Editor Ken Harwood
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Every week I pull together several news articles and press releases on economic development and government issues affecting real estate and development in Dane County and Wisconsin for the staff at Park Towne Development. The links should take you to the original article and should remain active for a few months (depending on the source). 

To include a development related press release forward a PDF, MS Word document or active link to me by 1PM Thursday for inclusion in that Friday's release. We do not include offers of property for sale or other solely promotional material.

Occasionally I include Editorial or Opinion pieces from other publications. Unless I am the actual author, these articles do not reflect my personal opinion or that of Park Towne Development. My goal is to make my colleagues aware of opinions being expressed in the media.

If you would like a copy every Friday drop me a note and I will add you the list. If you would like others to receive this data you may email me their address and I will add them to our list. If you are really interested I have “back issues” from June 1^st 2005, but hey that’s old news.

Please let me know what you think.

Ken  

Ken Harwood

News&Notes Development News for Dane County and Wisconsin

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Rede Names Executive VP

Friday, December 22, 2006 - The Regional Economic Development Entity has named its first executive vice president. Rafael Carbonell, director of regional economic development for the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce, is scheduled to begin his duties Jan. 1, according to REDE president Jennifer Alexander, who will continue her role as chamber president. REDE is a newly formed nonprofit organization that…

Editors Note: Congratulations Rafe! ... an avid reader of News&Notes and an excellent choice…

HOME SALES EDGE UP

Thu Dec 28 2006 - Sales of existing homes managed to eke out a small increase in November but the price of homes sold fell for a record fourth consecutive month, a real estate trade group reported today. The National Association of Realtors reported that sales of previously owned homes rose 0.6 percent in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.28 million units. That followed a 0.5 percent sales increase in October and marked the first back-to-back sales gains since the spring of 2005…

Combined Permit Is Good News For Builders

Developers, builders and landowners shuttling between the county's Land and Water Resources Department and the Planning and Development Department for storm water runoff permits will be able to "one-stop shop" in 2007. The Land and Water Resources Department will handle all storm water management and erosion control functions beginning Tuesday, so anyone interested in obtaining construction site permits will be able to get them at the offices at 1 Fen Oak Court on Madison's far east side. "This complements our department's focus on soil and water conservation,"…

Zoning Case Returned To County - Cottage Grove Land At Issue

A state appeals court today returned a lawsuit to a Dane County judge to determine if a Smart Growth provision in the town of Cottage Grove's zoning ordinance takes private property without compensation in violation of the federal and state constitutions. In a 2-1 vote, the District 4 Court of Appeals returned developer Walter Olson's challenge to the town's transfer of development rights ordinance to Circuit Judge Angela Bartell to decide if is valid…

Bergamont Investors Win Ruling - Judge's Decision Ousts Developer

Saturday, December 23, 2006 - A Dane County judge has ruled in favor of a investor group seeking to take control of the troubled Bergamont housing and golf course project from developer Dan Fleming. Circuit Judge John Albert on Friday afternoon issued an injunction that effectively removes Fleming as managing general partner of the proposed $300-million project in the village of Oregon. Investor Bill McKee will take over as managing general partner in the wake of the ruling…

Falk Oks Verona Development Plan

Saturday, December 23, 2006 - Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk approved major changes to the town of Verona Farmland Preservation Plan Friday, allowing for more residential development in the northeast portion of the town. Falk said she would normally find "problematic," the suburban style development that the plan will now allow, but said she sees sufficient safeguards in place and both town chair David Combs and Dane County Board Supervisor John Hendrick, who chairs the county Zoning and Land Regulation Committee, persuaded her "that a lot of good could come from this revision."…

Biotech company picks Wisconsin - Norway's CellCura coming to Madison

Posted: Dec. 22, 2006 - Wisconsin has attracted its first stem cell company from outside the U.S. CellCura - a biotech start-up based in Porsgrunn, Norway - will locate its U.S. headquarters in Madison, the company said Friday. CellCura is not working on products that actually use stem cells. The three-year-old company intends to launch by the end of the year a new type of culture media for growing stem cells to be used by in vitro fertilization clinics and in stem cell-related therapies and research, said Dag Dvergsten, CellCura's president. The company also hopes by the end of 2007 to begin offering hardware and software products that would help increase the stem cells' productivity and the safety of the related products, he said…

Building Community A Lot At A Time

Sunday, December 24, 2006 - Adding value to neglected real estate is no an easy job. But Natalie Bock, development project manager for The Alexander Co., takes on the challenge by creating communities where others would construct mere buildings. As she seeks blighted properties to convert to mixed-use housing and commercial assets, Bock leads teams of designers and engineers to endow cities with diverse neighborhoods full of promise…

EDITORIAL Rail Foes' Arguments Don't Survive Scrutiny

Mayor Dave's specific vision for rail transit is flawed, but only in one very minor, fixable aspect. His concept of operating in mixed traffic, with rail cars sharing street lanes with vehicular traffic, is fine for very short "circulator" lines such as the Portland streetcar, streetcar services in several other cities and a line in Madison that could connect Monona Terrace, the Square area, the State Street shopping district and the campus…

Changing Landscape - Disappearing Farmland, Habitat Reasons For Concern

People who can not live without wild things need to pay more attention to what is going on with Wisconsin's farms. Farmland, and the important adjacent natural habitat, is where many species of wildlife live and without adequate places to find food, cover and water those species are in jeopardy of being lost…

Hedge Funds Buying Spectrum Stock

Two Harbinger Capital Partners hedge funds have taken a 9.5 percent stake worth nearly $53 million in Rayovac battery maker Spectrum Brands Inc., according to a filing with U.S. regulators, Reuters reported. Harbinger, which is focused on restructurings, liquidations, turnarounds and other special situations, made the disclosure in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission late Tuesday…

50-unit Building Under Construction

Construction began this month on a 50-unit apartment building along Parmenter Street south of the roundabout in Middleton. When the $6 million project, called Parmenter Circle, is completed in July it will have 23 two-bedroom, 16 one-bedroom, three studio loft and four three-bedroom apartments. Monthly rents will range from $320 to $1,100. All apartments have balconies and the building will have underground parking, a community patio and a tot playground…

Troubled Area Given New Life

Wednesday, December 27, 2006 - Former Ridgewood Apartment Complex In Fitchburg Has Been Getting An Expensive Makeover And Won A Major State Award. A huge Fitchburg apartment complex that just two years ago was known primarily for fires, police calls and unchecked maintenance-code violations has been named "Property of the Year" by the Apartment Association of South Central Wisconsin. Tenants say the award is no joke -- the place really has turned around.The 800-unit property, known during its troubled years as Ridgewood Country Club Apartments, has a new owner, a new management company and new names…

Editors Note: Congratulations Brandon Scholz and developer E.J. Plesko & Associates.

Thrivent Donates For Five More Homes

Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - Thrivent Financial for Lutherans donated $416,000 to Habitat for Humanity of Dane County to build three Habitat homes in Sun Prairie, one in Madison and one in Oregon in 2007. Thrivent provided money for three local Habitat homes in 2006. Nationally, Habitat and Thrivent will commit $24.5 million to build 355 homes in 43 states in 2007…

OPINION Region Needs One Effective Web Site

Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - The Regional Economic Development Entity Should Create A One-stop Site To Attract Companies.For a city trying to attract high-tech companies, Madison has embarrassingly unhelpful Web sites for businesses. In a knowledge-based economy, this is an alarming weakness. Companies now roam the world virtually in their search for a location, and a Web site is often the first glimpse of a city and a region. That's why the newly created Regional Economic Development Entity should take the lead on creating a user-friendly, information-packed Web site for the Madison area…

Historic Fitchburg Home Open To Visitors On Saturday

Tuesday, December 26, 2006 - TRAVELERS ON THE BIKE PATH JUST NORTH OF THE SWAN CREEK DEVELOPMENT NEAR SYENE ROAD OFTEN STOP AND STARE AT THE CREAM BRICK HOUSE THAT HAS STOOD THERE SINCE BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR. On Saturday, they'll have a chance to step inside during a holiday open house at the landmark McCoy House, which is meant to boost membership in the Fitchburg Historical Society. The house was built between 1857 and 1861, and a freed slave, a mason who was working on the house, is said to be buried in the basement because it was too cold to dig a grave for him outside when he passed away. Because it was the last resting place for the man, known only as "John," the state's laws protecting burial grounds saved the house from demolition…

Selling Churches Can Take A Miracle - Buildings Morph Into Pubs, Condos

Saturday, December 23, 2006 - For sale: a charming, well-maintained building with high ceilings and classic architecture. Enjoy 38,000 square feet of space on a sprawling 14.25-acre lot. Minutes from downtown. Altars, bells and stained glass not included. Asking price: $4 million. Population shifts, declining Mass attendance and a shortage of priests in many areas have forced Roman Catholic leaders to consolidate parishes and sell off churches. But selling a house of worship is no easy task. Pastors must placate parishioners upset by the sale and find a buyer who will respect the building's history…

EDITORIAL Free Uw Tuition Too Costly -- Let's Try State-subsidized Loans

Saturday, December 16, 2006 - Dear Editor: Considering free tuition for all University of Wisconsin students is unrealistic for the simple fact that it raises taxes in a state whose residents, if not the politicians, know that it is already on the high end on the tax scale. We can accomplish the objective, which is to keep students in Wisconsin after graduation, with a much better and actually workable solution. First the state would make student loans available to any student enrolled in the UW or the technical college systems. The loans would be made…

Editors Note: A truly brilliant idea… author rumored to be genius… HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!   Ken

Nannies' niche: Dairy goat farming continues to grow in state

APPLETON - Adam VanDen Bosch likes dairy farming, but not working with cows, so about four years ago he persuaded his father to switch the family dairy to one that milks goats instead. "Goats have a lot more personality," said VanDen Bosch, 23. "They are a lot easier to manage." Goats are not exactly butting heads with cows for milk producing supremacy in this state that for years has billed itself as America's Dairyland…

Editors note: Slow development news week but an interesting article…

Selling naming rights could raise money for parks - Cedarburg also considers selling advertising space

Posted: Dec. 28, 2006 - Cedarburg - Seeking to raise money for recreation, the city will consider selling naming rights for park facilities and advertising at athletic fields. Both policies will be debated by the Park and Forestry Board, which will meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Cedarburg City Hall. Any policy would have to be approved by the Common Council.Parks and Recreation Director Mikko Hilvosaid Thursday that revenue from selling naming rights would be used for park development or maintenance, while revenue from selling advertising at athletic fields would support the athletic fields. Hartford, Slinger and Mequon are among communities that have such policies, he said…

M&I plans training center in Brookfield

THURSDAY, Dec. 28, 2006 - M&I Bank is planning to build a 55,000-square-foot "university" in Brookfield, where employees from around the country would attend classes, training seminars and other events, the Brookfield News is reporting. Construction of the training facility, which would be an expansion of its existing offices off Blue Mound Road, could begin this spring, if the plan is approved by the city…

Nicolet Bank to expand in Appleton

THURSDAY, Dec. 28, 2006 - Nicolet National Bank, a business bank started in Green Bay six years ago, plans to establish a presence in the Fox Valley by opening a trust and investment management office in downtown Appleton. Robert Atwell, Nicolet's president and chief executive, said the office eventually could become a full-service branch for the bank, which already has branches in De Pere, Marinette, Crivitz and Menomonie, Mich., in addition to Green Bay…

Melting Pot brings back fondue in a big way

THU., DEC 14, 2006 - Cooking stores and magazines have decreed that fondue is back in favor. For all those who long ago got rid of the fondue pots they got as wedding gifts, there's another way to reconnect with fondue. Madison recently got a Melting Pot restaurant. It is owned by local residents David and Terri Lenz, whose framed photograph in the foyer provides a homey touch in a restaurant that otherwise looks like it was designed by a feng shui master, complete with a waterfall behind the host stand. Everything was high quality, and very fresh, though I flubbed the cooking time on several occasions because there are no timers, and I preferred talking to counting "one, one thousand ... " Little sand timers on the tables might be a nice addition. Quite a bit of confusion about sauces ensued, but when you get it right, bingo.

New RPC awaits Doyle's OK

12/15/06 - Dane County could soon be getting the new regional planning commission it has wanted for the past two years. Gov. Jim Doyle is expected to approve the Capital Area Regional Planning Commission early next year, after the commission was jointly approved by local municipalities, Madison and Dane County six months ago. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will hold its public hearing on the Capital Area RPC Wednesday, Dec. 20, in the St. Croix Room of the Department of Administration building, 101 E. Wilson St. The old Dane County Regional Planning Commission dissolved Oct. 1, 2004. Area sewer and water extension planning in the metropolitan area was given to former RPC staff, now working in the county's Planning and Development office…

Trader Joe's draws shoppers back to Monroe Street stores

Ron Roloff doubts that anyone living in Fitchburg, Stoughton or Middleton would have driven to Monroe Street to check out a new Walgreen Drug Store. After all, there are 22 such stores in Dane County and nearly every one of them is identical. That's not the case with Trader Joe's. And that's why Roloff and the owners of other Monroe Street businesses say the Near West Side neighborhood has been energized…

Looks dark for workers at Sunny Industries

THU., DEC 21, 2006 - MAZOMANIE - Even as Sunny Industries readies to shut its doors just days before Christmas, the search for a buyer continues in an attempt to save the troubled company and the jobs of its 380 employees. Sunny, which prints magazines and direct-mail pieces, filed for receivership this month in the face of mounting debt. On Wednesday, the company's court-appointed managers said operations will cease Friday, barring a last-minute deal…

Printer Perry Judd's to be sold

For the second time in two months, R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co., Chicago, has announced plans to buy a Wisconsin printing company. Donnelley, the world's largest printer, has agreed to purchase Perry Judd's Holdings, a privately owned magazine and catalog printer in Waterloo, for $176 million. Of that, $47 million is for acquiring the company's common stock; the rest will cover debt and Perry Judd's preferred stock. The two companies are "an exceptional fit," said Donnelley chief executive officer Mark Angelson…

Editors Note: Maybe the bankers would “throw in” Sunny Industries to preserve the jobs…

$7M police/city facility gets council OK

12/19/06 - Thank goodness it didn’t go like the last time. In 1978, the newly created City of Verona began planning a new municipal facility, and by the time it was dedicated more than two years later, the building now jokingly referred to as a “corn crib” had been pared down to a shell of the original concept and still cost significantly more than initially projected. But Monday night, five months after the first meeting of the newly re-formed Public Safety/Administration Facilities Task Force, the Common Council unanimously approved a concept plan that was bigger, nicer and more appealing than what task force members had anticipated… and still somehow cheaper…

South side residents on jail: No way - Tell County Board to start over on plan

Dane County leaders were raked over the coals Wednesday night for proposing to put a work-release jail on the south side of Madison, with district Ald. Tim Bruer telling a packed house at a listening session that the idea is "dead on arrival." "This is a turkey," Bruer said of the recommendation by a Dane County Board subcommittee to put a 448-bed minimum security Huber work-release jail and alcohol and other drug abuse (AODA) treatment center on county property on Fish Hatchery Road…

Sun Prairie To Vote On New School

Wednesday, December 20, 2006 - Sun Prairie voters will decide in February whether to build a seventh elementary school on the city's south side. The Sun Prairie School Board on Monday approved a Feb. 20 referendum asking for $14.7 million to build a 90,000-square-foot school in the city's Smith's Crossing subdivision. If the referendum is approved, the tax effect would be $38 on a $200,000 home, said Phil Frei, deputy district administrator for the Sun Prairie School District. The school would open in the fall of 2008, Frei said…

Trolley Backers Need New $$ Pitch

Tuesday, December 19, 2006 - Nobody ever said trolleys were about easing congestion for commuters. "A streetcar will produce such minor impact on transportation in Madison -- even if the proponents' ridership claims are accepted -- the difference will be lost in the rounding," said Los Angeles-based transit economist Tom Rubin. Still, for my money, the best argument for a downtown trolley is based on economics, not road congestion. All across the nation, trolley lines are being used to leverage private sector investment…

Editors Note: Interesting angle presented here….

Cherokee Deadline Looms

Tuesday, December 19, 2006 - The Friends of Cherokee Marsh are running out of time to block a plan between the city and private developers over building near the headwater of the Yahara chain of lakes. The Madison Plan Commission Monday night delayed final action on an agreement with Cherokee Park Inc. and owner Dennis Tiziani but is expected to take up the issue again at its Jan. 8 meeting…

Members Only - Hawks Landing To Become Private Club

Monday, December 18, 2006 - Hawks Landing Golf Club is going private in 2007, owner Jeff Haen said today. The course, which has been semi-private since it opened, currently has 132 members and Haen said he hopes to add 75 to 100 members in 2007. The course, which is part of a major real estate development on the far west side, opened its full 18 holes in 2002. Going private should make it easier to sell memberships by enhancing the course's award-winning conditions, he said…

Editors Note: Someone should package rounds at Bergamont, Hawks Ridge, and University Ridge as a deal.

Mcfarland Needs Money For Parkland

Monday, December 18, 2006 - McFarland has an option to buy a 19-acre tract that just about everyone involved agrees would make good parkland, but the village is having trouble finding the remaining money for the purchase. Leslie Schuetz and his wife, Reva, have agreed to sell to the village the property where they have lived for 45 years for $935,000…

Luring Them In

Sunday, December 17, 2006 - Madison Goes Fishing For Business With Its Web Site, But Is It Effective? Some Experts Don't Think So. How The City Stacks Up, And What It's Doing To Address The Issue. Madison's image to the world -- its Web presence -- needs some serious updating if the area wants to lure jobs, experts say. A community's Internet identity has become a crucial element in decisions over where to build a plant or move a company, they say, with varying estimates of 50 percent to 90 percent of initial site selection now conducted online…

Architectural Firm Has Designs On Its Expansion

Sunday, December 17, 2006 - Bill Bula came to Madison in October 1982, when his wife, Beth Neary, enrolled in graduate school at UW-Madison. "We came to Madison thinking we would be here until she finished her education," he said. "Her education took longer and we thought Madison was a wonderful place, so we stayed." Flad & Associates, which is Wisconsin's largest architectural firm…

Bergamont Ruling Coming - Judge Says He'll Decide Soon Who Will Control The Oregon Development

Saturday, December 16, 2006 - A Dane County judge said Friday that he'll decide soon whether developer Dan Fleming or 30 disgruntled investors will control Oregon's upscale Bergamont development. Circuit Judge John Albert said he'll make a timely ruling in the dispute after he receives final legal briefs on Tuesday. A committee of financial partners voted Oct. 9 to oust Fleming as managing partner, but Fleming says the committee lacked authority to remove him…

More For Monroe St. - Plan For 2600 Block Includes Condos, Restaurants

Friday, December 15, 2006 - Plans are advancing quickly on another multi-story, mixed-use development on Monroe Street, this time near the shores of Lake Wingra. Scheduled for review by city officials Wednesday, the project from landlord Jim Corcoran is eyed for properties just west of the Laurel Tavern and Michael's Frozen Custard, running through the entire block to Arbor Drive. It calls for a mix of restaurants, shops and 45 condominium units in a three-to-five story building offering views of Lake Wingra and the nearby UW Arboretum…

School Conversion Project Wins Award

Tuesday, December 19, 2006 - Stone House Development of Madison has received the Wisconsin Historical Society's 2006 historic restoration award for converting Wausau's East High School into apartments. Conversion of the high school into East High Apartment's was the company's fifth historic school renovation project. The company was formed in 1996 by Helen Bradbury and Rich Arnesen…

BioAg technology center gathers momentum

Madison, Wis. - Planned business park attracting investments and grants. The new plant-based technology cluster that civic leaders hope to cultivate in Madison's southeast corner is becoming a reality. Now a mostly undeveloped field, the planned space is already attracting investments that promise to create a business campus dedicated to the refinement, manufacture, and commercialization of new bio-agricultural technologies.

Church Sellers May Have To Pray For A Buyer

Sunday, December 17, 2006 - Houses Of Worship Are On The Block In Spots Around The State And Country And Can Be Tough To Unload. For sale: one church, charming, well-maintained, with high ceilings and classic architecture. Enjoy 38,000 square feet of space on a sprawling 14.25-acre lot. Minutes from downtown. Altars, bells, stained glass not included. Asking $4 million. With attendance declining and a shortage of priests in many areas, Catholic leaders across the state are consolidating parishes and shedding their extra buildings. But selling a house of worship can be complicated for pastors who must placate parishioners angered by the sale and find a buyer who will respect the building's history…

Luxury hotel called boost for downtown - San Francisco-based chain to use Sydney Hih site

Posted: Dec. 20, 2006 - Kimpton Hotels, known for its luxury boutique hotels in Chicago, New York and other cities, will operate a new hotel planned for Milwaukee's Park East area - which could greatly elevate the downtown hospitality market.

$1 billion deal for nuclear plant - We Energies plans to sell Point Beach to Florida company

Posted: Dec. 20, 2006 - We Energies plans to sell the Point Beach nuclear plant next year to FPL Energy in a deal valued at nearly $1 billion.

Snake lawsuit could be settled - Falls, developers could pay $90,000

Posted: Dec. 19, 2006 - Menomonee Falls - The village and real estate developers would pay $90,000 under an agreement to end a court case over state allegations they failed to follow erosion control laws and disturbed territory of the threatened Butler's garter snake. A judge is expected to have the final say on the proposed settlement of a court action filed by the Wisconsin attorney general's office against Menomonee Falls and the developers of the estimated 30-acre Marketplace Triangle, a residential and commercial development. The project is now called Woodlands Marketplace, just northwest of Good Hope Road and Appleton Ave. The court action was filed at the request of the state Department of Natural Resources…

Mall OK with limited city input - But Pabst Farms rejects active role

Posted: Dec. 20, 2006 - Oconomowoc - Developers of the planned shopping center at Pabst Farms are interested in what city officials think about the mix of retailers to locate there, a representative of developer General Growth Properties said Tuesday. However, it may be inappropriate for the city to take an active role in determining the mall's merchants, a firm official added. "We want to be conscious of the desires of the city," said Jed Craig, project manager for the proposed Pabst Farms Town Centre. "We're definitely willing to work with the city as we move forward with our plan; we're interested in what they think." But Craig stopped short of saying the city would play a role in deciding what stores will be in the mall…

State's Property Foreclosure Rate Doubles

Saturday, December 16, 2006 - Real estate foreclosures nearly doubled in Wisconsin in November from the same month in 2005, according to a report by RealtyTrac, which publishes a national database of foreclosure properties. The state had 881 properties at some stage of foreclosure in November or one for every 2,614 households. That was up 29.8 percent from October and 93.6 percent higher than a year ago. Among states, Wisconsin had the 29th-highest foreclosure rate in November, compared with 35th-highest in October…

Hartland moves to the beat of downtown revitalization New group will try to market, revitalize village

Posted: Dec. 16, 2006 - Hartland - With downtown on the upswing, business owners and village officials are taking ambitious steps to keep the revitalization moving forward. Like many communities in Waukesha County, Hartland's goal is to keep its downtown vibrant and vital in the face of competition from retail centers sprouting up along major highways in the region. Officials and downtown property and business owners, though, aren't talking about a wholesale reinvention. They are discussing ways to spruce up the look of some buildings, reduce the number of empty storefronts and draw more people to downtown, especially at night and on weekends. Two initiatives are under way to "re-energize our downtown area," said Scott Heyerdahl…

Dept. of Commerce.  $60,300 grant to remediate Racine brownfield.

Dept. of Commerce.  Planning grant for Reedsburg

Dept. of Commerce.  More than $400,000 for senior housing in River Falls.

WHEDA.  To award $100,000 grant to the Milwaukee Urban League.

How To Sell Your Home In 2007 From Forbes Magazine…

12.08.06 - Matthew Haines understands real estate. As founder of PropertyShark, a New York online real estate listings and information service, he knows the ins and outs of buying and selling in one of the quirkiest housing markets in the country. But when he put his Harlem townhouse up for sale, he still made a crucial mistake. Relying on his broker's advice, Haines priced the house at $1.675 million--too much in a softening market. "People don't have to fool with sellers who are asking unreasonable prices," Haines says…

Editors Note: If these ideas don’t work try this…

Real estate agent gives guns to homebuyers

Tue Dec 12, 2006 8:53 -  HOUSTON  - A Texas real estate agent looking to add more bang to her business is offering clients in law enforcement a free Glock pistol if they buy a home from her. Julie Upton, a Houston-area real estate agent, spurned traditional buyer incentives like free gasoline cards or home improvement store gift certificates. Instead, she placed an advertisement offering a pistol with the purchase of any home worth at least $150,000 in the city police department's monthly publication, "Badge & Gun."…

Editors Note: Since we are commercial developers I suggest a tank in exchange for a good TID.

Housing Slump Cuts Wide Swath

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 - TALK ABOUT A TOUGH TERM AS PRESIDENT OF THE MADISON AREA BUILDERS ASSOCIATION. Chad Wuebben, vice president of Encore Construction, has spent the past 11 1/2 months as front man for the industry trade group as builders suffer through the worst period in over a decade. Just 1,321 permits were issued for new single family homes or duplexes in Dane County through the end of November. That's down 39 percent from last year and barely half the number of housing starts during the 2003 peak…

Trawling for trolley tracks - Discussion of where to put transportation begins tonight

December 14, 2006 - The Madison Streetcar Study Committee's list of streets where streetcar tracks might be installed are talking points to get a public conversation going, not recommendations, said David Trowbridge, the city's streetcar project manager. Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, the committee and its staff are starting that discussion tonight at a streetcar directions neighborhood workshop from 6 to 8 p.m. at Monona Terrace. The public will help narrow down the options the committee has developed, said Nicole Anderson…

Editors Note: We should start with a simple run on State Street it is a perfect test site and would generate capital for expansion into other corridors.

'No way,' ATC says to paying for new study

December 14, 2006 - City and county lawyers are considering making a request to the state Public Service Commission to order American Transmission Co. to pay for an independent study looking at future power needs in the county. A top official at ATC, however, said that the company would not be willing to pay for another independent study…

Mge Seeks Plans For More Base Power

Thursday, December 14, 2006 - MADISON GAS AND ELECTRIC ANNOUNCED THAT IT IS SEEKING PROPOSALS FOR UP TO 100 MEGAWATTS OF NEW BASELOAD CAPACITY -- POWER AVAILABLE 24/7 -- FOR AS EARLY AS 2011. MGE, which estimates that its baseload power needs increase 10 megawatts annually, said it will consider an ownership arrangement or a purchased power agreement with or without an option to acquire ownership in a facility. PPA proposals will range from 10 to 30 years…

Cherokee Development Takes Step - Friends Group Still Concerned

Thursday, December 14, 2006 - Despite misgivings about whether city government would address concerns about stormwater runoff and a sensitive peat marsh, the city's Parks Commission has given unanimous approval to a development plan negotiated over the past two years by the city and Cherokee Park Inc. President and CEO Dennis Tiziani. It is an important step forward for a plan that would allow Tiziani's owner-developer company to build 723 new housing units, 77 fewer than originally planned, on its land south of Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park. The plan would also allow the city to buy 235 acres of peat marsh and wetlands from the company to add to the park…

Back To Nature On Boardwalk - Path Will Border Lake Wingra

Monday, December 11, 2006 - Edgewood College will get a little closer to nature, thanks to a proposed boardwalk and woodland path along the shore of Lake Wingra, the southern edge of the private college's campus. The $50,000 boardwalk and connecting nature walk will extend out from both sides of the existing pier behind the Mazzuchelli Biological Station, the pier that juts out over a small marshy area to the lake's open waters…

Northeast Neighborhood plans pass first hurdle FITCHBURG

11/30/06 - After offering several suggestions, the Plan Commission tentatively endorsed plans for the Northeast Neighborhood. The decision didn’t deter members of the West Waubesa Preservation Coalition, which still hopes to convince the city council that there are better alternatives for the 900-acre parcel. The group contends development jeopardizes sensitive environmental features of the region, including adjacent lakes and wetlands…

Error to cost taxpayers

12/7/06 - Town chairman: $47 million mistake creates ‘perfect storm’. A small error by a state employee is causing huge headaches in the Town of Oregon, where homeowners could be overcharged several hundred dollars on property tax bills to be mailed out this week. “This is a big problem,” said Town Chair Gerald Jensen. “This is not going to be a pleasant tax collection year for our staff.” The mistake – literally a single keystroke by an unnamed Department of Revenue worker – could also upset the Oregon School District’s budget next year, and it has local politicians railing against the inflexibility of the DOR, which insists it’s too late to fix the error…

Toilet water today, your lawn's friend tomorrow

Toilet water today, your lawn's friend tomorrow. Mansfield, N.J. - As in other retirement villages, the yards of the Homestead at Mansfield boast lush grass and clipped shrubs. But unlike the lawns of any other community in New Jersey, they will soon be kept green by recycled toilet water...

Linnerud DNP approved . . . what’s next? Stoughton

12/07/2006 - Now that the detailed neighborhood plan for the Oscar and Shirley Linnerud property has been adopted by the Stoughton City Council, many area residents are wondering when Wal-Mart, or any other builder, will be submitting their development proposals. The 183-acre property located in the northwest corner of the city has been at the center of controversy for more than three years, in large part because of Wal-Mart’s proposal to build a 155,000 square-foot Supercenter there. The detailed neighborhood plan calls for approximately 44 acres of commercial and institutional space (the supercenter is expected to encompass about 25 of the 44 acres), 62 acres of residential development, nearly 50 acres for recreation and open space and 30 acres for public right-of-way.

Business Booming In East Side - Winnatwood Neighborhood Is Enjoying Retail Success

Thursday, December 14, 2006 - Williamson Street has long been known for its eclectic assortment of locally owned businesses stretching from John Nolen Drive to the Yahara River. But where Willy Street ends, Winnebago Street and Atwood Avenue are increasingly becoming home to their own array of independent shops and eateries. In the past few years, new ventures ranging from Absolutely Art, a colorful gallery of work by local artists at 2322 Atwood Ave., to Mermaid Cafe, a cozy coffee and sandwich shop at 1929 Winnebago St., have sprouted up amid…

Restoring Taliesin

Thursday, December 14, 2006 - The New Dean Of The Architecture School, A Strong Believer In The Core Tenets Of Frank Lloyd Wright, Has Big Plans To Grow The Institution. Change is coming to unchanging Taliesin. "Frank Lloyd Wright's buildings, particularly his Taliesins, were meant not to be artifacts but, how shall we say, instruments of culture," says Victor Sidy, new dean of the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. "As museums they become nothing more than artifacts. He talked about the reality of the building as not residing in the walls but in the space to be used."

Piggly Wiggly Store Grows In Sauk City

Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - Opahle's Foods inc. Of Sauk City has selected MSI general corp. Of Oconomowoc for the design and construction of an 8,099 square-foot addition and remodeling of its piggly wiggly at 724 Phillip blvd. In Sauk city. The expansion will include a new deli, expanded frozen foods section and liquor mart with walk-in beer cooler. The project is scheduled to be completed next summer….

OPINION Close Wisconsin's Economic Divide

Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - Median Family Income In Madison In 2005 Was $64,264. In Milwaukee, The Median Was $35,765. When state and local leaders look at the economic gap between Dane County and the rest of Wisconsin, they should hear an alarm. While Dane County is riding the trends of a new economy forward…

No Rescue Yet For Sunny - Printer's Demise Could Cost 380 Jobs

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 - Both local and state officials are warning there is little government can do to help salvage Sunny Industries and save some 380 jobs at one of rural Dane County's largest employers. The printing company -- which is facing two separate lawsuits claiming it owes more than $7 million -- has filed notice under the state's 60-day plant closing law that it plans to end operations…

They Came, They Saw, They Stayed

Tuesday, December 12, 2006 - 10 Years Ago, Money's No. 1 Rank Lured People To Madison. It was the summer of 1996, and Money magazine had just made Madison famous. Across the Atlantic Ocean, Rebekah Rickner and her then-husband had been living in Germany for five years and were interested in returning to the States. They were seeking a suitable place to raise children when they stumbled across the Money magazine article ranking Madison the No. 1 city in America to live…

Courthouse To Get Tougher Doors For Cells

Thursday, December 14, 2006 - Months After Opening, Dane County Has A $28,000 Contract To Replace Warped Doors In The Courthouse. About six months after state inspectors told Dane County to stop using holding cells in the new Dane County Courthouse because of security concerns, faulty doors on the cells are close to being replaced. Next week, the county is scheduled to take delivery of frames for the doors, and the doors themselves will arrive a week later, said Rob Nebel, construction manager for the Dane County Department of Administration. He said the cells should be usable again by Feb. 1…

UW granted $5 million to spur entrepreneurship

UW granted $5 million to spur entrepreneurship. A Kansas City foundation has chosen the University of Wisconsin-Madison as one of nine campuses that will receive funding to help breed entrepreneurs and spur more commercialization of research around the state...

Oil Pipeline Project Will Create 500 Jobs

Monday, December 11, 2006 - Work on installing an oil pipeline stretching from Superior to Delavan is scheduled to begin this winter, creating about 500 jobs in the state. Enbridge company, which will operate the pipeline, has received conditional approval from the Department of Natural Resources to lay a new, larger pipeline on the existing one. The 454-mile pipeline will bring more crude oil from fields in Alberta, Canada to refineries in Wisconsin and Illinois to meet heightened demand…

Condos would cater to artists

Condos would cater to artists. Bay View tannery site to become housing. A former tannery in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood has been sold to a Mequon firm that will convert much of the complex into a $20 million housing development, targeting artists and other "creative class" home...

Council OKs Stone Pointe condo plan

Council OKs Stone Pointe condo plan. The Common Council gave approval last week to a large condominium development that, since its introduction, has raised the ire of neighbors...

Homes likely for land near Grant Park

Homes likely for land near Grant Park. Former railroad spur needs a lot of rehabilitation. SOUTH MILWAUKEE - A former railroad spur near Grant Park is being eyed for residential development...

The shape of things to come?

Triangular area poses unique planning issues. Brookfield city officials said they're facing "a conundrum" when it comes to long-term redevelopment plans for the 124th Street and Capitol Drive neighborhood...

Deal would move fleet

Deal would move fleet. Watertown Plank Road site would be redeveloped. Milwaukee County's Fleet Management operations, currently at 10320 W. Watertown Plank Road, would relocate to an 18-acre landfill site owned by the city of Wauwatosa, it was announced this week by Cobalt...

Rezoning sought again for condos

Rezoning sought again for condos. Town Chairman Rodney Stilwell said Tuesday that he doesn't see anything new in the Waukesha School District's latest efforts to have condominiums built on its property along Highway 164 that the Plan Commission will once again consider on Thursday...

Hide House will be redeveloped as condos

Alton Enterprises LLC has sold the Hide House, a former tannery complex in Milwaukee’s Bay View neighborhood, to a group of investors for $1.96 million. The investors, listed as Hide House 2007 LLC, are led by Mequon-based General Capital Group. The buyers plan to convert the sprawling complex into residential condominiums, said Mark Smith, a broker with Pewaukee-based Judson & Associates, who brokered the sale for the buyer and the seller…

Park East work ready to launch

Park East work ready to launch. 2 huge developments win council approval. Two former blue-collar landmarks with old Milwaukee names, Pabst and Pfister & Vogel, will soon begin the slow, expensive transformation to new housing, offices and retail space - with city tax dollars helping...

Engineering firm plans move to central city

Engineering firm plans move to central city. A growing engineering firm based in Oak Creek will move its headquarters to Milwaukee's central city, under a proposal announced Tuesday...

Big Park East plan advances

Big Park East plan advances. Committee backs city aid for North End development. The largest project planned for Milwaukee's Park East area moved much closer to reality Monday, with a Common Council committee recommending city financial assistance for the development...

Sunday Symposium: A city bracing for economic development

Government leaders must recognize need for jobs...

WisDOT.  $800,000 project at Chippewa Valley Regional Airport.

WisDOT.  $2,320,000 for projects at Outagamie County Regional Airport.

WisDOT.  $220,592 project at Palmyra Municipal Airport.

WisDOT.  $157,895 design project at New Richmond Regional Airport.

WisDOT.  $60,000 project at Tomahawk Regional Airport.

WisDOT.  $35,000 at Crivitz Municipal Airport.

WisDOT.  $120,000 project at the Capital Drive Airport.

WisDOT.  $375,000 projects at Austin Straubel International Airport.

WisDOT. $473,685 project at West Bend Municipal Airport.

Editors Note: I tell you we are in the wrong business I am switching to airport development…

Housing Aside, County Biz Positive

Wednesday, December 6, 2006 - Nobody has to remind Tom Bunbury about the bust in the local housing industry. "It's terrible, couldn't be worse, which means it's a great time to buy," Bunbury, a partner in the real estate firm of Restaino Bunbury & Associates, told area business leaders today. Bunbury said there was overbuilding here the past several years…

$190M Mixed-Use Project Rises in Madison

December 1, 2006 - University Square - MADISON, WI-When University Square, the $190 million mixed-use development under construction at University Avenue and Lake Street, opens in the fall 2008, a local developer’s quest to transform an underused site into a project that ties into a major Big 10 campus will be more than a dozen years in the making. The 1.1 million-sf project, which currently combines 120,000-sf of retail, 250,000-sf of University of Wisconsin-Madison offices, 360 apartments, and parking garages, is a public/private partnership that was initiated by locally based Executive Management Inc. in 1996…

Editors Note: My Christmas Wish List

Dear Santa these properties are actually listed at various sources around the state and I would very much like any of them you are able to fit under the tree…

Trader Joe’s at Monroe Commons … It is my favorite store -- and I have to believe that as the landlord I might get a little extra two buck Chucks in my stocking this year... Dave we should talk!

The Former Kimberly-Clark Development Facility … I worked here (KC) for a while as a consultant and Neenah is a great city. Trust me I have inside information…

Commerce Centre at Pabst Farms … I am not sure if you get the Harley Dealership, but for $ 27,900,000 this property seems like a steal… Speaking of Harley…

Bagel & Coffee, New York Style

Tuesday, December 5, 2006 - Madison is about to get what most New Yorkers take for granted: a hand-rolled bagel with cream cheese, a premium cup of coffee and a newspaper -- all in one place. Ian Gurfield, who moved here five years ago from Massachusetts to open Ian's Pizza, is partnering with New York native Joe Gaglio for Gotham Bagels. "We were both lamenting the fact that there is no place to get a good bagel, a really good cup of coffee and a New York Times," Gurfield said…

Still Time To register From Wisconsin to the Silicon Valley to the Research Triangle

Lessons learned by entrepreneur and investor Paul Jones - A Wisconsin native who managed venture capital funds and technology companies from California’s Silicon Valley to North Carolina’s Research Triangle will speak at the Dec. 11 meeting of the Wisconsin Innovation Network at the Hyatt Regency Milwaukee, 333 W. Kilbourn. Paul, the former president of North Carolina’s Council for Entrepreneurial Development, will talk about different models…

Anatomy of a deal: CDW and Berbee - Marriage of tech companies unlikely to become war of the roses

Published 12/05/06 - Madison, Wis. - In Wisconsin, there is a growing belief that whenever a state company is acquired by an outside entity, the loss of local ownership inevitably harms the state's economy. But the recent acquisition of Madison's Berbee Information Networks Corp. by Illinois-based CDW Corp. has a real chance to benefit both parties and both states, according to those closest to the deal….

Battle For Bergamont Brews - Partners Oust Developer In Bad Marriage'

Saturday, December 2, 2006 - Thirty limited partners are battling developer Dan Fleming for control of Oregon's upscale Bergemont development. A partner committee voted Oct. 9 to oust Fleming, also a project investor, from managing the project, which includes making development decisions. But Fleming says the committee lacked authority to remove him and he's working on financing to buy out the project's limited partners…

Use Tif To Do Good, Report Urges

Tuesday, December 5, 2006 - Depending on your spin, TIF is either a great tool to help redevelop blighted urban areas or a boondoggle giveaway to real estate moguls. In practice, it falls somewhere in between. Established by the Wisconsin Legislature in 1975, tax increment financing allows municipalities to use projected new property tax revenue to fund new development. The city basically loans a developer money that is repaid with taxes generated by the new project…

Whole Foods Moves Ahead - Hilldale Plan Finally Gets Ok

Tuesday, December 5, 2006 - If everything falls into place, Madison shoppers will see a new state-of-the-art, 65,000 square-foot Whole Foods Market with escalators, a parking ramp and a green roof at the corner of Segoe Road and University Avenue by early 2009. After twice rejecting a more suburban layout for the grocery, the Madison Plan Commission Monday night unanimously approved a revised plan for Phase II of the redevelopment of the Hilldale Shopping Center. The $175 million project has continued to evolve…

Local housing goes bad to worse - More bad news for the local housing industry

The number of single family and duplex building permits issued in November in the city of Madison dropped by 48 percent from a year ago. A total of 22 permits were issued last month compared to 43 in 2005. The value of that construction is down from $8.23 million in 2005 to $4.68 million, according to figures from MTD Marketing LLC…

An icon turns 20 - How a foam hat morphed into a regional symbol

ST. FRANCIS - No one predicted that a strange, wedge-shaped chunk of yellow foam would someday symbolize a state and its way of life. That includes Ralph Bruno, the 45-year-old guy who invented the Cheesehead, which is in its 20th year of production…

Evicted Allied families to get help from city

FRI., DEC 8, 2006 - One day after they publicly asked for help, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said the city would provide up to $4,500 and perhaps some relocation assistance for 14 families who received 30-day eviction notices on Allied Drive. In a prepared statement, Cieslewicz said Thursday that his office would work with residents…

Cuts at Janesville GM

THU., DEC 7, 2006 - More than 250 employees at the General Motors plant in Janesville will likely lose their jobs by the end of March because of a production cut in early 2007, GM officials said Thursday.  GM will trim production by 11.5 percent for the…

Monroe brewery to grow

THU., DEC 7, 2006 - Ravinder Minhas is following through with his plans to expand his Monroe brewery, but his plans have expanded. Minhas, 24, an entrepreneur from Calgary, Alberta, bought the Joseph Huber Brewing Co. in October and changed the name to Minhas Craft Brewery. Minhas said then that he would spend about $1 million to improve the facility, just blocks from the city's downtown. On Wednesday, Minhas said he would spend double that to build a 40,000-square-foot warehouse…

Seize the carp! DNR will trap, pull nuisance fish from Lake Wingra

"Carpe diem"