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:

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 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 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.

From the Article:

Milwaukee's July 3rd lakefront firework show cancelation is sparking problems with a nearby business.

On Friday, May 24, leaders with Milwaukee County Parks announced this year's show is shut down. Park leaders say a lack of sponsors snuffed out this year's firework show. They also imply it could be long-term.

"At this point, we believe that the 3rd of July fireworks have run their course," Milwaukee County Parks Executive Director Guy Smith said.

The firework show has been a summer staple and a memory maker for decades. It's also the county's War Memorial Center's biggest fundraiser of the year.

The 'Corpse Flower,' also known as “U’Reeka," was given its nickname due to its smell, with some describing its short-lived bloom as smelling like rotting meat, that "offends the human nose."

From the Article:

Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year.

In Cedarburg on Sunday, May 26, thousands of people shopped and explored for the first ‘Maxwell Street Days’ of the season, a major fundraiser for the fire department.

Sometimes it takes a little strategy to find the perfect items at an outdoor market.

"Knowing what you like and what you want to look for," said Hayden Kolowrat.

From the Article:

A Buffalo Wild Wings Go restaurant opens this weekend in Glendale as the sports bar chain continues to expand its to-go locations in southeast Wisconsin.

The new location opens at 6969 N. Port Washington Road at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, according to a press release.

The Glendale opening follows others in recent months that included Milwaukee, 2900 N. Oakland Ave., in December and Waukesha in March. A Buffalo Wild Wings is also planned for the Pabst Farms development in Oconomowoc.

The Buffalo Wild Wings Go concept launched in 2020 with an aim to streamline customers' orders, whether they choose to dine in or take their food to go, according to the company.

The 1,500-square-foot Glendale location provides in-store seating for dining at the restaurant and also offers options for delivery or takeout with a menu that will include all 26 Buffalo Wild Wings signature sauces and dry rubs. The restaurant will serve traditional and boneless wings, hand-breaded tenders, chicken sandwiches, burgers and sides.

The restaurant will employ eight crew members. Hours are Sunday through Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Friday through Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Another 1,500-square-foot location had been proposed in 2022 for Glendale at 5530 N. Port Washington Road. Glendale officials were not available for comment on Friday, and applicants who proposed the project could not be reached for inquiries on its status.

The sports bar chain, owned by Inspire Brands, has more than 1,200 locations nationwide, including 34 in Wisconsin, according to its website. That figure includes both the full-service restaurants as well as the company's to-go locations.

The restaurant is in the Glendale Market, which is anchored by a Metro Market grocery store, and it features several other businesses including Stone Creek Coffee, Jimmy John’s, Curry & Momo House and Dr. Dawg, according to the website for General Capital Group.

General Capital Group, a real estate firm based in Fox Point, coordinated the initial properties within the boutique shopping center over a period of three years. The firm’s website says that to recoup the cost of demolition and environmental remediation, it worked with the city of Glendale to form one of Wisconsin’s first environmental remediation tax incremental financing districts.

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

In Chicago, venues are booking fast for the Democratic convention in August. But Milwaukee, host of the Republican convention, is wondering if customers will come.

From the Article:

The Midwest Gaming Classic celebrates its 23rd anniversary this year and will take place the weekend of April 5-7 at the Baird Center, 400 W. Wisconsin Ave.

The event is a whirlwind of activity with over 10,000 games on free play from cherished vintage classics to cutting-edge releases. Attractions also include classic pinball and arcade games, every generation of console, tabletop games, a 125,000 square foot vendor hall with over 200 vendors, live entertainment including pro wrestling, bands, and meet and greets with pop-culture personalities.

Among the unique programming attractions this year will be Steve Henneberry (AKA “Tower” from American Gladiator), who will combat attendees in Johann Sebastian Joust, a no-graphics, digitally-enabled playground game designed for motion controllers. Attendees can also look forward to a wider variety of esports, gamer podcasts, the MGC Cosplay Championship, and The World of Nintendo Exhibit.