Milwaukee

From the Article:

>For the first time in over a year, WISN 12 News cameras were granted rare access Monday inside the former Northridge Mall weeks before a contractor is set to begin demolition. > >The city of Milwaukee acquired the site of the former mall in January 2024 after a judge granted a foreclosure following years of unpaid taxes by U.S. Black Spruce Enterprises, the Chinese-based company that owned the property. > >Since gaining access to the buildings, the city of Milwaukee says they have secured the premises and added 24/7 on-site security. > >This comes after years of vandalism at the property including a string of dangerous arsons in the summer of 2022. > >That vandalism was still on full display Monday. Stores once filled with eager shoppers are now littered with shattered glass, graffiti and broken property. Mold and asbestos cover the floors and walls. > >"It's a real health and safety issue," Benji Timm, a project manager with the Department of City Development said. "It doesn't take long for people to get inside, for Mother Nature to work her magic on a building like this." > >The city says they are now working with Veit, a Minnesota-based contractor to begin asbestos abatement and demolition by late summer. > >Timm says the process will likely take close to a year to complete. The city hopes to have a more concrete timeline in August when they plan to hold a special public meeting. > >In the meantime, the City has launched two websites to provide updates on the project and give community members a chance to weigh in on what they'd like to see built on the property once the former mall is removed.

From the Article:

>The Marcus Performing Arts Center is not ready to sever its relationship with Milwaukee County taxpayers. > >MPAC, the 55-year-old, downtown art center, is reporting that it has spent the last few years spending down its cash reserves as it struggles to bring in revenue. It was supposed to cut financial ties with the county in 2026, but it’s unlikely the organization will be ready to do so. > >MPAC wants to extend its funding agreement with the county. Unfortunately for MPAC, the organization’s plea comes at a time that county policymakers are looking to cut spending on arts and culture. > >Milwaukee County owns the building at 929 N. Water, which is operated by MPAC. The privately-built center opened in 1969 and was deeded to the county, to be held in trust for the public and to support the performing arts. > >In 2015, a plan to transfer ownership of the building from the county to the Wisconsin Center District was added to state legislation financing the new Milwaukee Bucks arena. A year later, the county board finalized a funding agreement with MPAC that stated the county would stop providing funding if ownership was transferred to the district. > >In light of this agreement, MPAC and the county successfully sought a repeal of the state legislation authorizing the ownership transfer.

From the Article:

>Dust off those lawn chairs and pack the cooler. The South Milwaukee Heritage Days Parade will kick off its annual parade at 11 am on Saturday, July 27th. This highly anticipated parade will feature over 150 units marching through the center of South Milwaukee along Milwaukee Avenue, culminating at the Lionsfest grounds on 16th & Rawson Avenue. > >The 2024 Heritage Days Parade promises to be an unforgettable experience – boasting a diverse array of exciting highlights. Attendees can expect a captivating Harley-Davidson prelude, a harmonious crescendo of marching bands, patriotic displays from military, veteran, fire, and police personnel, dance performances, majestic horses, and colorful floats. Bring a bag to collect the candy and swag giveaways!

From the Article:

>The former Llewellyn Library in Bay View is now up for sale for $300,000. > >The 8,234 square-foot building, located at 907 E Russell Ave., used to be the Milwaukee Public Library but was replaced in 1993 by the Bay View Library on Kinnickinnic Ave. > >The former Llewellyn Library, built in 1913 and expanded in 1958, is zoned as RT4 residential. This zoning allows for up single-family to four-unit homes and "commercial establishments commonly found in urban neighborhoods," according to the city zoning code. > >The Milwaukee Department of City Development prefers an adaptive reuse of the building as residential, low-traffic commercial, studio, shop, or art gallery space. > >The former library cannot be used as a "parking lot, pawnshop, cigarette or cigar shop, gun shop, tavern, liquor store, currency exchange, payday or auto-title loan store, medical service facility, daycare facilities," or uses prohibited by zoning according to the Department of Development. > >The selected developer cannot apply for tax exemption and must host an informational neighborhood meeting explaining the new use of the building. > >According to our partners at OnMilwaukee, after the former library closed, it was briefly leased to Milwaukee Public Schools, which used it for Bay View High School's Redcat Academy, a program to "serve at-risk students with a mix of programming that included NJROTC, construction and technical specialty training." > >The building has sat vacant since the Redcat Academy program ended over a decade ago. > >The Milwaukee Department of City Development issued a Request for Proposals for the 17,315 square-foot lot. > >Proposals to buy the building are due by noon on Tuesday, July 30.

From the acrticle:

>The U.S. Secret Service on Friday revealed maps of the security zones for the upcoming Republican National Convention. > >There are two zones that will be located around Fiserv Forum and around Henry Maier Festival Park. The Republican National Convention is scheduled for July 15 through July 18. > >The former includes a vehicle restricted zone with boundaries that stretch north to Cherry Street, south to Clybourn Street, west to Ninth Street and east to the Milwaukee River. This outer vehicle screening perimeter (highlighted in yellow in the maps below) is where vehicles will be screened upon entrance but pedestrians are free to access without screening. > >A pedestrian screening perimeter (highlighted in red in the maps below) will be accessible only to people attending or working the event. > >Pedestrian restricted area enforcement begins Sunday, July 14, at 6 p.m. Vehicle screening perimeter enforcement will begin Monday, July 15, at 2 a.m. > >Only one residential building, 550 Ultra Lofts, is in the pedestrian restricted area. Residents will be permitted to access their homes and parking spaces. > >Commercial and recreational water travel will not be permitted on the Milwaukee River between Cherry and Michigan streets beginning July 14 and running through the early morning hours of July 19.

New train! Very excited

WisDOT released their alternatives for WIS175. Ive linked the website that places to submit feedback.

What are your thoughts on the alternatives?

New vendor announced for Vel R Phillips Plaza

DPW just released plans and renders for the upcoming Michigan St redesign. What are your thoughts?

What are your thoughts on the upcoming RNC?

Pretty exciting to hear! The article particularly spotlighted Lapham Blvd, which saw incredible decreases in speeding.

Construction crane is coming down for 333 water. Feels tantalizingly close to completion

TOMORROW September 28th, 2023 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Location 1: New Hope Missionary Baptist Church at 2433 W. Roosevelt Drive.

Location 2: Ross Innovative Employment Solutions Parking Lot at 7800 W. Brown Deer Road.

Southside Location 3: Basilica of St. Josaphat Parking Lot at 2333 S. 6th Street.

You will meet Recruiters Face to Face! Bring Your Resume and Be Prepared for an Interview. More than 36 employers will be spread out in three locations!

> The operation closed 417 warrants, including 37 for homicide, and removed 103 illegal guns from Milwaukee streets.

This is awesome. Get the criminals and guns off the street and perhaps it will help reduce the number of shootings in Milwaukee every day.

I kind of wonder if they need to film it differently to make this work.

From the article:

> > > Marcus Theatres unveiled new immersive movie theater technology at one of its Wisconsin cinemas. > > > > Marcus Ridge Cinema in New Berlin is the first Marcus Theatres location to debut ScreenX, a 270-degree panoramic viewing experience. Marcus Ridge Cinema's new screen will open Sept. 29 with the film "The Creator." > > > > ScreenX is produced by CJ 4DPLEX. Marcus Theatres already uses CJ 4DPLEX at another theater location. Marcus Gurnee Mills Cinema has a multi-sensory 4DX format screen. > > > > “At CJ 4DPLEX, we are dedicated to pushing the boundaries of cinema and providing moviegoers with unforgettable experiences not available at home,” CJ 4DPLEX America's CEO and president Don Savant said in a press release. “Our ongoing partnership with Marcus Theatres aligns perfectly with this vision, and the opening of the Marcus Ridge Cinema ScreenX auditorium further solidifies our commitment to delivering cutting-edge entertainment.” > > > > ScreenX showcases select sequences of a film on both the left and right-hand sides of the theater auditorium. The Marcus Ridge Cinema location will include 108 recliners and four designated wheelchair spaces. The screen is 45 feet. > > > > “CJ 4DPLEX has been an exceptional partner for us, and we are delighted to expand our collaboration with the introduction of ScreenX at our Marcus Ridge Cinema location,” The Marcus Corp. president, CEO and chairman Greg Marcus said in the release. “This addition allows us to bring the magic of ScreenX technology to our Marcus Theatres guests, enhancing their movie-watching experience with 270-degree, panoramic views.” > > > > Marcus Theatres, the fourth largest movie theater circuit in the country, is a division of Milwaukee-based The Marcus Corp. (NYSE: MCS). It has 79 locations in 17 states. > >

> The agency exists in a regulatory gray area. It is not a city agency, although the city appoints its board of commissioners. It's not federal, either — but it receives tens of millions of dollars in federal funding every year, and those funds come with additional rules and oversight.

> At times, even elected officials and bureaucrats aren't sure who's supposed to be watching the housing authority or responding to tenants' maintenance complaints.

It's amazing that no one figured out what was going on until now.

> On Monday, he and other council members will consider a proposed ordinance that would order DNS to investigate tenants' code violation complaints — as they would with private landlords.

FINALLY -- the housing authority isn't "exempt" from oversight.

Dear Neighbor:

I am looking for young leaders ages 14-18 to serve our district and area on the City of Milwaukee Youth Council, a representative body that serves and advances the interests of city youth. The Youth Council members represent young people in their aldermanic districts, and meet with leaders like the Mayor, Common Council members, School Superintendent, business owners, and community groups to advocate for issues relevant to youth. The body is comprised of 17 members, one from each of the 15 aldermanic districts and two at-large members.

This is an outstanding opportunity to serve and to learn. Serving as a member of the Youth Council provides the opportunity and platform to advocate for issues important to city youth, their peers, families and the wider community. The Youth Council is responsible for an annual allocation of Community Development Block Grant funding, and has previously worked to address reckless driving, vehicle thefts, social media responsibility and more.

Youth Council members must live in the City of Milwaukee, and be between the ages of 14-18 with the time, energy, and passion to work for change. If you are interested in becoming a Youth Council member – or know someone who is a great candidate, please contact my office at your earliest convenience at 414-286-3870 or via email at Lamont.Westmoreland@milwaukee.gov.

Those interested can also learn more and apply online by visiting http://city.milwaukee.gov/youthcouncil.

https://archive.ph/zpzhO

Link for people who want to bypass paywall.

On Tuesday, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson released his $1.9 billion budget proposal for 2024 at city hall.

Part of the plan calls for more than $3 million to be spent on the demolition of 180 vacant buildings next year.

"Buildings that are set to be razed, they need to come down. So, in a proposal that I'm calling, 'Raze and Revive,' my budget doubles funding for demolition," Johnson said.

Alderman Robert Bauman argued the money should be spent saving buildings, not tearing them down.

Home after home near 35th and Locust in Milwaukee sits empty.

"They're drawing crime, unwanted rodents," said Tony Mills, who lives nearby.

The vacant properties are boarded up with overgrown weeds and garbage littering lawns.

It's good to see more new developments around there.

From the article:

> > > Milwaukee developer F Street is seeking village of Brown Deer financing to tear down two empty offices and build 148 market-rate apartments. > > > > That’s according to items the Brown Deer Village Board is to consider Monday. The project could receive up to $6.46 million in tax incremental financing support. > > > > This would be F Street’s third large apartment development in Brown Deer after The Bevy that it sold in 2022, and the Greenlink residences that opened last year and are seeing high occupancies, said Scott Lurie, founder of F Street. > > > > “We continue to explore development opportunities in the village of Brown Deer,” he said Friday. “We’ve had great support for our existing projects and hope to continue to bring quality housing to the village.” > > > > The latest proposal is north of West Brown Deer Road at North Deerbrook Drive. F Street proposes about 148 garden-style apartments in two-story buildings, with individual entrances for each unit. The project also includes a 1-acre corner lot on Brown Deer Road that could host commercial development. > > > > The property currently has two unused office buildings, including one formerly used by Ascension. Those would be demolished to clear about 7.8 acres for the development, according to project plans filed with the city. The project is expected to result in more than $20 million of new property value by 2026, according to village records. > > > > Village officials are considering two financing tools to support the project. > > > > Those include a $2.6 million loan that F Street would repay within two years. About $1.8 million of the loan would be released in November to help finance the land purchase, and another $800,000 would help cover the demolition of the office buildings, according to a village staff report. > > > > The Village Board is to consider the loan agreement during its Monday meeting. > > > > In addition to the loan, the village could provide TIF incentives to the project. A current proposal would let the developers recover up to $6.46 million in the property taxes generated by the project between 2026 and 2045. Those represent about 95% of the new property taxes generated by the project for the first 10 years of the agreement, and 65% after that. > > > > The exact terms of the TIF agreement are still under negotiation, and could be finalized next month. That proposed TIF district would require separate approvals. > > > > F Street and the village of Brown Deer also partnered on the Greenlink project. For that, the village sold F Street the project site at 8725 N. 43rd St. for $1, for example. > >