which has been under development for nearly a year, seeks to address alcohol-related public safety issues downtown. Alcohol-related problems consume a significant share of police effort every weekend, the mayor's office has stressed, drawing officers away from other neighborhoods that need police services. Restaurants - defined as generating less than 50 percent of their sales from alcohol - grocery stores and hotels would be exempt…

EDITORS NOTE: I am still confused as to how the number of bars is proportional to the number of drinks a person has...

Drew Hanson doesn't want to be drawn into the fight over a proposed development in the town of Cross Plains. But he affirms the importance of this patch of land. "The geology of that area is absolutely unique in the world," says Hansen, trailway director of the Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation. The area, where Old Sauk Road hits Timber Lane, contains both glaciated and unglaciated portions. It's within what the National Park Service and state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) have jointly designated the Cross Plains National Scientific Reserve…

WED., SEP 19, 2007 - Landlords who rent to problem tenants could be ordered to make improvements or face fines under a law approved by the City Council early Wednesday. At neighborhood crime and safety meetings throughout Madison in recent months, many residents expressed support for the ordinance they hope will help police crack down on crime in their neighborhoods…

WED., SEP 19, 2007 - An unprecedented windfall is on the horizon for the city of Madison and Madison School District, promising to relieve some budget pressures and affect major issues such as the city 's hiring of 30 police officers and the School Board 's debate over whether it still needs to ask voters for more money in a referendum. Under a proposal from Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, the city would receive $3.7 million and the School District would get $5.4 million in money flowing from two fast-developing special taxing districts…

Plans to improve Verona Road have been stuck in traffic for years. But they should lurch forward — at least into first gear — with a public meeting on possible improvements at 5:30 this afternoon at St. Maria Goretti. Unlike 2004, when Mayor Dave Cieslewicz opposed a $140 million sunken freeway that would have split Allied Drive from the rest of the Southwest Side, the mayor is on board this time, calling it "an affordable and practical plan that balances traffic safety and neighborhood concerns." "The earlier plan was too expensive, too detrimental to the surrounding neighborhood and would have taken too long," he said. "This plan is a reasonable alternative." This is good news for anyone who has to use this jammed corridor…

Wednesday, September 19, 2007 - State plans to replace the Verona Road-Beltline interchange are being revived, with an information meeting scheduled Thursday night. Department of Transportation officials say building a new interchange is a top priority, to improve traffic flow and safety where the two heavily traveled highways meet. But the project has been scaled back since it was last discussed three years ago. Initially, the plan was to improve both highways coming into one of the area's busiest and most congested interchanges. Now, the DOT has reduced the scope of its revived study to include only a two-mile stretch of Verona Road (U.S. 151) and the interchange itself, with no improvements planned for the Beltline…

Tuesday, September 18, 2007 - The retail outlet is small but stacked with appetizing surprises: Bloody Mary mix, made with homegrown tomatoes. Apricot-zucchini and chopped-cherry jams. Plum-pear, rhubarb-pomegranate and pumpkin-apple butters. Gumbo, and gourmet cookies. Toffee, and gooey cashew toppings. Maple-coated popcorn. Double chocolate biscotti. Asiago pepper rolls. About three dozen businesses use the Algoma Farm Market Kitchen to prepare their products. This specialized business incubator, which opened six years ago, is unique in Wisconsin, and perhaps the nation. The commercial kitchen has succeeded as similar ideas elsewhere, including Madison, have withered at the discussion/research stage…

TUE., SEP 18, 2007 - More than 100 Dane County homeowners faced the possibility of losing their homes to foreclosure in August, more than any other month since RealtyTrac, an online national database, began keeping those records in 2005. There were 103 foreclosure filings — default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions — in Dane County in August. That's a jump of 43 percent from the 72 filings in July, according to…

Monday, September 17, 2007 - Cross Plains Residents Are Opposing A Developer's Request To Rezone Farmland For Residential Use Because Of Possible Impact On Adjacent Preserve. Thousands of years ago, the up-and-down landscape of western Dane County near Cross Plains was carved and shaped by a massive, moving sheet of ice. Today, that very countryside is being reshaped by housing developments and roads. A proposed housing development is threatening the heart of a preserve that is meant to protect the land that tells the story of the glacier, according to a group of Cross Plains residents and others who are opposing the project. Cross Plains developer Janice Faga has purchased one 160-acre farm and has an option to buy an adjacent 180-acre property, just west of the intersection of Old Sauk Road and Timber Lane. She has asked the town of Cross Plains to rezone the land from agricultural use to residential without sewer to build 66 homes on two-acre lots…

Saturday, September 15, 2007 - $6 Million Sun Prairie Facility Has Many Family Fun Features. Bright, spacious fitness areas, a recreation room equipped with a ping-pong table and a day-care wing complete with low-rise, preschooler-size toilets - the new Northeast YMCA has come a long way from its modest beginnings. The doors will officially open Monday to the 48,000-square-foot, $6 million building that includes a gym, six-lane swimming pool, "family fun" pool, child care and preschool areas, teen center, fitness area and locker rooms. "This facility is just phenomenal," fitness instructor Cori Thompson said of the new Y on the border of Madison and Sun Prairie off Reiner Road in the Smith's Crossing development. The fitness rooms have top-notch equipment and big windows that make the whole place inviting, she said. The new YMCA replaces the existing program housed for seven years in the old Sun Prairie junior high building downtown…

Friday, September 14, 2007 - A West Lafayette, Ind. calzone restaurant that aims for the college crowd is scheduled to open Oct. 1 at 555 State St., across from State Street Brats and formerly the home of Discount Den. TJ O'Malley, Lovshack director of operations, said its calzones are "East Coast" style - crispier than the Chicago style typically seen around here. The dough is made fresh daily, he said. Lovshack is known for its edgy advertising. One slogan is: "In Spanish, 'calzone' means 'underpants.' Get into ours for just six bucks…

Editors Note: If you are thinking about paying a marketing expert for a clever slogan like the one above -- please note I FREELANCE…

An analysis recently completed by the Dunn County Economic Development Corp. and the University of Wisconsin-Stout Technology Park indicates that manufacturers in the Twin Cities area could save "millions" by expanding into Wisconsin instead of Minnesota. Dunn County and UW-Stout are located about a one-hour drive east of the Twin Cities. According to the "Why West Central Wisconsin" study, a $100 million gross revenue manufacturing company would save about $15.1 million over 10 years by operating in west central Wisconsin instead of the Twin Cities. "Our study examined labor costs, worker's compensation costs and corporate income tax for manufacturing companies with $10 million, $50 million and a $100 million in gross revenues," said Bob Bossany, president of the Dunn County EDC. "The annual savings realized by these three sample companies ranged from about a quarter million dollars to one and a half million dollars. When you figure these annual savings over 10, 20 or even 30 years, the cost savings is very significant."…

Building facade being spruced up. CDA says Bayshore exterior needs upgrade. The owners of Bayshore Town Center continue to upgrade the appearance of a large multiuse building spanning almost a block on Port Washington Road...

Neighbors still view proposal as dense. Extending 49th Street to accommodate project also panned. The Plan Commission has once again denied a concept proposal, 7-2, for condominiums adjacent to the County Line Estates subdivision on the village's northeast corner...

Council puts kibosh on plan to rezone supper club for condos. Single-family homes, commercial venture remain possibilities. The former Aud-Mar Supper Club property was not granted rezoning approval by the Muskego Common Council on Sept. 11...

Commission balancing sellers', neighbors' desires. The Glendale Plan Commission is doing a balancing act between residents who want their homes zoned commercial because they say they cannot sell them otherwise and their neighbors who fear commercial creep and loss of residential character...

New owner stands Sentry over Hales Corners market. Supermarket won't close, thanks to eleventh-hour sale. The Town & Country Sentry store on Highway 100 in Hales Corners will stay open after all, following its acquisition by a longtime Milwaukee-area Sentry manager...

Down by Beaver Creek. Condo townhouses being built near water's edge. Joe Klucarich has been a man about town in Brown Deer for 50 years. He plans to keep it that way...

Kohl's starts serving up Food Network wares. Advertising push begins for product line from cable cooking channel. Kohl's is making its first advertising push for its new Food Network housewares line this week, at the same time analysts and fashion media are buzzing about the retailer's Vera Wang...

Project gets tepid endorsement. Committee splits on central city development plan. Should Milwaukee aldermen approve a central city housing proposal that brings a much-needed investment, even if the developer has accumulated numerous fines for building code violations?...

City committee backs $3.1 million for Mitchell St.. A plan to provide $3.1 million in city funds for improvements along Historic Mitchell St., one of Milwaukee's oldest commercial districts, won approval Tuesday from a key city panel...

UW gets big grant for health research. $41 million will help put discoveries into practice. The University of Wisconsin-Madison's new Institute for Clinical and Translational Research will get $41 million over five years from the National Institutes of Health to improve the way biomedical...

New Berlin hotel gets final OK; lawsuit may delay development. The Deer Creek Inn and Conference Center on Monday received the last approval it needed from the Board of Public Works, but a lawsuit pending in Waukesha County Circuit Court likely will continue to hold up development at Moorland Road and Greenfield...

Supervisors favor plan for Park East Square. Panel backs $65 million project. The first project slated for the vacant lots created when the Park East Freeway was demolished received a key endorsement Monday from a County Board committee...

Hotel planned near Harley museum site. A Milwaukee developer is proceeding with his plans for a boutique hotel near the new Harley-Davidson museum, south of downtown...

UWM raises ante on acreage for Innovation Park. Spinoffs will need space, Santiago tells supervisors. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's proposal for a new engineering school and research park would require buying some 83 acres of Milwaukee County Grounds property near Highway 45 and Swan Blvd.,...

Governor. Announces $30 million in traveler spending in state, boosting local economic growth.

Dept. of Commerce. $400,000 (CDBG-Public Facilities) grant to Village of Coleman (sewer and road improvements).

Madison, Wis. - They range from law firms to retailers, but several Wisconsin businesses have demonstrated the technology innovation necessary to make 2007 Information Week 500. The annual ranking, which honors the most innovative users of technology, includes four Wisconsin companies and the parent company of Madison-based information technology firm.

FRI., SEP 14, 2007 - Construction began Thursday on a $40 million project that will house a data center and office space for CDW Berbee in Fitchburg. The buildings, located near Berbee 's headquarters at 5520 Research Park Drive in the Fitchburg Technology Campus, will total 70,000 square feet and are scheduled for completion next year. The project is being developed by Team Co., of Cedar Falls, Iowa, which will own and manage the buildings with 12 employees…

BUILDING PERMITS From Wisconsin State Journal, Thu Sep 13 2007

WED., SEP 12, 2007 - Even the plans are changing at Hilldale Shopping Center. Joseph Freed & Associates, which bought the shopping center in 2004, said Wednesday that it would delay the construction of the nine-story, Centric MetroLofts and replace the 90-unit condominium building with the six-story, 150-room Hotel Indigo. The new location for the boutique hotel, originally planned for eight stories, moves it along University Avenue instead of being connected to the west side of the shopping center. Officials hope to open the hotel in the first quarter of 2009. "It has excellent visibility. It's just screaming to be a hotel,"…

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - UW-Madison economist Morris Davis doesn't want to become known as the most bearish real estate pundit out there. But considering past housing slumps and the depth of the current crisis, Davis isn't looking for any recovery for at least another three years. "Normally these bust periods last about four years and we're only one year into this one," he says. Unfortunately, says Davis, things will likely get a lot worse before they get any better. That means prices will keeping falling, new construction will slow to a crawl and more people are going to lose their homes - and their jobs…

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - After sitting empty for two years, the former Copps Food Center site in Middleton could be in for big changes, including a new player in the Dane County pharmacy market. The owner of the 3.7-acre parcel at the corner of Century Avenue and Allen Boulevard is proposing a redevelopment project that would include a CVS Pharmacy and a new Anchor Bank. The project would also turn the 30,000-square-foot, square-shaped former grocery store into an L-shaped 16,000-square-foot retail center. Dawn Casper, who has owned the property since the 1970s, said Tuesday she envisions locally owned stores and shops, which could include a natural-foods store or a grocery cooperative. The project would be designed to blend with the adjacent Pheasant Branch Conservancy…

Saturday, September 8, 2007 - Erdman Real Estate Holdings is buying the former Irish Waters pub on Madison's west side and eventually plans to develop a signature project it hopes will rival Middleton Hills in its impact. While details remain sketchy, Tim Erdman said Friday the site at 702 N. Whitney Way is large enough for a "creative and innovative" project that could include housing, commercial space or something in health care that would complement nearby University Hospital. The purchase will consolidate a 15-acre site along University Avenue that includes the soon-to-be vacant headquarters of the Marshall Erdman & Associates design firm along with an old motel no longer in use. Marshall Erdman & Associates is moving to a new headquarters in the Old Sauk Trails office park. The five-story, 132,000-square-foot building includes underground parking and is scheduled for completion this fall…

Fitchburg-based Coldwell Banker Sveum Realtors has increased its Rock County presence by merging with Coldwell Banker First United Realty of Janesville, owners Peter and Phil Sveum announced. Terms were not disclosed. The combined firm is owned equally by Sveum and First United and operates as Coldwell Banker Success. Coldwell Banker Sveum has more than 50 agents with offices in Fitchburg, Stoughton, Sun Prairie and Verona. Coldwell Banker First United, owned by Randy Borman, Jennifer Wagner and Henry Londo, has about 40 agents in its Janesville and Evansville offices…

Editors Note: Congratulations Peter and Phil, we do need to bring Rock County into the greater Madison tent .

Saturday, September 8, 2007 - Ground will be broken Monday at 9 a.m. next to Jefferson Middle School and Memorial High School on the city's west side as construction gets under way on the Lussier Community Education Center. The center will be a first of its kind in Wisconsin, a cooperative project involving the nonprofit Wexford Ridge Neighborhood Center, the Madison Metropolitan School District and the city of Madison…

Fitchburg-based nanotechnology company Platypus Technologies LLC announced that it has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop hepatitis screening…

Minhas Craft Brewery in Monroe - the former Huber Brewing - is holding a grand opening on Friday after completing a $1.1 million renovation.

Editors Note: The brewery dedication starts TODAY at 2PM with ribbon cutting at 3PM if you are looking for an excuse to leave early… Could be free beer but that is just a guess… Drink Wisconsin Beer (even if it is made by Canadians)…

Delphi Corp. has informed state officials that it is closing its auto parts plant in Oak Creek by the end of the year, eliminating about 200 jobs.

GeoAnalytics has moved its headquarters to 10 W. Mifflin St., Suite 400, phone 241-7100. The company develops geographic information systems. The company is having an open house at the new site on Sept. 26 from 4:30-7 p.m.

Sunday, September 9, 2007 - What is now a burgeoning brewery operation in Red Hook, Brooklyn, N.Y., that spouts out nearly 3,100 barrels of beer a year - up from approximately 400 just two years ago - began in 2001 in the basement of an undergraduate-student-filled house on Vilas Avenue in Madison. Sixpoint Craft Ales is a brewery that produces 30 varieties of beer and is distributed to more than 400 bars throughout the five boroughs of New York. It was started by Shane Welch and Andrew Bronstein, two former UW undergraduates whose friendship was first forged on their passion for beer…

The UW-Madison Concrete Canoe Team took first place last weekend in the 30th annual Dutch Concrete Canoe Challenge in the Netherlands. The UW team dominated the event, winning five out of six race categories, and also took top prize in the construction and innovation categories for its 20-foot, 176-pound canoe, Descendant, for its design and use of environmentally sound concrete…

Editors Note: Let me get this straight, engineers from Madison build canoe out of rock, go to party capitol of the world, and kick butt -- I so want to go back to school…

FRI., SEP 14, 2007 - A Madison-based toy distributor could be a place to turn for parents worried about the safety of their children 's toys in the wake of a spate of recalls. Last spring, Milanie Cleere, 31, moved Oompa Toys, her online business specializing in European toys made of nontoxic, natural materials, to a 15,000-square-foot warehouse at 1311 W. Badger Road. "We 're already outgrowing this (warehouse) space, "…

Friday, September 7, 2007 - Mike Urben has spent much of his adult life making University Ridge one of the most popular and successful golf courses in the state. Rick Shafel loved working at the Ridge so much that he got married there and turned down every potential employer who tried to lure him away. Urben and Shafel both worked at the Ridge since it opened in 1991. Urben is the only general manager the place has ever had; Shafel is its only food and beverage manager. They were hard-working managers who had no reason to believe their jobs were on the line. Yet on Aug. 27, Urben and Shafel were fired and they are still trying to figure out why…

Editors Note: There may be more to this story -- but if Bergamont or Hawks Landing really want to score with the golf community there may be an opportunity here… If only they had said 9-11 was our fault…

WED., SEP 12, 2007 - After sitting empty for two years, the former Copps Food Center site in Middleton could be in for big changes, including a new player in the Dane County pharmacy market. The owner of the 3.7-acre parcel at the corner of Century Avenue and Allen Boulevard is proposing a redevelopment project that would include a CVS Pharmacy and a new Anchor Bank. The project would also turn the 30,000-square-foot, square-shaped former grocery store into an L-shaped 16,000-square-foot retail center…

FRI., SEP 14, 2007 - Republicans offered a major concession on education funding Thursday, but it came with a catch that Democrats were unwilling to accept. Even though both sides remained far apart on reaching a budget compromise, Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, said she believes a deal can be made in less than two weeks if there is momentum on key issues…

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - Housing starts in Dane County were up last month following a record low a year ago. The average new home value increased 3.1 percent from a year ago, according to a report issued by MTD Marketing Services of Neenah. The county had 122 permits issued for single-family homes and duplexes, up 10 percent from 111 in August 2006. The average value of a new home was $246,766 last month, up from $239,369 a year ago. Madison's 33 permits issued last month was the same as August 2006. While most villages and cities in the county were even or posted increases from a year ago, Waunakee dropped to three starts in August from 10 a year ago and Fitchburg dropped to seven starts from 13…

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - Out of the Box Publishing of Richland Center announced that it has sold three product lines - Blink, Apples to Apples and Snorta - to global toy giant Mattel Inc. "Sales for these products have recently grown to include major retailers and international sales," Mark Osterhaus, Out of the Box president, said in a statement. "Mattel is better suited to produce and distribute products at this level. Out of the Box will continue to do what Out of the Box does best - create innovative party, card and board games that provide fresh, fun, and engaging ways for friend and family to enjoy time together."…

FRI., SEP 14, 2007 - DETROIT -- The United Auto Workers union has picked General Motors Corp. as the lead company and potential strike target in contract negotiations with the Detroit Three, a local union official said Thursday. The official said his local received notice Thursday afternoon that GM would be the lead. Contracts between the UAW and GM, Chrysler LLC and Ford Motor Co. expire at midnight Friday…

Construction is beginning on another downtown Milwaukee condominium tower. Renner Architects LLC will hold a groundbreaking ceremony on Saturday for the BreakWater Condominiums project. The BreakWater Condominiums is the 20-story, 101-unit condominium development that Renner Architects plans to build at 1313 N. Franklin Place. The former Christopher East Medical Center building on the property is being demolished to make way for BreakWater…

Wednesday, September 12, 2007 - ASHLAND, Wis. (AP) -- Officials of the Wisconsin Central Limited railroad say they no longer plan to pursue a proposal by the Northeastern Maritime Historical Foundation to convert the Soo Line Oredock into a museum. They have told city officials that they instead plan to demolish the dock and its approaches…

Thursday, September 13, 2007 - The YMCA of Dane County announced that the new Northeast Branch YMCA in the Smith's Crossing development by Reiner Road will open on Monday. The 48,000 square-foot facility, which replaces the existing program center in the former middle school in downtown Sun Prairie, includes a gymnasium, six-lane swimming pool, family fun pool, child care and preschool areas, teen center, fitness area, locker rooms, multi-purpose space and staff offices. A ribbon-cutting ceremony is scheduled for Friday at noon and tours will be offered Saturday from noon-6 p.m. and Sunday from noon-4 p.m. The YMCA in Sun Prairie has been in operation since the early 1970s and currently serves more than 3,000 families…

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Murphy Oil Co. has been meeting with environmental regulators from Wisconsin and the federal government to find out what permits it would need to expand its refinery at Superior. Company officials say they are looking for outside funding for the move but nothing will be formally proposed at this time. "We're actively looking for a partner," said Dave Podratz, manager of the Superior refinery. "It's something that could happen fairly soon. It could take years to develop, (or) it may never happen."…

Saturday, September 8, 2007 - When Brian Vandewalle and I set out to establish the Washington Hotel, Restaurant and Culinary School on Washington Island in 2002, our vision was about more than just rebuilding what had been the center of community life on a small island off the Door County peninsula. We knew we wanted to create and find markets for as many value-added products - ones that originated on the island in some way - as possible. What we didn't know was exactly what those products would be. Wheat had been grown on the island back in the 1800s, but not since. Our first year on the island, we asked Tom Koyen to plant 30 acres of wheat, which we'd use in our restaurant's signature wood-fired brick-oven breads and pizzas…

Capitalizing on momentum. Waukesha business district reception to look at opportunities. Dave Smart, a Realtor and downtown advocate, said he thinks there's a renewed spirit of cooperation among those with vested interests in the shopping district and city officials who can bring...

Park East project gets tentative start time. Development would be first to get under way. After several delays, the first project is about to move forward on the desolate downtown Milwaukee lots created by the Park East Freeway's demolition...

State gets A on economic options. But assessment finds business development lacking. Wisconsin squeaked out an A on a report card on economic opportunity issued Wednesday by a national organization that promotes grass-roots economic development...

Panel OKs luxury apartments. Project requires hearing, rezoning. Brookfield's Plan Commission on Sept. 10 endorsed a general plan that calls for the construction of a 56-unit luxury apartment complex near the northwest corner of Bluemound and Pilgrim roads...

City close to being completely built out. Officials relying on redevelopment. Brookfield residents can see several large-scale developments - including more than 200 multi-family units along Wisconsin Avenue and a 127,000 square-foot office/retail complex at Moorland Road and Greenfield Avenue...

Taxpayer input wanted on city plan. Comprehensive plan would set guidelines for future development in four quadrants. As a first-step effort to gather public input on the city's long-term comprehensive plan, city leaders will host neighborhood visioning workshops in the next couple of...

Aud-Mar plan sees yet another hiccup. With lakefront access restricted, owners' plans could change. Despite a positive recommendation from the Muskego Plan Commission, the future of the old Aud-Mar Supper Club, W15851 Aud Mar Drive, as a residential project remains up in the air due to restrictions...

Commissioners want project to dazzle. Proposal on south side 'simplistic'. Members of Brookfield's Plan Commission asked to "see some more creativity" in a proposal from a Milwaukee developer seeking to construct a retail complex at a prominent intersection on the city's south side...

Real estate initiative moves beyond jobs. Tamika Hull is developing 30 single-family homes in the struggling Metcalfe Park neighborhood in partnership with the Milwaukee Urban League. Hull is a developer for Gorman & Co., a Madison-based development company, a position she believes she would...

Forward Wisconsin's demise was a long time coming. The demise of Forward Wisconsin and the rise of an entrepreneurial company named Ingenium Product Development sums up what is happening with the Wisconsin and Milwaukee 7 regional economies. The obituary last week for Forward Wisconsin was remarkable...

St. Francis condo development expansion shelved. A Chicago-area home builder will not proceed with expansion plans for a large condominium development in St. Francis that overlooks Lake Michigan...

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. 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...