Milwaukee Development Update has a new home and name!

The time has come to move to a bigger and better site. Milwaukee Development Update is now part of http://www.urbanmilwaukee.com.

1530 North Jackson a Dingbat?

On the surface the 1530 North Jackson project seemed to be an appealing development because it was designed by the award winning Studio Dwell Architects out of Chicago and the project slightly improves the density in the neighborhood. Clearly attempting to fit a four story, six unit condominium project onto a small lot is a challenging effort and the design also needed to address neighborhood complaints about its density, style and potential parking problems. It appears the parking issue is managed by the design and the increase in density is very slight so the impact to the neighborhood should be minimized. Unfortunately the design looks to be a new spin on the Dingbat style all be it with parking along the side. The failure of this design isn't in the quality of materials, slope of the roof, lack of parking, or density, the failure is that it doesn't properly address the street. For the most part this design turns its back on the street, with much of the building facing the street being solid walls. It's possible the design images don't do the project justice and maybe the windows shown will do enough to connect the building to the street but clearly Studio Dwell Architects can do better. You can follow this development through the a flickr set, 1530 North Jackson that will be updated with new pictures to keep track its progress. Articles + Reference Blair Williams branches out 070593

Kane Commons a "Green" Development

The Kane Commons project located at 1142 to 1158 East Kane Place is another of many Milwaukee area projects utilizing green building concepts. Recently projects such as The Brewery announced various green building components such as capturing and processing all of the rainwater within The Brewery complex. The Edison Green project will feature many green features such as solar panels, wind turbines, and car-sharing. And the Kane Commons project will utilize straw bales as a key building material and geothermal heating throughout the buildings. The green features in the Kane Commons project should reduce utility bills, generate less of a carbon footprint and offer additionally quality of life benefits. The straw bales construction has an insulation R-factor in the range of R30 to R50 which significantly outperforms typical home construction. Unlike typical construction materials, straw bales are highly renewable which reduces the lifelong carbon footprint. Additionally it offers additional advantages such as improved fire resistance and sound proofing. The geothermal heating system will utilize the Earth's natural warmth to heat the buildings requiring less generated energy thereby reducing bills and pollution. This project's green efforts, much like the Edison Green project's green efforts, may influence future developments in Milwaukee to look for new green ideas. Articles Long-awaited Kane Commons moving ahead Building homes with a purpose Kane Commons: Green Development on Lower East Side Proposed "Green" Development to Overlook the River at E. Kane Place Pragmatic Construction: Kane Commons

Construction Continues Despite Snow

As the city slipped and slid around from multiple inches of snow and ice dumped on it in recent days, construction crews continued building our city. Down on Water St. at The Residences on Water site men scrambled to remove snow from the roof while a crane lifted large beams into place. It appears the ER Post Structural System does allow them to build quickly as had been indicated. In fact fast enough that a line of semi's sit with their engines running across the street from the site waiting their turn to unload the next beam.

Over at the Breakwater site they have been busy as well. A second crane which is the largest crawler crane in the state has recently been assembled and will have a reach of up to 400 feet. The snow may have slowed some work but workers continued building the foundation and with second crane it's clear that shortly we will see this project begin to rise out of the ground.

Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee Dec 4, 2007 Meeting Notes...

The Northwest Side Area Comprehensive Plan, resolution 070933, was presented to the ZND committee seeking approved but it faced multiple criticisms that needed addressing. First Alderman Bauman explained that the northwest side has significant rail infrastructure and because of this there is "tremendous potential on the Northwest side" for transit oriented development, improved mass transit and enhanced mobility. Unfortunately the plan didn't include any reference to this infrastructure so Alderman Bauman suggested that the plan "go back to the drawing board." Secondly, Timmerman Airport came up as multiple committee members expressed the likely hood of the site being redeveloped in the future and that the plan only lightly touched upon the topic. Finally Alderman Bohl promoted suburban style development by expressing his concerns for DCD's desire to encourage through streets and discourage cul-da-sacks. Due to these issues, the plan was held to allow DCD to incorporate more of these topics into the plan. Resolution 070609 was seeking approval of the Grede Foundry site for redevelopment which required a change in zoning from Industrial-Heavy to General Planned Development. Although some parts of the plan such as multistory buildings fronting the street and parking to be located behind the buildings were appropriate the design also left 65% of the 5 1/4 acres dedicated to surface parking. The committee compared the design to a "suburban office park" and concluded it was not appropriate for a near downtown site. And although Alderman Murphy suggested holding the file, the developer pressed forward prompting Alderman Bauman to make a motion placing it on file which prevailed 5-0 and essentially stopped this project. Resolution 071131 was seeking approval of the sale of the city owned lot located at 1027 N. Edison St to Edison Green, LLC. As was recently reported this eight-story mixed-use development will be located near the eastern terminus of the Highland Ave. pedestrian bridge and will include 25 residential units, first floor retail, office space and a banquet hall. The northern portion of the site will remain green space allowing access for the condos to the north and as part of the developments attempt to gain LEED certification. Further that portion of land also contains MMSD sewer infrastructure and police lines which would make development prohibitively expensive. The building will have five shared Prius cars, mopeds and a community boat allowing residents to go without owning a car or boat. Further the green roof will have hot tubs heated by solar panels and possibly small wind turbines on the roof. In general the neighboring condominium association appeared supportive of the proposal with their remaining concern being access to the green space to access their riverfront yards. The projects innovative and green approach was appreciated by the committee. Alderman Murphy commented that this project is a "very thoughtful idea" but Alderman Wade expressed his appreciation strongest by stating "I got one thing to say Wow!" The resolution was approved with the understanding that the solution to the access issue will be agreed upon by the Common Council meeting on December 11, 2007.

Eight-story building proposed for Riverwalk

Edison Green, LLC, a new venture by Russell Davis the owner of Café Vecchio Mondo and co-owner of Riverwalk Boat Rentals, recently responded to a City of Milwaukee RFP for the city-owned land at 1027 N. Edison St. The resolution 071131 seeking approval of the land sale will be before Tuesday's Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee meeting and appears likely to receive approval because it meets the RFP design criteria for parking, building height, Riverwalk and environmental requirements. The project itself will consist of an eight-story building containing a restaurant on the first floor, banquet facilities on the second floor, as well as office and residential condominiums. The Riverwalk segment will be constructed with access to the restaurant helping to activate a new section of the downtown Riverwalk. Further the approach to parking is fairly unique by its utilization of a neighboring parking garage which should allow for reduced construction costs and higher densities. This project looks to provides quality infill on a long vacant parcel of riverfront land and should continue the ongoing downtown renaissance. Articles Eco-friendly building proposed for downtown city lot City seeks development of Milwaukee River parcel

Alderman Michael D'Amato not running for re-election

During his 12 years in office Alderman Michael D'Amato played a large role in encouraging new development in Milwaukee. More recently in his role as Chairman of the Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee he oversaw countless proposals, and more often than not was supportive of development projects. During this past year he struggled with Eastside residents to over approval of New Land Enterprise's Downer Ave. development and although the project is moving forward, the city is now being sued. And at the same time he pushed policy and the Department of City Development in a failed attempt at obtaining a TIF to help fund RSC & Associates proposed Park East development. Despite what was probably a frustrating year for Alderman Michael D'Amato, the news he won't be running for re-election comes as a surprise. Without knowing Alderman Michael D'Amato's future plans or his reasons for not running again it, is still safe to say it will be difficult to replace his experience and dedication.