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The Hammes Co.'s proposed $93 million redevelopment of the historic Edgewater hotel - one of the most controversial projects put before the city this decade - still has life. Ald. Michael Schumacher, 18th District, is asking the City Council to reconsider a Dec. 16 decision that's blocked the project. It's unclear if 14 of 20 needed council votes are there to let the project continue through the city review process. Hammes President Robert Dunn said he'll proceed if the city deems the project a priority, but that the review process has undermined financing. He said he must now get all city approvals before tackling financing, final design and construction.

Continuing a trend, a developer is proposing to demolish older student housing and replace it with two housing towers near UW-Madison. Otto Gebhardt III hopes to demolish rental houses at 1208, 1212 and 1214 Spring St. to erect a 10-story, 92-unit apartment building designed to meet the needs of older and graduate students. Across the street, Gebhardt would demolish a rental house at 45 N. Orchard St. for a nine-story, 62-unit apartment building aimed at the same market. The proposal would take obsolete structures with a total 80 rental units and replace them with energy-efficient buildings with nearly double the apartments, Gebhardt said. "The buildings have outlived their usefulness and are in pretty bad shape," he said. "To put money into them to rejuvenate them would be a bad use of resources. We think it would be a better use of these properties." Ald. Bryon Eagon, 8th District, who represents the area, said the proposals are "interesting" and potentially an "exciting investment in the student residential community."

Madison Children's Museum gets $250,000 challenge grant

National Endowment for the Humanities grant must be matched by the museum on a three-to-one basis. It will go toward the museum's $10 million "Ready, Set ... Grow!" capital campaign. The NEH grant, which must be matched by the museum on a three-to-one basis, will go toward the museum's $10 million "Ready, Set ... Grow!" capital campaign. "This prestigious grant recognizes the high quality humanities programs the museum provides for the community," museum director of development Jenni Collins said Monday. "It also brings us substantially closer to our fundraising goal, and as a challenge, helps the museum leverage support from other donors. So far, the museum has raised more than $8.5 million and must reach $9.25 million before a $750,000 Kresge Foundation grant kicks in to complete the campaign. On Jan. 3, the museum will close its doors after 18 years at 100 State St. to prepare for its move to 100 N. Hamilton St. for a re-opening scheduled for mid-August. The NEH grant was among $20 million in awards and offers for 319 humanities projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia, the NEH said. Three other Wisconsin recipients were awarded grants this funding cycle: UW-Madison, $50,400 for a fellowship project; the Chippewa Valley Museum, Eau Claire, $6,000 for archives storage; and the Richard I. Bong WWII Heritage Center, Superior, $5,797 for preserving materials.

A 30-unit multi-family housing development is proposed on an approximately 2.5-acre tract currently being used for storage by Stoughton Trailers. A public hearing will be held Jan. 11 before the Stoughton Planning Commission on a rezoning request for a proposal to build a 30-unit multi-family residential development on vacant land along the Yahara River.The proposed housing development, which still is in the early stages of planning and is contingent upon approval of financing and other requirements, would be geared towards providing housing for people with disabilities, workers who provide direct support for disabled people, and for families in need of affordable housing. The approximately 2.5-acre tract, located at 623 Eighth St., currently is owned by Stoughton Trailers and is being utilized for outdoor storage by Stoughton Trailers. The property in question is located in an older part of the city that features a mix of single- and multi-family housing and industrial use. The property is located within the boundaries of Stoughton Redevelopment Area #1, an approximately 80-acre tract commonly known as the "railroad corridor" situated mostly east of the downtown that is eyed for revitalization. The boundaries of the redevelopment area were established by the Stoughton Redevelopment Authority (RDA), a quasi-governmental body created in the fall of 2007 to focus on improving specific parts of the city. The goal of the RDA is to encourage reinvestment in under-utilized areas of the city, leading to job creation, added infill housing, an improved tax base and an improved quality of life for the community.

Property taxes on the rise here, across state

Spending increases and a lack of growth mean rising property tax bills in Madison and many area communities this year, and the landscape looks equally bleak for 2010. Spending increases and a lack of growth mean rising property tax bills in Madison and many area communities this year. And the landscape looks equally bleak for 2010. Usually, new construction and a growing tax base soften the tax bite of spending by municipalities, school districts and others. But this year, the lack of growth means tax bills more closely reflect spending increases, officials said. “That’s a really big thing,” county treasurer David Worzala said. The pattern is echoed across the state, said Todd Berry, president of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance. Tax bills began arriving in mailboxes this month. In Dane County, bills cover municipal and county government, K-12 schools, and Madison Area Technical College. Some municipalities add special charges for trash collection or recycling, improvements to streets or sidewalks, or unpaid bills. Taxes in communities can swing due to growth, debt, state aid, school enrollment changes or other factors.On the spending side, the city increased its tax collections by 5.1 percent, the schools 3.5 percent, the county 8 percent and MATC 8.6 percent. The county and MATC increases were the second highest among all counties and technical colleges in the state, Berry said.

Forbes magazine has compiled a list of the most valuable college football programs in the land, and the University of Wisconsin is ranked 19th. UW's football program is valued at $48 million, and earned a profit of $17 million, according to Forbes. Forbes took existing information from the federal Department of Education, which compiles athletic department financials for Title IX purposes, and compared the programs. Among Big Ten teams, UW is ranked 5th, behind Penn State ($99 million); Ohio State ($85 million); Michigan ($81 million); and Michigan State ($57 million). The University of Texas has the most successful and valued football program. Forbes said the program had a value of $119 million and a profit of $59 million. UW previously ranked 20th. The Badgers play the University of Miami tonight in the Champs Bowl.

Porters of Racine, one of the oldest surviving high-end furniture retailers in Wisconsin, soon will close after struggling for several years with declining sales. The announcement from the 152-year-old retailer follows recent closings in the Milwaukee area and around the country of both small independent stores and major chains, as consumers curtailed their furniture purchases. Through November, retail furniture sales in the U.S. dropped by 12.1%, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The decline followed an 8% slide in 2008. "It's very negative news for everyone here in the City of Racine and for the downtown," said Roger Caron, president of the Racine Chamber of Commerce. "They maintain a huge presence downtown." Porters last week announced the closing of its Furniture Clearance Center in Wauwatosa, and Vice President Micah Waters said the flagship store was in jeopardy. No date has been set for the closing of either location. The company earlier closed clearance centers in Brookfield and Racine.

The company that makes the widely used disinfectant Barbicide will more than double the size of its headquarters and food processing plant as it relocates to Milwaukee's northwest side. Pak Technologies Inc. has purchased a 100,000-square-foot building at 7025 W. Marcia Road and will begin moving in late January, Pak owner and CEO Kevin Schuele said Wednesday. Pak now has its food processing operation and headquarters in 40,000 square feet at 2730 W. Silver Spring Drive. The company is selling that building to a European firm that is also in the food industry, Schuele said. He wouldn't name the buyer. Pak is a contract manufacturer for other food companies, producing and handling such goods as spices and nutritional items. Schuele said the operation has grown as the recession prompts original manufacturers to shut down plants, then turn production over to contract outfits such as Pak.

"In these tough times, that's what gives us a little bit of an edge," Schuele said. He declined to say how much Pak paid for its new facility, which was built in 2000 and formerly housed an operation of St. Paul, Minn.-based 3M Co.

The Palmen Automotive Group is closing its Racine General Motors store as part of the automaker's restructuring and is in the process of purchasing a GM franchise in Kenosha, state records and a Palmen executive said. According to a notice filed with the state Department of Workforce Development, the Racine Palmen location will close Feb. 27. "GM is consolidating the Kenosha and Racine markets for Buick, GMC and Cadillac, and that dealership will be in Kenosha," said Andy Palmen, president of the Palmen Automotive Group. "We are in the process of purchasing the LeMay dealership on Highway 50 (in Kenosha) and that will be the regional Buick, GMC Cadillac dealership."

The Palmen Dodge Chrysler Jeep location in Racine is not affected. "We'll continue to service all of our customers in Racine at our Dodge Chrysler Jeep store. We're not closing that store," Palmen said.

According to the filing with the state, 33 workers will lose their jobs as a result of the Racine GM store's closing. Palmen said it's unclear how many workers will be able to transfer to the new location once the transaction is completed.

It's last call at the Dairyland Greyhound Park on New Year's Eve. The track, which opened in June 1990, is closing for good after that night's races. "We expect business to be brisk," Berger said Wednesday. "It will be bittersweet."

The track is closing after years of losses. It is the last of the state's five dog-racing tracks to close. There is some good news, at least for the groups working to place greyhounds with families. Although the numbers change frequently, it is now estimated that from 150 to 200 dogs will be left when the track closes. Those greyhounds will either be moved south to other tracks in the country or will be adopted locally, spokeswomen for adoption groups said Wednesday. Ellen Paulus of the Wisconsin chapter of Greyhound Pets of America said her group and others were being overwhelmed by requests to adopt the greyhounds. As of Wednesday morning, more than 60 people had been approved to adopt a greyhound. Those families will get a dog as soon as they can be removed from the track, she said.

Top executives of Marshall & Ilsley Corp. won't receive bonuses and stock options but will be awarded a "stock salary" and restricted stock in addition to their cash salaries, the company said Tuesday. M&I, like other banks that received Troubled Asset Relief Program capital from the U.S. Treasury, is limited in how it can compensate its highest-paid leaders. That means, for example, that stock option grants - a typical part of compensation - aren't available.

Under M&I's modified pay plan, Chief Executive Mark F. Furlong will be paid a cash salary of $875,000, which is unchanged from this year, and a stock salary of more than $2.1 million. Like the other key M&I executives, he also will receive restricted shares of stock amounting to half of his total base salary. The company estimated CEO compensation will be about 25% less than under the previous pay program. M&I said in a filing with regulators Tuesday that modifications made to its 2010 compensation plan "are a prudent step toward the company's objective of retaining the key employees who are leading the company through a difficult economic cycle." It said no bonuses will be paid to top executive officers in 2009. M&I has posted losses in four consecutive quarters as the housing slump, especially in its Arizona market, continues to take a toll on the bank's loans. Its stock price is down about 60% this year.

Marquette University's new engineering facility got another big boost on Tuesday, with Gov. Jim Doyle announcing that the school will receive a $5 million grant from the Wisconsin Energy Foundation thanks to funding by the state. "We know this is what we need," Doyle said during a morning announcement held in Marquette's current engineering building, across from its new home at N. 16th St. and W. Wisconsin Ave. "For us to compete, we need more engineers." Doyle said the state's $5 million grant to the foundation was approved earlier this year as part of the state Legislature's biennial budget. The state wanted the funding to go through a separate evaluation process, which the foundation provided, rather than directly to a private university, he said. "Everyone understood the likely project was going to be the Marquette project," he said. Marquette's new engineering facility, which will be called the Discovery Learning Complex, is expected to cost a total of $100 million. The university has enough cash on hand to complete the first $35-million phase of the project, with ground breaking scheduled for March, university spokeswoman Mary Pat Pfeil said. Altogether, the university has raised about two-thirds of the new facility's total costs, she said. Two gifts were made within the last two weeks, although the donors have not yet been named by the university. "This will give us further momentum," Marquette President Father Robert Wild said.

Neenah-based Bemis Co. said Tuesday that it now expects to receive Justice Department approval for its planned $1.2 billion acquisition of the U.S. food packaging business of Rio Tinto PLC by early 2010. Bemis, which makes flexible plastic wrap for foods such as steaks and cheese, had previously stated it expected approval by the end of 2009. The acquisition was announced in July. The company is involved in discussions with the staff of the Justice Department regarding its review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino antitrust act about remedies that would resolve the concerns expressed about the deal, the company said.

Pottery Barn Kids notified customers in an e-mail Tuesday that the store at Mayfair will close on Sunday, Jan. 17. The Mayfair store is the only Pottery Barn Kids in Wisconsin. The company didn't give a reason for the closing in its announcement. The most recent earnings report for Pottery Barn's parent company, Williams-Sonoma, listed four Pottery Barn Kids stores around the country slated to close in the fourth quarter. For the full fiscal year, the company will close eight Pottery Barn Kids locations, including one temporary closing at a store that will be remodeled.

The 62,500-square-foot building was sold for $600,000 to Gusto LLC, an investment group formed by Nathan Roberts. Dickman Co., of Milwaukee, brokered the sale. Roberts operates Fisk Tank Carrier Inc., a Columbus firm that makes trailers and boom trucks for companies that install propane tanks. Fisk, with nine employees, will move within the next two months and plans to eventually expand its workforce, Roberts said Tuesday. Maysteel had 89 employees in Columbus when it announced in April plans to close the plant. Maysteel also is closing one of its Menomonee Falls factories, which Dickman Co. has listed for sale.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store is in the works for downtown Delafield, reports Kelly Smith, in Living Lake Country.com. The 1,350-square-foot store would be the first in Wisconsin for the Colorado-based chain.

An ordinance that requires apartment buildings near the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and in the Lindsay Heights area, to be certified by city building inspectors before they can be rented, is facing a court challenge. The suit, filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, seeks to toss out the ordinance, which takes effect Friday. It was filed by three landlords that own Milwaukee properties: Joseph Peters of Milwaukee; Tomika Culpepper of Detroit; and Brookfield-based Salida Properties LLC. Among other things, the suit was seeking a temporary restraining order to stop the new ordinance from taking effect Jan. 1. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Timothy Dugan denied that request at a Wednesday hearing, said David Halbrooks, attorney for the landlords. The litigation will proceed on the suit's other claims, Halbrooks said. The ordinance, which the Common Council passed Dec. 1, says each inspection required by the ordinance will cost $85 per unit. The certification lasts four years if no major code violations are found.

The former Northridge Mall, largely empty for more than six years, might be redeveloped as a location for Chinese businesses to sell clothing and other goods through stores and sell that same merchandise on a wholesale level to large retail customers throughout North America. Beijing-based Toward Group is forming a joint venture with a U.S. investment group led by Milwaukee business operator Robert Kraft to raise money for the project, Kraft said Wednesday. He said the plan is to reopen at least part of the former Northridge, at N. 76th St. and W. Brown Deer Road, by August. There's a lot of space to fill, Kraft acknowledged. The former mall, where the last stores closed in 2003 after years of declining sales, has more than 800,000 square feet. But Kraft said Toward Group is recruiting Chinese retailers that will sell clothing, furniture, toys, consumer electronics and other goods. Kraft said he's raising money, based on tenant leases, to make improvements at the Northridge property. Also, Julie Lee, Toward Group's attorney, later told me that many of those businesses, which would include manufacturers as well as retails, will likely use additional space at the former mall to sell their goods on a wholesale basis to customers throughout North America. Those wholesale operations would use a lot more space than a strictly retail use.

As of Friday, with the beginning of 2010, Milwaukee will have 14 targeted investment neighborhoods, including four new neighborhoods. A targeted investment neighborhood (TIN) is an area where the Department of City Development provides grants of up to $2,000 to both home owners and residential landlords for small improvement projects. Grant applications for the new Amani, Greenfield Station, Century City and Uptown Crossing neighborhoods will be accepted beginning Jan. 1. Also, the Metcalfe Park TIN has been extended west to Sherman Blvd. This link has a list of all TINs in Milwaukee and information on applying for grants.

Mayor Tom Barrett's proposal to offer reduced water rates to companies that locate in Milwaukee will have its first public review next week. The Common Council's Public Works Committee, at its Jan. 6 meeting, will consider the proposal. It asks the state Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, to create a lower rate for water-intensive businesses that relocate or expand in the city, and meet certain job creation criteria. Barrett and other supporters say offering lower water rates would be a key advantage for Milwaukee in competing with other cities for jobs. While other areas face water shortages, the Milwaukee Water Works operates at only a third of its capacity. Skeptics say the proposal is flawed. They say Milwaukee should not reduce its water rates if offering a stable water supply is a competitive advantage. Some of the developments that could use the lower water rates include the former Tower Automotive complex, which city officials plan to convert into a business park, and a proposed business park for water-technology firms in the Walker's Point area.

Greendale officials are proceeding with plans to divide part of Southridge Mall's parking lot into parcels for future development. The proposal from mall owner Simon Property Group would split around 44 acres, bordering Grange Ave., into four separate parcels, according to a report at Greendale Now.com.

AirTran adding 100 jobs in Milwaukee

A discount airline is ready to fly more jobs into the Badger state. AirTran, a low-fare airline based in Florida, will be adding 100 jobs to its Milwaukee hub by April, bringing the number of jobs in its Milwaukee operation up to 300. Milwaukee will become the base for 50 AirTran pilots flying Boeing 737 jetliners, as well as a minimum of 50 flight attendants to support both Boeing 717 and 737 flights. AirTran already has established regional offices and a line maintenance station in Milwaukee, with more than 200 jobs. "As we continue to grow our Milwaukee operation, we have reached a point where we need to add flight crew bases in Milwaukee to make our airline more efficient and to support the flying out of Milwaukee," said Kevin Healy, AirTran senior vice president.

A new report estimates that property taxes in Wisconsin are going up more than 4% this year. The Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance estimates the increase will be 4.2%, but final numbers won't be known until spring. Last year the average statewide increase was 4%. The Taxpayers Alliance says that school levies increased the most at 6% followed by technical colleges at 3.9% and counties at 3.2%. Total levies were up the most in Green County at 11.3% followed by Dane and Crawford counties, both at 8%. Five counties saw a reduction in levies, with Marquette the largest with a 2.4% cut.

The U.S. Commerce Department on Tuesday announced $9.55 million in Economic Development Administration grants to the state of Wisconsin to create jobs and strengthen the economy following the 2008 floods. The investments include: $3.3 million for Madison Area Technical College to implement a mobile training program that will help firms in Reedsburg, Portage and Waterloo incorporate modern manufacturing methods and improving work force skills. $2.4 million to the city of Portage and the Columbia County Economic Development Corp. to help build and equip a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified business incubator building, make infrastructure improvements to the city-owned industrial park and fund an advanced manufacturing training program through MATC. $1.45 million to the village of Belmont to upgrade and expand the wastewater treatment plant. $1.2 million to the city of Reedsburg to make roadway and water infrastructure improvements to expand the local industrial park and construct a telecommunications and electric switching station that will be set outside of the flood plain. $1.1 million to the village of Randolph to expand a business park. $142,569 to the city of Waterloo to help renovate a city-owned building for entrepreneurial training.

Dane County budgeted $1.2 million for Sheriff’s Office overtime last year, but the department spent more than $2.7 million. It wasn’t the first time overtime had exceeded the budget by so much — for the past decade, the county has overspent its overtime budget in departments with 24/7 operations by more than $14 million — but last year it made a much bigger dent. Now with the economy tanked, the county’s rainy day reserve fund depleted, employee salaries cut and property owners facing the biggest tax increase in recent history, officials are taking steps to rein in overtime costs. Sheriff Dave Mahoney has already shaken things up in his department and is on pace to cut overtime costs by $1 million this year.

The Cottage Grove Village Board has voted 5-0 (two absent) to approve its 2010 Village Budget with a total property tax levy of $2,282,297 and a tax rate of $4.37 per thousand. The 2009 budget was funded with a property tax levy of $2,682,887 and a tax rate of $5.09 per thousand. Village taxpayers sent a clear message they wanted real change.

Grand plans to launch a "Global Academy" next fall offering high-tech classes to area high school juniors and seniors have been "scaled back tremendously" and still face big hurdles, Verona Area School District superintendent Dean Gorrell said one key question - whether students could earn both high school and college-level credits at the academy - remains unanswered. "That's a big hangup for us," he said. "That could put a halt to the whole thing." But Bill Reis, a former superintendent in the Middleton-Cross Plains School District hired last year to coordinate the academy, remains optimistic. Reis said it's "highly probable" that officials at either UW-Madison or Madison Area Technical College will eventually OK the dual-credit option, though he's not sure when.

A several-acre pond occupies a low-lying area surrounded by marsh, native grasslands and woods. A half-dozen purple martin nesting boxes sit atop metal poles spaced every few hundred feet around the edge of the pond. Brush piles have been strategically placed in the water, providing shelter and hiding spots for fish, amphibians and reptiles. It's the kind of high-quality habitat that serves as an ideal "home" for any number of song- and grassland birds, small mammals, fish and aquatic creatures. And while this rich ecosystem may be commonplace in the wild or even in an urban preserve setting, what makes it notable in this case is the fact it's located right next to a former landfill in the town of Dunn.

The first meeting of the village of Oregon's new Strategic Plan Outreach and Planning Committee laid the groundwork for the long-term vision that village officials and committee members would like the community to realize in the next 20 to 30 years. The 17-member committee met Thursday at Village Hall led by facilitator Bill Rizzo, a community development educator through UW-Extension Dane County. Rizzo, who teaches strategic planning and has experience leading strategic planning and developing plans, will serve the role of committee chair. Village President Steve Staton said the committee will operate by consensus decision-making rather than voting, an approach he said works well. "We used consensus at the Oregon Middle School when I was there with our site council and committees, and I just really like it as a means to making decisions," Staton said. "What I found was once you make a decision, it has much more support and is more likely to be implemented. Everybody's on board that way."

Gov. Jim Doyle wants to use a possible federal windfall to change the way schools are funded in Wisconsin - a plan that could help struggling schools but cost property taxpayers. State schools could win up to $250 million in competitive "Race to the Top" stimulus money next year for programs to improve student learning. As that one-time money runs out, Doyle wants to lift state-imposed revenue caps on qualifying schools so they can raise property taxes if needed to keep the programs in place. Doyle said his administration would provide more details on the plans in the state's application for the federal funds, due Jan. 19. "Part of Race to the Top (reforms) is how you demonstrate that you can sustain them over time," Doyle said in a year-end interview with the State Journal. "If we can bring these two things together, we can make some really substantial long-term reform."

Trucking firm to close terminal in Janesville; 100 to lose jobs

It will be a hard Christmas for the 100 employees of Allied Systems Ltd. in Janesville. The trucking operation announced Tuesday it will permanently close its terminal on Kellogg Avenue on or about Feb. 26, 2010, resulting in the layoffs of all 100 employees at the facility. More than a year ago Allied Automotive Group, parent company to Allied Systems Ltd., terminated its Janesville operation, putting 117 employees out of work. In July, Allied Systems Ltd. laid off 115-120 employees at its Flint, Mich., operation. Many of those laid off in Flint had formerly worked at the Janesville facility. Allied is the largest motor carrier in North America, transporting cars and light trucks. Operations have been drastically affected in the past two years because of the troubles in the automotive industry.

Charter Wire is among seven companies whose development projects were recently awarded $12 million in 2009 federal tax benefits by the city Redevelopment Authority. The companies received allocations of the federal Renewal Community Commercial Revitalization Deduction, which provides an accelerated depreciation deduction period for commercial real estate. The deduction is one of several federal tax incentives available to companies located within Milwaukee’s Renewal Community boundary, which comprises about 80 central city census tracts.Together, the seven firms invested more than $43 million in their projects, retaining 185 jobs. The firms expect to create 137 positions during the next three years, according to the Department of City Development.

Oak Creek power plant to cost another $72 million

Owners of the coal-fired power plant being built in suburban Milwaukee will pay another $72 million because of weather-related construction delays. That brings the total cost to $2.3 billion. Bechtel Power Corp is building the Oak Creek plant. It filed a claim in December 2008 seeking $517.5 million to cover extra costs. In exchange for the settlement, Bechtel Power Corp. will be given an extension to complete the biggest construction project in state history. The first unit of the plant was to open in September. It is now set for completion in mid January. The other unit is targeted for August. We Power, a subsidiary of Wisconsin Energy Corp., Milwaukee, is the majority owner and will pay $61.2 million. Madison Gas & Electric and WPPI Energy, of Sun Prairie, will each pay $5.4 million.

Plans to buy a former supermarket in Cudahy, and convert it into a four-screen cinema with sit-down dining, are on hold. Larry Widen and David Glazer have run into some setbacks on their proposal, which involves the former Kohl's Food Store, 4630 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., one block north of Layton Ave. "I don't know if it's going to be resurrected or not," Glazer said. "I'd like to think it will be." Widen and Glazer, who operate the Times Cinema, 5906 W. Vliet St., and Rosebud Cinema Drafthouse, 6823 W. North Ave., Wauwatosa, said in May they would remodel the 17,000-square-foot building. It would be named the Rosebud Cinema Cudahy.Their proposal called for sit-down dining, with wine and beer served, similar to the Rosebud in Wauwatosa.

A proposal to rebuild part of S. 2nd St., by narrowing the road and adding bike lanes, trees and other amenities, won approval this morning from the Common Council. The plan is to rebuild S. 2nd St. from National Ave. to just south of St. Paul Ave., which supporters say will help attract more development to the street. Opponents say the changes will create traffic congestion, and problems for delivery trucks.

A 60,000-square-foot distribution center and office building, at 2100 S. 54th St., West Allis, has been sold for $3.4 million, according to documents filed with the Milwaukee County Register of Deeds. Columbia Pipe & Supply Co., the building's tenant, bought the property from Carnes Co. Developer Brian Nahey built the distribution center in 2006 at the site of the former Wehr Steel foundry, which was demolished in 1990. About 22 acres of the former Wehr complex are in West Milwaukee, on nearby Electric Ave. Nahey redeveloped that portion of the site into three light industrial buildings, totaling 300,000 square feet, that house Lakeside Manufacturing Inc., Norandex/Reynolds Distribution Co. and Hangers Unlimited Inc.

The 3rd District Neighborhood Association, composed of Milwaukee’s east side and Riverwest neighborhood associations, wants University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to locate its new School of Public Health at Columbia Hospital, and not at a downtown location recommended by university administrators.

"We support this because it is the best site for the School of Public Health and because it allows UWM to grow in a way that is compatible with the stability of its surrounding residential neighborhoods," said an association statement, issued today.UWM Chancellor Carlos Santiago has proposed buying the hospital, which is next to UWM, and converting it primarily into student housing. The hospital complex will become available in late 2010 when Columbia St. Mary's Inc. consolidates operations at its Lake Drive campus.

Metro Milwaukee jobless rate rises to 8.4%

The unemployment rate in the four-county region that includes Milwaukee and Waukesha counties rose in November to 8.4% from 8.2% in October, according to data released Wednesday by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. The increase follows four consecutive months of decreases, which lowered the jobless rate from a metro-area peak of 9.8% in June, the department reported. Citing a decade worth of data, agency economist Dan Barroilhet said metro Milwaukee unemployment typically creeps higher in November from October. The four-county region lost 50,500 jobs in the past 12 months, the data shows. Overall in the state's cities, counties and metropolitan areas, the agency characterized unemployment trends as stable in the wake of heavy job losses throughout the first half of the year.

Porters to shut down Tosa Furniture Clearance Center

The Furniture Clearance Center in Wauwatosa will close within a few months, and the future of the parent company is uncertain, Micah Waters, vice president at Porters of Racine, said Wednesday. "The economy is making the decision for us," Waters said. The clearance store at 8901 W. North Ave. has been run as a division of Porters of Racine for 27 years. The company had a Clearance Center in the Sendik's Towne Centre in Brookfield that closed about three years ago. Another Clearance Center in Racine also closed.The shuttering of the Wauwatosa store is timed with the expiration of the lease, Waters said.The future of the Porters of Racine, the 152-year-old high-end furniture store, is up in the air, Waters said.

Grafton Commons shopping center sold

Grafton Commons, a shopping center at I-43 and Highway 60 in Grafton, has been sold by the developer, Continental Properties, to Inland Real Estate. Mid-America Real Estate Group brokered the deal for the 237,565-square-foot center. The purchase price wasn't disclosed. Grafton Commons is anchored by Kohl's department store, Costco, Best Buy, Dick's Sporting Goods and Michaels

Chicago-area water park hotel with Milwaukee ties closing

The 429-room Sheraton Chicago Northwest and its CoCo Key water park, in Arlington Heights, Ill., will close Monday. The hotel, with 230 employees, is shutting down just three years after the water park was added through a partnership between Milwaukee-based Wave Development and Denver-based Sage Hospitality. "Given the state of the economy in the Chicagoland market and the continued fall off of local business travel and corporate markets, it is not economically viable to continue with hotel operations," the hotel's owners said, in a statement. I wrote a story in January 2007 about the growing partnership between Sage and Wave, which at that point had opened three water parks at hotels in northern Illinois and Ohio.

Delafield Wal-Mart expansion to Supercenter begins soon

The conversion of a Walmart discount store in Delafield into a Supercenter, which will include a full-service supermarket, is expected to begin in early 2010. The project, which may take about a year, will expand the store from about 90,500 square feet to nearly 116,000, according to a report in Living Lake Country.com.

Community bankers hopeful

Community bankers who met this week with President Barack Obama, including one from Milwaukee, came out of the meeting hopeful the government and small banks won't be in conflict in their efforts to help revive the economy. Leaders of small banks have complained that regulators are overly aggressive in their examinations, which they contend is discouraging lending just when more loans to credit-worthy borrowers would help the economy to recover. That was one of the topics of the conversation between Obama, Legacy Bank Chief Executive Deloris Sims and other bankers in their meeting at the White House on Tuesday, according to the trade group Independent Community Bankers of America.

November new home sales sink 11 percent

Sales of new homes plunged unexpectedly last month to the lowest level since April, a sign the housing market recovery will be rocky and heavily dependent on the generosity of Uncle Sam. The 11 percent slump from October's pace shows that consumers are taking their time following an extension of a deadline for first-time buyers to qualify for a tax credit. The incentive was set to expire at the end of November, but Congress pushed back the date to April 30 and expanded the program to include current homeowners who relocate. "They don't have to act today," said David Crowe, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders, who called the results "pretty awful."

Wisconsin Energy boosts earnings outlook

Wisconsin Energy Corp. said Tuesday its earnings for the fourth quarter will be better than its forecast, and it announced that full-year earnings in 2010 are projected to increase 15% to 20% when its new power plants begin operation.The announcement came after the company announced a settlement that changes the projected dates of operation for the $2.3 billion coal-fired power plant project under construction in Oak Creek and regulators authorized an $85.8 million electricity price increase for customers of We Energies in 2010.Earnings in the fourth quarter will be 88 to 93 cents a share, up from the company’s October forecast of 81 cents to 91 cents, the parent company of We Energies said in a filing with securities regulators.

Tax credit drives surge in home sales

Government efforts to stabilize the housing market are paying off. What happens when the help runs out is anyone's guess. Sales of previously occupied homes surged in November to the highest level in nearly three years, spurred by federal subsidies for starter homes and a massive Federal Reserve push to drive down mortgage rates. The strong figures were driven by a race to take advantage of a tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time homebuyers. The credit has since been extended to next spring, but the government initially planned to end it Nov. 30.

One of the largest mortgage financiers of the housing bubble has sued MGIC Investment Corp. over the mortgage insurer’s denials of claims for payments on mortgages gone bad. Countrywide Home Loans Inc. and BAC Home Loans Servicing LP filed a complaint for declaratory relief Dec. 17 in the Superior Court of California in San Francisco against Milwaukee-based Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corp. (NYSE: MTG), MGIC disclosed Tuesday. Charlotte-based Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) acquired Countrywide in July 2008 for $2.5 billion. The complaint alleges MGIC has denied, and continues to deny, valid mortgage insurance claims submitted by Countrywide and BAC Home Loans. The mortgage firms are seeking declaratory relief on the interpretation of the insurance policies at issue, MGIC said.

Hammes Co. President Robert Dunn said Thursday that he's "extremely disappointed" in the City Council's decision to block his proposed $93 million redevelopment of The Edgewater hotel.But council President Tim Bruer, who spoke with Dunn by phone Thursday evening, said, "There's reason to believe the project is not totally dead. The next few days will be critical." Dunn, Bruer said, hasn't decided if he'd like the council to reconsider its decision, which is possible under city rules. "It would be unrealistic and premature to expect Hammes to be in a position to assess if the project has an opportunity to get off the death bed at this time," Bruer said. Dunn, traveling on business, must consult with partners and investors and consider changing financial markets, plus get a sense if the council has an interest in resurrecting debate, Bruer said. In his first public comment since the council early Wednesday morning refused to overturn a Landmarks Commission decision that effectively stopped the project, Dunn said in a statement that officials "have sent a clear message to our firm and the financial community that this project is not a priority for Madison."

The proposed $93 million redevelopment of the historic Edgewater Hotel may be dead. After nine hours of testimony and debate, the Madison City Council early Wednesday narrowly refused to overturn a Landmarks Commission decision that has effectively blocked the project. The council, which has never reversed a Landmarks Commission decision, struggled with the choice but ultimately found the Hammes Co. did not face a hardship in trying to redevelop the property under the landmarks ordinance. The council needed a 14-vote supermajority of 20 members to overturn the commission. The final vote -- 12 to overturn, five against and three absent -- was cast at about 5:15 a.m.

But the project still could have life. Any of the council members who missed the meeting could ask for reconsideration, or Hammes could reshape its proposal and try again for Landmarks Commission approval. Hammes President Robert Dunn, who had earlier described the current proposal as a best and last effort, declined comment after the meeting.

Developer Robert Dunn was giving no signal if he wants the Madison City Council to resurrect debate on a $93 million redevelopment of the historic Edgewater hotel, which the council left for dead early Wednesday morning after a marathon meeting. But Ald. Michael Schumacher, 18th District, one of three council members who were out of state for the meeting, is willing to resurrect the debate, and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz -- who wrote on his blog that the project was "probably dead" -- said he's ready to help if Dunn wants to continue. Council President Tim Bruer said he would do "everything humanly possible" to try to save the project, but that there may be resistance to reconsideration. "Short of a miracle, I think offering reconsideration may be too little too late," Bruer said. The council next meets on Jan. 5. The key is Dunn, who declined to speak after the morning vote Wednesday and did not return repeated calls later in the day. Cieslewicz, Bruer and Schumacher said Dunn has not shared his wishes with them. Dunn, president of the Hammes Co., could push for another council vote on whether to overturn a Landmarks Commission decision that blocked the project. He could also reshape the project or walk away.

One of Dane County's wealthiest enclaves faces a tough test of its liberal ideals. A developer is asking Shorewood Hills, a lakeside village of mostly single-family homes just west of the UW-Madison campus, to rezone 2.4 acres on University Avenue to build apartments for lower-income renters But some Shorewood Hills residents say the project would strain the village's modest police force and other municipal services and be detrimental to its character.

"People who live here are in for the long haul," Tim Rikkers, a Village Board member, said at a public hearing this week. "This project increases the voting rolls by 20 percent with people who have different values - I'm not saying bad values - but different values from what we have here." Others insist the village has an obligation to provide homes for the less fortunate. "I find it embarrassing," Bill Thomas said of opposition to the project. "I hear people speaking against the very idea of having rental housing. In terms of doing its part to meet the need for affordable housing, the village is so far behind the rest of the county, it's ridiculous."

The Sun Prairie City Council unanimously approved a 16-screen theatre complex project for Marcus Theatres that will feature a 500-seat Ultrascreen theatre, three dine-in "Cinedine" theatres, and a "Zaffiro's Pizzeria" restaurantre presenting the latest design concept by Marcus Theatres. The location of this project will be in the Prairie Lakes Development in Sun Prairie's Westside Neighborhood Development Area The location of this project will be in the Prairie Lakes Development in Sun Prairie’s Westside Neighborhood Development Area. The sitting of Marcus Theatres newest facility here represents a major milestone in the development of this prime retail site into the unique commercial area that has been carefully planned by both the developer and the City. Marcus Theatres will be the second major tenant to be located in the 100-acre Prairie Lakes Development located in Sun Prairie’s Westside Neighborhood. A new 134,000 s.f. Target store opened in March of 2009. Mayor Joe Chase said “Marcus Theatres is a welcome addition to Sun Prairie’s Westside Development. This theatre complex will offer another component to the leisure and entertainment amenities in our community.” Council President John Muller added “We are very excited that a Wisconsin company the caliber of Marcus Corporation selected the City of Sun Prairie as the location of their newest project.”

A $3.5 million, four-story, mixed-use apartment and commercial building has been proposed at 801 S. Park St., the site of one of Madison's last remaining typewriter repair shops. Developer Pat McCaughey is seeking to build 12 new apartment units on the upper two floors with nearly 10,000 square feet of commercial space on the bottom two floors Parking would be provided underground and in a surface parking lot. "Erin Square" has already been reviewed by the city Urban Design Commission and could be headed for final approval before the city Plan Commission early in 2010. The project is near the corner of Erin and South Park streets, across from St. Mary's Hospital. McCaughey has been working with the neighborhood association and Ald. Julia Kerr on the project layout. The development is also designed to improve the stormwater runoff into nearby Monona Bay.

Despite its well-publicized struggles with the Block 37 development in downtown Chicago, Freed & Associates continues to land new tenants at the Hilldale Mall. Hot Mama, which bills itself as a "celebrated source of contemporary fashion for moms and moms-to-be" announced Thursday its 14th store will open in spring 2010 at Hilldale Mall in Madison. Hot Mama will take 2,200 square feet next to Title Nine, a store for active women. The company was founded in Edina, Minn., by Megan and Michael Tamte in 2004. "We are very excited to open our first Wisconsin store at Hilldale in Madison. We know our shoppers are there and we look forward to serving them," Megan Tamte says in a press release.

Dane County total home sales in November more than doubled compared to a year ago, while prices continued to lag and available inventory tightened. The South Central Wisconsin MLS this week reported 474 house and condominium sales for Dane County in November, up nearly 112 percent from 224 sales in November 2008. Year to date through November in Dane County, the 5,171 houses and condominiums sold were up 2.6 percent from the 5,041 sold in the same period last year. Housing industry analysts attributed the unusually large leap in sales — in October the county increase was 28 percent — to a last-minute push by buyers looking to cash in on the federal first-time homebuyer tax credit, which had been scheduled to run out Nov. 30. That tax credit now has been extended and expanded to include some existing homeowners, with a deadline of April 30 to accept an offer and June 30 to close. Another factor in November’s large jump over last year may have been the unusually poor sales seen in November 2008, said Dan Miller, a Keller Williams agent who tracks and analyzes MLS data at DaneCountyMarket.com. Miller noted that last September was marked by a sizeable stock market crash, which helped to knock down subsequent sales numbers, he said.

A mild November helped keep heating costs much lower than last year, Alliant Energy Corp. says in its monthly “Natural Gas Update.” The typical customer of Madison-based Wisconsin Power & Light Co. paid nearly $46 less for heating compared with November 2008, the Alliant subsidiary said. The utility is continuing to forecast that heating costs for the full six-month heating season that kicked off Oct. 1 will be about 25% below last winter, utility spokesman Steve Schultz says. The drop is linked to the falling price of natural gas, which soared along with crude oil prices in 2008 but has fallen back sharply since as energy demand has fallen with the economy and supplies of natural gas have soared. Though December has seen freezing temperatures and below-zero wind chills, the first two months of the heating season have seen the average residential cost fall nearly $60, or 30% from last winter, Schultz says. We Energies doesn’t release average costs so far but said average use has dropped because of the mild weather, utility spokesman Brian Manthey says. The Milwaukee utility is forecasting a drop of 14% to 16% in winter heating bills during the six month period that started Nov. 1. The lower heating costs on the natural gas side of monthly utility bills come as utilities are preparing to raise electricity prices in January. WP&L will raise prices by $60 million, We Energies by $92 million.

Madison's grand Overture Center invites many comparisons -- some flattering, some not -- but few as common as allusions to the Titanic. Like the "unsinkable" luxury ship that did just that in 1912, some have called the multi-million-dollar performing arts center "too big to fail" despite financial warning signs throughout its 11 years in planning and operation. Looking back, few would dispute that mistakes were made, especially in Overture's financing. The most public misstep saw center authorities and the City Council agree to put half of an unprecedented $205 million donation from retired businessman Jerry Frautschi, former co-owner of the printing company Webcrafters and husband of American Girl doll entrepreneur Pleasant Rowland, into a trust fund that lost money consistently in struggling investment markets. It was eventually liquidated in September 2008, leaving $27 million in debt that looms heavily today.

Madison's economy continues to hold strong compared with other U.S. cities, according to the Brookings Institution's MetroMonitor of 100 metropolitan areas. Madison's ranking was highest in the area of third-quarter unemployment; its 5.6 percent rating was third behind Omaha (4.9 percent) and Provo/Orem, Utah (5.4 percent). The 100-metro average was 9.6 percent. Detroit had the highest jobless rate, 17.3 percent, and Milwaukee was at 9.6. The Madison area has been able to ward off some of the problems of other areas because it is not a manufacturing-based economy and real estate prices did not climb the way they did in some places, said Don Nichols, professor emeritus of economics and public affairs at UW-Madison. Madison is helped by service and insurance industries, Nichols said, and science-based industries that have spun off from UW-Madison have grown large enough to impact the local economy.

The City of Verona has been ordered to cough up more than $60,000 in back taxes and fees to Walgreen's after a judge ruled the company's store in Verona had been assessed excessively. It's unclear whether the city, which was named as the defendant, would appeal the Dec. 1 judgment. It will be ultimately responsible for less than half of that amount, with the principal, about $53,000, divided up among the various taxing districts and the interest and fees charged either to the city or its legal defense insurance. Final numbers were unavailable Tuesday, but the Verona Area School District might need to reimburse the city as much as $30,000, with the numbers complicated by the presence of a tax-increment financing district. At the heart of the suit is two adjacent parcels at 104 N. Main St. that were assessed at a combined $4,059,500 in 2007 and 2008 and were taxed a total of $155,614. The lawsuit asked that the valuations be cut almost in half, to $2.37 million in 2007 and $2 million in 2008, requesting refunds of $71,626.

The state may be forced to cut more than $1 billion over the next 18 months from BadgerCare Plus and other health care programs for the disabled, elderly and low-income families. The shortfall comes at a time when more people are turning to BadgerCare Plus because of the state's battered economy. About 700,000 people were enrolled in BadgerCare Plus alone on Nov. 30, an increase of more than 70,000 since the start of the year. At the same time, state tax revenues have plummeted because of the economic downturn.

The redevelopment of the former Pabst brewery complex, now known as The Brewery; the conversion of the former Bayshore Mall into Bayshore Town Center, and the renovated historic office building at 735 N. Water St.. have each recently won national recognition. The Brewery has been awarded with LEED for Neighborhood Development certification by the U.S. Green Building Council in collaboration with the Congress for New Urbanism. The LEED neighborhood rating (it stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is designed to recognize large environmentally sustainable projects. The Brewery's sustainable features include bio-swales to capture storm water runoff; water management containment areas, and permeable pavement to allow water to flow into the management areas. The Brewery is being developed by Joseph Zilber.

By now, you might have read the column my colleague Daniel Bice wrote regarding the controversy over plans to create a downtown Milwaukee campus for Everest College, a for-profit college. Developer Dan Druml is renovating buildings in an area bordered by W. McKinley Ave., W. Vliet St., N. 6th St. and N. 8th St. to create a campus for Everest, which is owned by Santa Ana, Calif.-based Corinthian Colleges Inc. The Redevelopment Authority recently approved an $11 million bond issue to help finance the building renovations for Everest, which will offer vocational courses. Druml's investment group is responsible for repaying the debt to the bond purchasers. The bonds will be issued in the name of the Redevelopment Authority, which gives the bonds tax-exempt status. That allows Druml to pay a lower interest rate to the investors who buy the bonds. The development was headed to the Board of Zoning Appeals for what appeared to be routine approval on a special use permit. But Ald. Milele Coggs, whose district includes the site, asked the board to delay acting so she could review the proposal, said Kari Egerstrom Collins, board secretary. Also, Michael Rosen, head of the union that represents teachers at Milwaukee Area Technical College, and other MATC employees wanted to speak at the hearing, Collins said. MATC offers vocational programs similar to what Everest would provide.

Developers plan to build 37 affordable housing units in two buildings that would be built on a central city block bounded by North Teutonia Avenue, West Hadley Street, North 15th Street and West Center Street on Milwaukees north side. Franklin Square Apartments LLC, an entity formed by Milwaukee-based Maures Development Group LLC and Northbrook, Ill.-based Brinshore Development LLC, is the developer for the project. The first building for project would be a four-story building, located at the northeast corner of 15th and Center, with 27 apartments and a small amount of ground floor commercial space that would be occupied by Maures Development Group. The second building would be located at the southwest corner of Teutonia and Hadley and would have 6 townhomes and 4 flats. The $10 million project would be financed in part through federal affordable housing tax credits allocated by WHEDA (Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority). Maures Development is owned by developer Melissa Goins. The firm’s most recently project is Teutonia Gardens, a mixed-use affordable housing development located at the northwest corner of Teutonia and Center.

Sara Lee crouton and shred warehouse operation at Pine and Second streets in downtown La Crosse will move to Sparta about May, a company spokeswoman said Tuesday. Warehouse employees will shift to the Sara Lee bakery at 334 Fifth Ave. S. in downtown La Crosse, spokeswoman Alissa Bolton said. The bakery has about 60 employees and will continue to make croutons and shred for stuffing. Bolton declined additional comment.Warehousing of croutons and shred from the local bakery will be taken over by Specialty Food Distribution Co. LLC, which plans to move next spring from the North Side of La Crosse to a 128,000-square-foot distribution center being built in Sparta’s East Side Business Park near the Interstate 90/Hwy. 16 interchange. Specialty Food mainly sells food to non-traditional grocery accounts, such as Sara Lee thrift stores nationwide, Menards and Pamida stores. It also supplies some independent grocers. Cliff LeCleir, who bought the warehouse at 215 Pine St. in 2007, said Sara Lee notified him about Thanksgiving it would not renew its lease when it expires May 31. For the near future, he will look for another tenant to fill the building.

Designed and built to achieve LEED Gold Certification through the U.S. Green Building Council, the 260,000-square-foot property, 901 K Street, fills a unique, triangular-shaped space in Washington, D.C.'s office landscape, both in its design and location. The 12-story, $60 million dollar development designed by SmithGroup met its daylighting and energy-efficiency objectives, aided by Wausau Window and Wall Systems. The project and its team were recognized on December 11, as part of Mid-Atlantic Construction magazine's "Best of 2009" office building awards. Occupants began moving in this autumn, less than a year after the building's curtainwall installation began. "In a tough economy, property owners are doing all they can to attract and retain occupants. In a world of diminishing natural resources and global climate change, building owners also are constructing and managing their properties with environmentally-friendly practices," says Kevin Robbins, Wausau's regional sales manager. "Carr Properties has addressed all of these issues with 901 K Street.

With the real estate market still depressed, bargain hunters have been landing some great deals. Take the state of Wisconsin, which is seizing the opportunity to add 400 acres to the scenic Baraboo Hills recreation area in Sauk County at less than half its appraised value. In a transaction up for approval Monday before the Natural Resources Board, the Department of Natural Resources will pay $776,000 - about $1,940 per acre - to acquire the land from the Aldo Leopold Foundation. That figure is well under two independent appraisals done earlier this year which put the value of the property at $1.11 million and $1.67 million, respectively. The property sits about three miles northeast of Devil's Lake State Park and is also considered a key parcel for the Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

G ov. Jim Doyle said Wednesday that the United States should move forward with federal cap-and-trade legislation if international climate negotiators meeting in Denmark are unable to reach agreement on it. During the teleconference from Copenhagen, where he is attending the world climate talks, Doyle said that coal-dependent states like Wisconsin would need a phase-in period to meet limits on carbon emissions such as those included in a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June. Here's environment writer Lee Bergquist's story on this, from JSOnline.

Wisconsin's unemployment rate improved a bit in November, dropping to 8.2%, the State Department of Workforce Development reported Thursday. The seasonally adjusted figure, while significantly above the 5.4% rate of a year ago, was down from 8.4% in October and has fallen from the current-recession peak of 9.0% in June and July. At the same time, Wisconsin continued to lose jobs - not a good sign. Employers across the state shed an estimated 9,800 non-farm jobs last month. Since the recession began in December 2007, Wisconsin has lost about 145,000 jobs, or roughly 5% of the state's employment base. Worse still, a disproportionate share of the loss has come in manufacturing, which tends to pay higher wages than most other sectors of the economy. Some 60,000 of the jobs cut - more than 40% of the total - have been in manufacturing. The sector now accounts for about 16% of Wisconsin's job base. The unemployment rate can improve while jobs are being lost in part because of the way the figures are calculated. The government counts as unemployed those who say in household surveys that they have no job but are actively seeking one. That leaves out people who have given up looking or taken part-time work to get by or even left the state to try their luck elsewhere.

Two Kenosha home builders have settled claims that they violated state environmental protection laws at construction sites in Pleasant Prairie and Fredonia, the Attorney General's office announced Thursday. Two Kenosha home builders have settled claims that they violated state environmental protection laws at construction sites in Pleasant Prairie and Fredonia, the Attorney General's office announced Thursday. Regency Hills Development Corp. and JJD Mastercraft Builders Inc. will pay $30,000 in forfeitures, costs and fees in the Pleasant Prairie case, while Regency Hills will pay $200,000 in forfeitures, costs and fees in the Fredonia case. The firms were charged with doing excavation work without the proper erosion control best management practices required by the permits and state regulations. In Fredonia, that resulted in the discharge of sediments into Sauk Creek, Fredonia Creek and adjacent wetlands. The violations took place in late 2006 and early 2007 at a development site known as Village Green, west of Highway 57. In Pleasant Prairie, the work resulted in the discharge of sediments into Jerome Creek. The violations occurred in 2005 at a development site known as Creekside Crossing, east of Old Green Bay Road.

Gov. Jim Doyle said that the United States should move forward with federal cap-and-trade legislation if international climate negotiators meeting in Denmark are unable to reach agreement on it. In a teleconference from Copenhagen where he is attending the world climate talks, Doyle said that coal-dependent states such as Wisconsin would need a phase-in period to meet limits on carbon emissions such as those included in a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in June. Doyle suggested a period of about 15 years in which states such as Wisconsin would cut emissions below targeted levels without penalty. Doyle said Wisconsin has identified about 15 companies that emit 25,000 metric tons or more yearly of greenhouse gases that would be affected. The House bill calls for a reduction of carbon emissions of 17% by 2020 from 2005 levels. By 2050, emissions must be reduced by 80% or more. A report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in October concluded that Midwestern utilities, which rely more on coal as a source of power than utilities on the East and West coasts, would be penalized more than other states.

Three separate proposals for senior apartments, totaling 235 units, are moving forward in Greenfield, reports Dave Fidlin in this article at Greenfield Now.com. The largest project would be a 150-unit facility, at S. 96th St. and W. Cold Spring Road.

An Illinois chemical distributor plans to buy a vacant building in Pleasant Prairie's LakeView Corporate Park, and hopes to move there by March--bringing up to 125 jobs. Emco Chemical Distributors Inc. has a contract to buy the 259,580-square-foot building, at 8601 95th St., said Edward Polen, president. Emco hopes to complete its purchase in the next month or two, pending an environmental inspection and other contingencies, he said Thursday. "There's still a lot of Ts to be crossed and Is to be dotted," Polen said. The Pleasant Prairie Plan Commission earlier this week approved Emco's plans for the building. Both Lawter International and Hexion Specialty Chemicals formerly occupied the property, which is specially outfitted for chemical operations, said Jean Werbie-Harris, Pleasant Prairie community development director. Hexion shut down its operation in September, she said. Emco, based in North Chicago, Ill., will use the property to receive, store, repackage and distribute chemicals for industries throughout the upper Great Lakes states. The company's larger customers include Rust-Oleum, Exxon, Sherwin-Williams, Benjamin Moore & Co., PPG Industries and Valspar.

The city Redevelopment Authority has completed its $3.5 million purchase of 84 acres of the former Tower Automotive Inc. site, on Milwaukee's north side. The purchase was authorized by the Common Council and Mayor Tom Barrett with their approval earlier this year of a $35 million redevelopment plan for the site. Dickman Co. was the broker, representing the seller, an investment group led by demolition contractor Jerry Blomberg. The purchase "is a significant first step in a lengthy and challenging redevelopment project," Barrett said, in a statement. Barrett said the city's goal is to design the business park, to be named Century City, "as an economic anchor in the 30th Street Industrial Corridor, returning jobs and opportunity to Milwaukee's central city. We are eager to get to work." Some say Century City has the potential to be another Menomonee Valley Industrial Center, which the city created on a former railyard. But the valley site has some big advantages over the Tower site, most notably its closeness to Interstate 94.

The slowdown in development of apartments financed with federal tax credits can be tied directly to the declining demand from investors for those tax credits. The credits are given to developers that agree to rent apartments at below-market rates to moderate-income people. In Wisconsin, they're allocated through a competitive process overseen by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority. But just obtaining the credits isn't enough. Developers need to sell the credits to raise their equity financing, so they can then obtain bank loans to complete their financing packages. Because of the recession, companies are earning fewer profits--so they have lower tax bills. That makes the credits less attractive to investors. As a result, credits that were selling for around 90 cents on the dollar two years ago, and 75 cents on the dollar one year ago, are today fetching only around 60 cents on the dollar. That's according to Craig Kammholz, of the Milwaukee Comptroller's Office, who spoke at a Tuesday meeting of the Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee. The committee recommended approval for a $600,000 city loan for the $8.7 million Franklin Square apartments.

A pair of city loans were recommended today for a north side apartment development, and a neighborhood retail center on S. 27th St. The Common Council's Zoning, Neighborhoods and Development Committee unanimously recommended approval for a $600,000 loan for the $8.7 million Franklin Square apartments. The 37-unit development is planned for a block bordered by N. Teutonia Ave., N. 15th St., W. Center St. and W. Hadley St. It would be developed by Marues Development Group LLC of Milwaukee, and Brinshore Development LLC of Northbrook, Ill. The committee also approved a $500,000 loan for a $5.5 million, 30,000-square-foor retail center that is proposed by Endeavour Corp. for the former site of Foster Pontiac, 3636 S. 27th St. The Franklin Square loan vote came after a lengthy discussion among the aldermen and others about the fees that the developers will collect for the project. I'll have more details later at JSOnline.com, and in Wednesday's Journal Sentinel.

By now, you might have read the column my colleague Daniel Bice wrote regarding the controversy over plans to create a downtown Milwaukee campus for Everest College, a for-profit college. Developer Dan Druml is renovating buildings in an area bordered by W. McKinley Ave., W. Vliet St., N. 6th St. and N. 8th St. to create a campus for Everest, which is owned by Santa Ana, Calif.-based Corinthian Colleges Inc. The Redevelopment Authority recently approved an $11 million bond issue to help finance the building renovations for Everest, which will offer vocational courses. Druml's investment group is responsible for repaying the debt to the bond purchasers. The bonds will be issued in the name of the Redevelopment Authority, which gives the bonds tax-exempt status. That allows Druml to pay a lower interest rateto the investors who buy the bonds. The development was headed to the Board of Zoning Appeals for what appeared to be routine approval on a special use permit. But Ald. Milele Coggs, whose district includes the site, asked the board to delay acting so she could review the proposal, said Kari Egerstrom Collins, board secretary.

A development firm that sued the Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals has changed its disputed proposal for an east side condominium development, winning board approval. DV Residential LLC proposed the two units for 1679 N. Humboldt Ave., where the firm has already built two similar condos. The board in 2007 granted the firm permission to build four units in two buildings at that location. Both buildings were to use a rear alley for their garages. After the first building was completed, DV Residential realized there wasn’t enough room for the second building to use the alley for garage access. The firm changed its plans for the second building to have the garage access provided by a driveway onto Humboldt Ave. That plan was approved in October 2008 by Department of City Development officials. Nearby neighbors later objected, saying a garage facing the street would be unsightly; eliminate on-street parking spaces, and create unsafe conditions for people walking past the garage.

Ruvin Development Inc.'s option on a county-owned parcel in the Park East area, where Ruvin and Dallas-based Gatehouse Capital Corp. had once hoped to develop a hotel and condos, has expired. That's according to a recent update on pending property sales by Milwaukee County. Ruvin is not renewing the option, and the county will retain an option fee of $115,000 for the parcel, bordered by N. Old World 3rd and N. 4th streets, and W. Juneau and W. McKinley avenues. The only building on the block is the Sydney Hih. The building initially was to be demolished to make way for the Kimpton Palomar Hotel and condos project. But Dallas-based Gatehouse Capital Corp. dropped those plans in January. Gatehouse was the main developer on the Kimpton project, and joined forces with Ruvin Development, which bought the Sydney Hih in 2005 for $600,000. However, those two firms are now in a legal dispute over the failed Palomar development. Robert Ruvin told me he continues to work plans to convert the Sydney Hih into offices, apartments and retail space.

New tax breaks are being proposed by the Obama administration to boost manufacturing of wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles. Continuing the administration’s clean-energy political push Wednesday, Vice President Joe Biden said an earlier round of tax credits was an “overwhelming success,” with more qualified applicants than expected. The federal stimulus plan included a $2.3 billion tax credit, providing a 30% tax credit for new or expanded factories that make clean-energy components. Here’s what the Associated Press is reporting on the White House proposal. The administration is moving aggressively to support clean-energy technology development, in part because of its commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and in part to boost job creation. In Wisconsin, the state has earmarked $55 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in low-interest loans for manufacturers. Several projects under the program were announced last week. More details about the low-interest loans are here.

In the middle of an economic recession, one developer finds a way to bring success to the local business community. T. Wall Properties has completed a new three-story, 45,000 square foot office building in the American Center on Madisons east side. The new building, estimated at $5.2 million including land and construction, will bear the Johnson Bank name. The bank will occupy the first floor in January 2010, and Horizon Construction Group, Inc. is leasing the third floor with plans to occupy in December 2009.

The Gobbler Supper Club, a long-time turkey-themed restaurant in Johnson Creek that's been closed for years, is being put on the auction block. According to an announcement from auctioneer Ray Miller, of Miller Land and Livestock, "this 16,544 square-foot building on up to nine acres includes a revolving bar, restaurant and banquet facility that seats 350 patrons." Still not enticed? The statement also mentions "the circular sloped roof designed to look like an abstract turkey" and the entry hall that includes 1,500 square feet of petrified wood. The auction will be held on-site on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 10 a.m.

With miles of aging and break-prone pipes, old wells to replace or filter, and decreasing water sales, it’s not difficult to understand the financial bind faced by the Madison Water Utility. But Tom Heikkinen, the utility’s general manager, said a proposed 22 percent increase in water rates will go a long way toward putting the utility on more sound financial footing. A hearing on the rate increase request is scheduled for 10 a.m. Tuesday before the state Public Service Commission, which has the final say on the plan. The hearing will be at the PSC office building, 610 N. Whitney Way, on Madison’s West Side. Under the proposed increase, the average residential customer’s six-month bill would increase by about $19.76, or about $3.30 a month. The increase applies only to the water usage and public fire protection charges on residents’ municipal services bills. Other charges for sewer, storm water and landfill remediation will not be affected.

This report highlights the findings of the 2009 First Business Economic Survey of Dane County, which was conducted by the University of Wisconsin’s A.C. Nielsen Center for Marketing Research in September and October of 2009. This was the seventh year for the study. The survey was sent to 4,568 businesses in Dane County that were reported to have five or more employees and was addressed to the CEO, CFO, President, and/or business owner. The survey asked respondents to evaluate the current, and predict the future performance of their business on eight key economic indicators in each of the following areas: Sales Revenue, Profitability, Total Operating Costs as a % of Revenue, Capital Expenditures, Number of Employees, Overall Wage Change, Change in Pricing, and Operating Capacity. This year, as in past years, the survey also asked questions pertaining to changes in expenses. We also asked business owners their projections on the potential effect of the newly proposed legislature regarding healthcare reform, which during the timing of the survey was not finalized in any form.

The financial difficulties of the Genesis Enterprise Center, a business incubator located on Madison's south side, were the subject of a February 2008 article published in IB. In that article, some tenants complained about substandard tenant service and about the responsiveness and management of former Executive Director Richard Harris and former Facility Director Richard Brown. The article, which noted that GEC reported a loss of nearly $235,000 in 2005, charged that Harris was spending too much of the facility's revenue on management and too little on tenant services. Due to monthly interest charges assessed by Dane County, the financially troubled Genesis now owes $107,247 in property taxes for 2007 and 2008, according to Dane County Treasurer David Worzala, and that figure is likely to exceed $160,000 when the 2009 property tax bill is added this month.

The stage is worn from the comedy team of George Burns and Gracie Allen, a presidential candidate by the name of John F. Kennedy and thousands of area children who have danced and acted on its maple slats. Bing Crosby has played here as have performers from Big Top Chautauqua. There even have been a few weddings. But the Mineral Point Opera House's biggest production started in May. The directors can't wait for April, when it'll be over. That's when the finishing touches of a $2.25 million renovation are scheduled for completion and the doors will reopen on the 386-seat opera house that had its first show in 1915. "I didn't want to lose this," said Phil Mrozinski, president of Mineral Point Opera House Inc., which leases the facility from the city for $1 a year. "It has so many stories." Without the renovation, the opera house, 139 High St., would have been forced to close because it didn't have a fire sprinkler system. That led to the formation in 2008 of a 12-member ad hoc committee to study options, which resulted in the full-blown renovation. About 80 percent of the work in the $1.5 million first phase isn't visible and includes piping for the sprinklers and new electrical, heating and cooling systems.

Architects unveiled their final concept design Dec. 2 at the third of three public information sessions on Fitchburg's $14 million public library. It is a mix of elements of the three designs the company presented at the second meeting, in November - a prairie-style two-story building with a low-slope (essentially flat) roof flat-roof and large, prairie-style windows facing both the street and the adjacent City Hall. While there might be a few tweaks as the process goes on, the design of the building is essentially set, Engberg Anderson architect Alex Ramsey explained at the meeting at City Hall, which mirrored a similar meeting on the west side of the city earlier in the night. "We're going with this concept design to the City Council with this plan next week, and if they approve this we are going to be moving into design development," Ramsey said. "And that's where we really get into the nitty-gritty functioning of the plan, to make sure we have the program fully represented, that we have all the spaces that we need."

Residents of the city, along with city staff and elected officials put their heads together Dec. 2 to begin the process of rewriting the city's zoning code. The project is part of a larger effort to develop a long-term plan for community development. It will include a five-day public process in February called a charrette. Representatives from PlaceMakers, a consulting firm, led 35 attendees in a few exercises to help explore what the city needs in the future. Jennifer Hurley said the point of the meeting was to start seeing what residents wanted to see happen and that it would be important for people to have conversations with their neighbors. The first workshop exercise was for residents to look over a variety of images of properties in the city, as well as some in other areas. The consultants then asked participants to choose what images represent the city and why and which ones did not represent the city. In a second exercise, participants listed cities or towns that have the kind of development they'd like to see in Fitchburg.

The Nitty Gritty may soon be marking a milestone that isn’t a birthday. Plans are under way for the longtime downtown bar and restaurant to change ownership, pending approval of an alcohol license transfer and finalizing the sale. The target date for the new owners to take over is Dec. 31. Marsh Shapiro, who has owned the business since 1968, plans to sell to two of its managers. Lee Pier, Shapiro’s son-in-law, is general manager of the downtown Nitty Gritty. Eric Suemnicht is assistant general manager. “This was always the plan, for us to buy the Downtown location from him,” Suemnicht said. “It’s just taken a while. I guess good things come to those who wait.”Shapiro, 71, opened the Nitty Gritty as a live music venue. Since 1985, it has carved a niche as a place for birthday celebrations. With its 223 N. Frances St. location one block from the Kohl Center, it’s also a convenient stop before and after Badgers sporting events.

Governor Jim Doyle recently announced that the New North, Inc.would receive a $100,000 Regional Marketing grant from the Wisconsin Department of Commerce to help the organization promote Northeast Wisconsin’s wind energy industry. “This grant is a great investment in the New North and in the state’s economy as a whole,” said Jerry Murphy, Executive Director of the New North, Inc. “The wind energy industry is one of our organization’s targeted industry clusters, and we look forward to continuing our efforts to promote our region as the premier location for engineering, component development and production, project management, and worker training related to this industry.” The New North helped establish Wisconsin Wind Works, a consortium of manufacturers representing the wind manufacturing supply chain within Wisconsin.

The chief economist for the National Association of Realtors said Thursday he expects "modest" price increases for homes by the middle of next year. Lawrence Yun, addressing members of the Wisconsin Realtors Association, said federal tax credits that last through mid-2010 will lure potential buyers who have been holding off entering the market. That, and a recovering economy, should help stabilize prices, he said. Yun, in an interview before his remarks to Realtors at the Country Springs Hotel and Conference Center, said he believes the spring buying season will be very strong nationwide as first-time buyers take advantage of a tax credit of up to $8,000 and previous homeowners are drawn into the market by a tax credit of as much as $6,500. The tax credits are for home sales that close by June 30 of next year. "I think at that point we really will have stable prices, and in fact, some modest price increases," Yun said.

Nine Wisconsin companies including Briggs & Stratton Corp. and Kohler Co. will receive $14.5 million in energy efficiency fencing through the federal stimulus package. Gov. Jim Doyle announced the moves during an appearance at Kohler Co. The money is funded through the state Focus on Energy program, after the state won the funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. The announcement was the second made Thursday by Doyle concerning energy efficiency and green jobs for state manufacturers. The companies receiving funds include Briggs & Stratton Corp., Wauwatosa, $1.29 million; Didion Milling Inc. of Cambria, $5.59 million, Domtar Paper, Rothschild, $870,500; Kohler Co., $1.72 million; NewPage, Wisconsin Rapids, $495,000; Quad/Graphics, Sussex, $868,466; Thilmany Paper, Kaukauna, $1.07 million; and Wausau Paper Specialty Products, which will receive $706,968 for its Mosinee mill and $1.97 million for its Rhinelander paper mill. Thursday’s announcement detailed how the $14.5 million earmarked for Wisconsin – and announced by DOE last month – will be allocated.

The failed attempt to build a coal-fired power plant in southwestern Wisconsin hit Alliant Energy Corp. again Wednesday, when the company said it would record a charge of 10 cents to 15 cents per share in the fourth quarter. The charge was announced as a result of a decision by the state Public Service Commission to reject some of the costs spent on the planning for the $1.3 billion project by Wisconsin Power & Light Co., an Alliant subsidiary. Regulators sided with the Citizens' Utility Board, a customer group, which contended that Alliant customers shouldn't have to bear the costs of the aborted project. Alliant was seeking approval to recover $22 million in costs from customers over the next year. In a decision that the Public Service Commission is expected to finalize soon, Alliant won't be allowed to recoup most of those costs from customers. The commission denied all costs spent after the cost of the project soared in June 2008.

The struggling Drexel Interiors business on W. Blue Mound Rd. in Brookfield has been sold to Campbellsport Building Supply. The transaction, which will be completed next week, saves the store and the jobs of the staff there. Joel Fleischman, president of Campbellsport Building Supply, will keep the store open under the Drexel name, under the same managers. Another Drexel store, on S. 27th St., closed at the end of November. The Drexel stores have been part of Home Valu Interiors, a chain of home decorating stores based in Minneapolis, since 1979. Drexel started in Milwaukee in the 1950s. Home Valu was founded in 1963 by Rudy Boschwitz, a former U.S. senator from Minneapolis. The Home Valu stores in the Twin Cities are not part of the sale to Campbellsport. Managers at the Drexel store on Blue Mound Rd. had hoped to buy the business, but couldn't get financing for the effort, Fleischman confirmed. The agreement between Campbellsport Building Supply and the Boschwitz family was reached very quickly, Fleischman said.

My colleague Steven Schultze, who covers Milwaukee County government, had a story this morning about concerns some County Board members have regarding University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's development plan at the County Grounds. The board voted in May to sell 89 acres, east of Highway 45 and north of Watertown Plank Road, to an affiliate of the UWM Foundation for $13.55 million. UWM plans to develop a science research center and business park, but some of the land is to be reserved for a wildlife habitat. I blogged yesterday about changes some environmentalists want to see in that habitat plan.

Toldt Development's plan to build over 400 apartments and condominiums on Wauwatosa's west side, at a former dump site, and HSI Residential's proposal for over 150 apartments at W. 62nd St. and Martin Drive, the former Derse Co. site, are moving forward. Stefanie Scott, of Wauwatosa Now.com, has the details.

A Common Council committee is supporting a proposal to rebuild S. 2nd St. by narrowing the road and adding bike lanes, trees and other amenities, which supporters say will help attract more development. The plan is to rebuild S. 2nd St. from National Ave. to just south of St. Paul Ave., my colleague Georgia Pabst is reporting.

Construction of a new downtown office tower is expected to happen in "the near future," broker Dan Wroblewski, Inland Cos. vice president, said at this morning's 2009 Commercial Real Estate Market Update. Wroblewski, speaking to around 300 people at the Italian Community Center, said there is pent-up demand for high-end office space downtown. He was among the speakers at the update, which was presented by the Wisconsin chapter of NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association and the Commercial Association of Realtors Wisconsin. Wroblewski told me after the event that there are suburban tenants looking to move downtown, as well as downtown tenants that are planning to expand operations. That increased demand will drive the construction of a new tower, probably with around 200,000 square feet, he said. Among tenants that have been looking to either move downtown or expand downtown are accounting firm Baker Tilly, engineering firm CH2M Hill and law firm Godfrey & Kahn, Wroblewski said. I'll have more highlights from the event later at JSOnline.com, and in Friday's Journal Sentinel.

A Common Council committee recommended Tuesday that the council approve Mount Tosa, a complex of apartments and condominiums on a former landfill site that is projected to eventually be worth more than $50 million. The council vote will be next Tuesday. Toldt Development Inc. of Brookfield plans to build 427 residential units, to include conventional apartments, apartments for senior citizens and condominiums, on an 18-acre site at N. 113th St. and W. Walnut Road. The former landfill site is currently part of the city's public works yard. Toldt would begin construction, to be done in four phases, next spring and finish by July 2016. The purchase price for the land is $1.06 million. Toldt, however, would be credited $431,365 toward the cost of subsoil stabilization that will be needed to support the buildings, so the net cost would be about $627,000. Toldt was among several developers that submitted proposals to Wauwatosa officials in 2002, when the property was offered for sale. The Toldt proposal was delayed as city officials first considered other projects, including a sports complex and a light-industrial building.

It's appearing less likely that the proposed Bookends North apartment high-rise will be joining the Moderne project on downtown Milwaukee's skyline. Nine Wisconsin companies including Briggs & Stratton Corp. and Kohler Co. will receive $14.5 million in energy efficiency fencing through the federal stimulus package.Gov. Jim Doyle announced the moves during an appearance at Kohler Co. The money is funded through the state Focus on Energy program, after the state won the funding from the U.S. Department of Energy.

It was just over a year ago when the Journal Sentinel reported that Ipic Entertainment LLC, the operator of the Ipic Entertainment Center at Bayshore Town Center, was being sued by its general contractor for $3 million. Boston-based Shawmut Design & Construction Inc . filed the suit in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, claiming it was owed the money for work it did on Ipic, which includes a movie theater, bowling alley, restaurant and nightclub. But that suit was settled, with the case dismissed on Nov. 6. And Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Ipic is now planning to expand the Bayshore complex. The Glendale Community Development Authority on Tuesday night approved an increase in theater seating, from 430 to 487. Ipic opened two years ago.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's preliminary $50 million plan to develop its new School of Freshwater Sciences now calls for a three-story addition to UWM's Great Lakes WATER Institute. That's according to a funding request that the UW System Board of Regents is to review at meetings on Thursday and Friday. The 125,000-square-foot addition would be built on university land just west of the 90,000-square-foot institute, 600 E. Greenfield Ave. The proposal also calls for renovations to the existing institute building, a former tile factory that overlooks the harbor. Despite the proposal's details, which include a description of the addition housing research labs and meeting rooms, this is not a final indication that the freshwater school will have its headquarters on Greenfield Ave., said Tom Luljak, UWM vice chancellor of university relations.A final decision depends on the outcome of ongoing negotiations between university and Department of City Development officials regarding the "environmental issues" near the institute, Luljak said.

Bishop's Creek Community Development Corp. is planning the second phase of its project at the former Kaiser tannery site, at the southwest corner of W. Hampton Ave. and N. 32nd St. The non-profit developer, an affiliate of Holy Redeemer Institutional Church of God in Christ, is seeking Plan Commission approval for a proposed 40-bed student dormitory. It would be part of the nearby Holy Redeemer Christian Academy, 3500 W. Mother Daniels Way. The dorm would be created by renovating a five-story, 23,875-square-foot brick building, according to information submitted to the Department of City Development. The commission is to review the plan at its Monday meeting. Construction continues on the project's first phase: a 55-unit apartment building developed by Bishop's Creek Family Housing LLC, an affiliate of St. Paul-based developer CommonBond Communities. The $10.3 million project received $849,293 in federal affordable housing tax credits. In return for those credits, the apartments will be leased at below-market rates to moderate-income families. The apartment project also is receiving $1.1 million in city funds that will be repaid through the development's property taxes, and a $250,000 city grant.

Officials in the Milwaukee office of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will not change their earlier decision to decline a request for a loan guarantee that would finance the proposed Bookends North apartment high-rise. Sheila Ashley, of the local HUD office, just told me the news. She said department officials remain convinced that the market data doesn't support the construction of two apartment high-rises in downtown Milwaukee at the same time. I have called Tim Gokhman, of development firm New Land Enterprises, to see if New Land, and its partner, Wiechmann Enterprises, will appeal that decision to an agency official in Minneapolis. I haven't heard back from Gokhman yet. HUD officials, in September, granted preliminary approval for a construction loan guarantee for developer Rick Barrett's Moderne project.. When that approval was granted, the Bookends North application had not yet been submitted to HUD. The Moderne, which will have 203 apartments and 14 condos, is being financed primarily with a $41.4 million loan from the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, guaranteed by HUD. The Common Council on Nov. 3 approved $9.3 million in city loans for the Moderne, which also is getting $4.3 million in equity financing from Barrett and his partners.

Yaskawa Electric America Inc. has expanded its lease at Opus North Corp.’s Oakwood I building in the Oakwood Crossings Business Center, Opus said today. Yaskawa, which last year signed a lease for 107,152 square feet , has now added 32,574 square feet at Oakwood Crossings, west of Howell Ave. and north of Oakwood Road, in Oak Creek. The company now fully occupies the building.

A proposed wildlife habitat at the County Grounds, where University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee also plans to develop a science research facility and business park, will be reviewed by the County Board's Committee on Economic and Community Development on Dec. 15. The wildlife habitat includes a plan to protect the migration grounds for monarch butterflies. The committee reviewed the plan on Monday, but delayed acting at the request of conservationists. They want to see changes in the plan, including providing temporary public access to the migration area during construction activity by UWM. University officials are willing to make the changes, said David Gilbert, UMW Foundation president. But the university hopes to see the committee approve the plan at next week's meeting, which begins at 9 a.m. at the Courthouse. The habitat plans needs approval so UWM can submit its overall master plan for the County Grounds to Wauwatosa officials for their zoning review process, Gilbert said. UWM is supposed to complete its purchase of the county-owned property by April 30.

An ordinance that requires apartments buildings near University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and in the Lindsay Heights area, to be certified by city building inspectors before they can be rented might face a court challenge. The Apartment Association of Southeastern Wisconsin Inc. is urging Mayor Tom Barrett to veto the ordinance, which the Common Council last week passed on a 9-5 vote. The inspection will cost $85 per unit, with the certification lasting four years if no major code violations are found. If such violations are found during the initial check, the buildings will need annual inspections. The association says proposed inspection standards are not incorporated in the ordinance; are not required to be legally posted; can not be appealed, and can change at the will of the commissioner of the Department of Neighborhood Services, who oversees building inspectors. “This could not withstand legal scrutiny,” said Matt Lerner, the association's attorney, in a letter to the City Attorney's office. "The commissioner cannot legally review his own orders and decisions.”

Developer Rich Curto's long-delayed plans to build apartments on a Park East lot, purchased two years ago from Milwaukee County, won approval for an extension from a County Board committee this morning. The Committee on Economic and Community Development voted 6-0 to give Curto's firm, Chicago-based RSC & Associates LLC, until May 31 to begin building the project, known as Park East Square. RSC's deadline to begin expired Nov. 30. As part of the agreement, which needs full board approval, RSC will pay $25,000 to the county for missing a project deadline. RSC bought the the 2-acre site, bordered by N. Milwaukee, N. Jefferson and E. Lyon streets and E. Ogden Ave., from Milwaukee County in December 2007. RSC paid $2,725,000 for the lot, the only Park East parcel sold by the county so far. RSC originally planned to first build two hotels on the site, followed by apartments. But banks nationwide have largely stopped making loans for hotels, Curto said. So, the firm now wants to build a $30 million apartment project, with 121 units, with the hotels to be built later. Curto plans to finance the apartments with tax-exempt bonds that would be issued by the city Redevelopment Authority. RSC would sell bonds to investors, and be responsible for paying back that debt. The bonds, sold under the authority's name, would be tax-exempt, which allows RSC to borrow the money at a lower interest rate.

I recently got a tour of the new downtown Aloft Hotel, which opens Dec. 17, at 1230 N. Old World 3rd St., just north of W. Juneau Ave., overlooking the Milwaukee River. The 160-room Aloft, the first new hotel to be built in downtown Milwaukee since 2001, is the chain's first entry in southeastern Wisconsin. It will cater mainly to business travelers by offering an upscale place to stay that's less expensive than downtown's pricier hotels. I will be writing a lot more in an upcoming edition of the Journal Sentinel, and at JSOnline.com. But, to sum it up, I'd say: nice rooms, but they're a bit smaller than the rooms found at many upscale hotels. The lobby area is the hotel's showpiece, dominated by a large lounge area, featuring a bar, pool table, local art and fireplace. During warmer months, that scene will extend to the outdoor courtyard, which attaches to a publicly accessible riverwalk.

Foreclosures fell month-over-month but are still up nearly 20% compared with a year ago. Plus, Las Vegas wasn't the worst-hit city in November. Foreclosure filings fell by 8% in November, making it the fourth consecutive month of improvement in the housing market. There were 306,627 filings last month, according to RealtyTrac, an online marketer of foreclosed properties. That decline follows a 3% drop in October, 4% in September and 1% in August. "Loan modifications and other foreclosure prevention efforts, along with the recently extended and expanded homebuyer tax credit, are keeping a lid on the most visible symptoms of the nation's ailing housing market -- foreclosures and home value depreciation," RealtyTrac CEO James Saccacio said in a prepared statement.

Wausau Homes is completing an 18-month downsizing that included cutting about 700 jobs and shuttering facilities across the country as the national recession ravaged the housing industry. Wausau Homes is completing an 18-month downsizing that included cutting about 700 jobs and shuttering facilities across the country as the national recession ravaged the housing industry. Jay Schuette, who owns the company with his brother Tom Schuette, described the company's new direction Wednesday in a Wausau Daily Herald interview. He said the prefabricated home manufacturer -- tight-lipped about the scope of its job cuts until now -- had to re-create itself after the 2007 death of company founder Marv Schuette.

An investment group that had planned to open a Hofbrauhaus restaurant and tavern at the former Pabst brewery visitors center is now considering other locations at the former brewery. That's the word just a few minutes ago from Jim Haertel, whose investment group owns the building. He told me he learned last week that the Hofbräuhaus operators, Cincinnati Restaurant Group Inc., had dropped plans to lease the former Pabst visitors center, including Blue Ribbon Hall. Haertel also told me the restaurant investors, who operate a Hofbräuhaus in Newport, Ky., under license from the famous beer hall of the same name in Munich, Germany, were looking at other locations in Milwaukee. Haertel said he believes the former Pabst brew house and adjacent mill house, owned by real estate investor Joseph Zilber, is now the preferred location for the Hofbrauhaus.

WPPI Energy Corp. would pay $18.2 million to buy electric facilities from the city of Menasha in an attempt to help pay investors in the troubled Menasha steam utility. Under the proposal, WPPI Energy would buy the distribution assets - essentially, the poles and wires - of Menasha's municipal electric utility, along with Menasha Utilities' shares in the American Transmission Co. WPPI Energy supplies power to Menasha and other 50 cities that own utilities. The Sun Prairie public power company and Menasha filed applications Tuesday with the state Public Service Commission and state Department of Revenue seeking approval of the deal. As my colleague Rick Romell reported earlier this fall, Menasha's utility defaulted Sept. 1 on more than $24 million in debt - a rare instance of default by a government or a government-owned entity. The default follows the city's failed effort to convert its municipal power plant into a steam-generating operation serving local paper mills. Originally estimated to cost $12.7 million, the project ended up requiring more than $40 million in borrowed funds. But the revenue from steam and electricity sales is not even covering operating costs, let alone providing money to pay off the debt, and the city has decided to shut down the steam-generating operation. Now, Menasha and its utility are being sued by three of the debt holders, who allege the city made misrepresentations in seeking money.

Alliant Energy Corp. said Wednesday it will take a charge of 10 cents to 15 cents a share in the fourth quarter in the wake of decisions by regulators in Wisconsin and Minnesota to deny its utilities the opportunity to recover costs associated with its proposals to build new coal-fired power plants. The state Public Service Commission of Wisconsin and the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission recently made decisions linked to the company’s plans to build new coal plants in Wisconsin and Iowa. The plants were rejected by regulators last year, but Alliant’s utilities were seeking approval to recoup money the company spent on planning and engineering for the projects. The Wisconsin project would have been a $1.3 billion expansion of the company’s Nelson Dewey power plant on the Mississippi River in Cassville.

Roy Thilly, president and chief executive of WPPI Energy, will step down as the public power company’s leader in early 2011.Thilly made the announcement during a meeting of the executive committee of the Sun Prairie company’s board of directors last week, utility spokesman Anne Rodriguez said. Thilly has been president and chief executive of WPPI Energy, formerly known as Wisconsin Public Power Inc., since 1992. He has been active on energy policy issues at the state and federal levels. He co-chaired Gov. Jim Doyle’s task force on global warming and played a leading role in 1990s in moves that led to the formation of a transmission-only power utility to upgrade the state’s energy reliability.

As the first of its two new coal-fired power plants in Oak Creek nears completion, We Energies is exploring the sale of its stake in a 25-year-old coal plant. We Energies is exploring the sale of its stake in the Edgewater coal-fired power plant in Sheboygan, the company said in a regulatory filing. The Milwaukee utility is in negotiations with two companies to sell its 25% ownership stake in the Edgewater coal-fired power plant, built in 1985. Madison-based Wisconsin Power & Light is the majority owner of the plant.

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