Park Towne : News & Notes

The thousands of new student apartments sprouting up near UW-Madison have the potential to create a problem Downtown hasn't seen before on a large scale.

A Madison developer is planning to build two, three-story office buildings on a mostly vacant property in the Bassett neighborhood. And so far, neighborhood residents support it, even though the land at the corner of Lorillard Court and Proudfit Street is currently zoned for residential use.

Ask Guri Sohi why Microsoft, the world's largest computer software company, is opening a lab on West Main Street, and the chair of the UW-Madison computer science department slowly shakes his head from side to side as a wry grin creases across his face. To him, the answer is obvious.

Three properties on the Capitol Square were granted landmark status by the Madison City Council Tuesday night, a decision that could affect plans for a development that could include one of the properties. The landmarks are the Hobbins Block/Olson and Veerhusen Building at 7-9 N. Pinckney St., the Maeder Building/Ellsworth Block at 21-25 N. Pinckney St., and the Winterbotham Building at 27 N. Pinckney St.

After almost 90 minutes of debate Tuesday night, the Madison City Council passed a motion to place landmark status on several adjoining Pinckney Street buildings. Landmark status does not preclude future development, but does require that any plans first be approved by the Madison Landmarks Commission.

By early September, a dilapidated industrial building on Madison's East Side will reopen its doors as a restored community center complete with a gym, outdoor play space and room for people of all ages. The Goodman Atwood Community Center has $600,000 left to raise toward its $12.4 million goal, said Kristin Groth, development and communications director. "We feel great about that," she said.

One of Jefferson's major employers is getting bigger. Nestle Purina PetCare Co. has started a $20 million to $40 million project that will add about 20 jobs to the Jefferson County company that primarily makes cat food. It is located about 35 miles east of Madison.

Recessions are like bald spots or beer bellies, says Jim Russell, portfolio manager for U.S. Bank's Private Asset Management Group based in Cincinnati. "It's a little difficult to tell how they got going or how bad things are going to get," he said. Russell, who visited Madison Tuesday to speak to about 400 private asset management clients at an investment strategy session, said he believes the U.S. economy is in a recession and will improve during the second half of the year after federal stimulus checks arrive.

The good news for Mallards fans: A deal with the city of Madison on a new stadium appears to be all but hammered out. The bad news: Barring a "perfect constellation" of events, as one north side alderman put it, supporters of the popular summer collegiate baseball league won't get to set foot in the new facility until Opening Day 2010, a year later than the team's target date.

Board approves farm development. The Village Board on Monday approved a planned unit development (PUD) agreement with the developers of the former farm property on the northwest corner of Highways 18 and 83. The agreement brings the start date of construction for Tenby Harbor a step...

Lisbon Board thaws real-estate development freeze; Commercial developments not affected by freeze. The development of commercial properties that are consistent with the town's land-use plan is apparently going to be excluded from a six-month real estate development moratorium that appears to be on the verge of approval by the Town Board.. The development...

Hotel plan moves forward conditionally. Despite concerns about a large number of long-term parking spaces, a Marriott hotel development at the corner of Howell and College avenues moved another step forward April 22...

Retail favored for busy corner. Cobalt Partners is seeking a conditional-use permit so it can build a five-building retail complex at Layton and Pennsylvania avenues...

City lowers required parking spaces for mall. Development director says ratio appropriate. The city of Wauwatosa recently reduced the number of required parking spaces at Mayfair Mall despite continued expansion of businesses there...

Senior care center approved in Summit; Construction could begin in July. By the middle of next year, the Town of Summit should be opening its new 24-hour senior care center.. By the middle of next year, the Town of Summit should be opening its new 24-hour senior care center...

Village plans new TIF district. Village officials have begun the process to create a new tax incremental financing (TIF) district in downtown Hartland.. Village officials have begun the process to create a new tax incremental financing (TIF) district in downtown Hartland...

Senior complex revives addition. Village again supports revised proposal. A senior living complex building expansion initially green-lighted more than six years ago again won Hales Corners Plan Commission approval this week...

Wind farms proposed on water. 3 separate groups want to put turbines in Lake Michigan. Three developers are floating plans to erect hundreds of wind turbines in Lake Michigan as interest in the construction of wind farms surges around the country...

Hotels, condos could be at heart of Falls redevelopment. Falls Inn upgrade seen as key to Main St. revival, village officials say. As it stands now, the former Falls Inn at Main St. and Highway 41/45 can't be called much more than a blemish on the landscape...

Home values in the city of Madison increased slightly overall but fell in some areas, especially on the southwest side, according to assessments released Friday. In fact, property tax assessments were not adjusted for 46,815 of roughly 70,000 single-family homes in Madison. Postcards were only mailed to property owners whose assessments changed, saving the city thousands of dollars in postage costs.

The value of an average Madison home rose less than 1 percent to $248,000 last year.

The news Monday that $7.49 million in funding was secured through the state will allow the city of Madison to begin redevelopment of property on Allied Drive that it purchased in 2005. The Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority, WHEDA, announced Monday that Madison's Community Development Authority was awarded $7,499,250 in low-income housing tax credits over the next 10 years.

One of the arguments for living far outside the city of Madison - aside from hating a liberal City Council - has always been housing "affordability." It's no secret that $200,000 will buy you more square footage and closet space in a new development in DeForest compared to a home in the Dudgeon-Monroe neighborhood on Madison's near west side.

Fitchburg-based Sub-Zero and Wolf Appliance Inc. said Monday it would cut 235 jobs by June as a reaction to a decline in demand for the high-end kitchen goods they make. Many of the layoffs will be at the company's Fitchburg headquarters, according to a letter by company vice president of human resources Charles Verri.

Madison 's bid to improve Allied Drive got a big boost Monday as the state awarded $7.5 million in tax credits for a redevelopment in the core of the neighborhood. A $9.2 million first phase of the project with 48 low-income rental units would not go forward without the credits, city officials have said.

Middleton officials want to start Sunday shuttle service from the Dane County Regional Airport to Middleton hotels and offer trolley service around the city's business district. The goal: To lure a bigger share of the tourism business from visitors to Epic Systems, in the nearby suburb of Verona, according to a memo from Middleton City Administrator Mike Davis to the mayor, City Council and members of the tourism commission and finance committee.

Three preliminary concepts for a proposed North Mendota parkway include paving a new highway through farmland and using existing roads with residential driveways. The four-lane, 45-mph parkway - which the County Board sanctioned in 2004 after years of disagreement - is still years away from being built and local planners have yet to identify a funding source.

Sub-Zero Freezer Co./Wolf Appliance, a manufacturer of high-end refrigeration and cooking appliances, said Monday it will lay off 235 employees at its plants in Madison, Fitchburg and Phoenix, Ariz. Most of the layoffs, which involve primarily production workers, will be at the Madison area plants, said Chuck Verri, the company's vice president of human resources. He wouldn't provide the specific number of layoffs by location and couldn't be reached for follow-up questions Monday afternoon.

Even the offer of free land was not enough to persuade Brown Shoe Co. to move its corporate headquarters to Madison or to keep subsidiary Famous Footwear's headquarters here. And although state and local officials termed incentives proposed to Brown Shoe "attractive" and "competitive," they were "blown away" by the $43 million worth of inducements from Missouri, a city official said Friday.

ECONOMY Inflation at the wholesale level soared in March at nearly triple the rate that had been expected as the costs of energy and food both climbed rapidly.

The value of an average Madison home rose less than 1 percent to $248,000 last year.

Located in Madison, WI, Edgewood College is a liberal arts Catholic college in the Dominican tradition, with 2400 undergraduate and graduate students. ...

A growing majority say they won't buy a home anytime soon, the latest sign of increasing pessimism about the nation's housing crisis, a poll showed today. In a vivid sketch of how the sputtering real estate market is causing distress throughout the country, the Associated Press-AOL Money & Finance poll found that more than a quarter of homeowners worry their home will lose value over the next two years. Fully one in seven mortgage holders fear they won't be able to make their monthly payments on time over the next six months.

Consumer prices pushed higher last month as increases in energy, food and airline tickets overwhelmed the biggest drop in clothing prices in nearly a decade. The Labor Department reported today that consumer prices rose 0.3 percent in March after being unchanged in February.

City offers loans for sprucing up homes. Waukesha upgrades could get $15,000. The city has launched a residential loan program that makes up to $15,000 available to improve the exterior of a central-city home...

'Y' looks to expand. $20 million plan would add baseball fields, more day care. With an average of 40,000 people a month now using programs and services offered by the YMCA at Pabst Farms, directors of the 5-year-old facility are embarking on an ambitious $20 million multiyear...

Squires golf course will become a preserve. After seven decades, the flags and tee markers of the 142-acre Squires Country Club on Lake Michigan will be removed at the end of this season to prepare for its transformation to a nature preserve...

Wal-Mart, soccer training center on hold until May. Commissioners want more opportunities for input. Plans for the proposed Cudahy Station will reappear before the Plan Commission in May...

Cost, lack of interest sidetrack trolley idea. Village Board says local businesses need to be driving force. A trolley transit system likely is not in Greendale's near future, Village Manager Todd Michaels said at the Village Board's meeting April 15...

Council adopts Park Arthur master plan. Full development of $1.8 million park could take 10 years. The Park Arthur master plan received formal approval from the Muskego Common Council on April 8...

Village hammers out Main Street hotel agreement. Restaurant, condos are part of the redevelopment plan. A well-known eyesore along what is considered one of the village's main thoroughfares is receiving a makeover...

Blue Ribbon Shoppes get approval to build at hot corner; City likes future of Highway 67 and Valley Road. The intersection of Highway 67 and Valley Road in Oconomowoc will soon be filled at all four corners after approval of a retail center Tuesday night..

Aurora construction project still on target; Medical center to open by early 2010. Driving down I-94, it is clear that the $189 million Aurora Medical Center is looking more and more like a building getting closer to opening.. Driving down I-94, it is clear that the $189 million Aurora Medical Center is looking more and more like a...

Impact fees out, senior housing in. Eagle residents got almost everything they wanted from Bielinski Homes, except one thing - impact fees.. Eagle residents got almost everything they wanted from Bielinski Homes, except one thing - impact fees. Choosing between waiving impact fees for...

State foreclosures relatively low. Wisconsin figure less than half of nation's as whole. The foreclosure rate in Wisconsin remains well below the national rate, according to information released today by RealtyTrac of Irvine, Calif...

Village reimburses developer. Germantown project's 'soft costs' only part of issue. In a 5-3 vote last week, the Village Board reimbursed a Milwaukee developer nearly $67,000 in "soft costs" that are connected to an unusual development loan backed by the village...

Mequon OKs condo complex. City also moves closer to buying water utility. The Common Council has approved a 60-unit condominium development that preserves land in another part of the city and has moved the city a step closer to buying a water utility that serves parts of Mequon...

A blueprint for Blue Mound. The Town of Brookfield is working on a 20-year master plan for one of the region's busiest retail and commercial corridors. When it comes to the sprawling commercial corridor that is Blue Mound Road, it's hard to think of a major retailer that isn't...

Harley to cut 730 jobs. Caught in a troubled U.S. economy that is hurting motorcycle sales, Harley-Davidson Inc. said Thursday that it will cut 730 jobs, including hundreds at its Milwaukee headquarters and Wisconsin factories.

Marshall & Ilsley Corp. continues to take a pounding from its real estate investments, announcing today that its first quarter net income dropped 32.5 percent to $146.2 million from $216.8 million in the same period a year ago.

The number of housing units on Truax property would increase from 147 to 327 under a proposal to be presented Thursday to the Community Development Authority. The plan, developed by a committee that included Truax residents, would add market-priced housing to the 18.5-acre city-owned development of subsidized housing along Wright Street, just south of Madison Area Technical College.

Embattled downtown developer Cliff Fisher, who lost control of the Metropolitan Place Phase II following a foreclosure lawsuit from lenders, is seeking city approval to remodel the former St. Raphael Cathedral school at 31 S. Henry Street. The proposal from a group called Madison Governor LLC calls for adding three stories of new construction to the top of the existing three story building. An informational presentation is scheduled for Wednesday before the city Urban Design Commission.

With its massive east side Union Corners project on indefinite hold because of the slow market for new condominiums, McGrath & Associates has turned its attention to a 40-unit rental project downtown. The firm is proposing the $8 million " Lake Park" apartments at the corner of West Wilson and South Bassett streets. Two 1950s-era apartment buildings would be razed to make room for the four-story building that would run the length of the entire block.

Madison is proposing a bold, $60 million housing project that would boost the fragile Truax neighborhood on the East Side. The new master plan would dramatically reshape the publicly owned, worn, 147-unit Truax Park Apartments near Madison Area Technical College.

In Tuesday night's State of the City address, Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said he wants Madison residents and visitors to be able to say seven things about the city: That it is safe; that it has excellent basic services at a fair price; that it has great public schools; that it is open, accessible and connected to the world; that it is a leader in green efficiency; that it is progressive and pro-business; and that it is building a great city. "All of our work should be about making those seven statements true. Because if they are reality, then we will be the healthiest city in America," he said in his prepared remarks to the City Council. He reported on where the city's been and where it's going on each of the seven goals.

State lawmakers have reached a compromise on the multistate Great Lakes water compact after Assembly Republicans blocked the plan last month, a state senator said today. Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, told The Associated Press that he expects Gov. Jim Doyle to call a special legislative session to approve a draft of the treaty. Doyle scheduled a news conference this afternoon in New Berlin to make a "major announcement" on the compact.

Construction of a $25 million resort, conference center and marina on Lake Winnebago near North Fond du Lac is expected to get under way this fall. Developer Alex Zabel told the Fond du Lac County Economic Development Corp. the resort will be the only one of its kind on the lake.

Plans for a $1.2 million shelter at Tenney Park on Madison's Near East Side, featuring an ice skating shelter, an indoor meeting room that can be used year-round and more outdoor uses around the facility began making their way through the city's approval process Monday. The existing open-air picnic shelter, built in 1958, is in "dire need of repairs," said Mary Lang Sollinger, chairwoman of Tenney Park Shelter Group. "It is time for the building to be replaced."

Rebuilding Madison's main arterial streets over the next five years is high on the list of priorities for Mayor Dave Cieslewicz in his "state of the city" speeches to be made to the City Council tonight and the Downtown Madison Rotary Club on Wednesday. The street plan is one of many being touted by the mayor in his address, which also hits on coordinating public housing plans throughout the region to be able to spread low-income families out beyond the traditional Madison area pockets, bringing diversity and ultimately more state and federal funding beyond the central city.

A gaping $9.2 million hole in the Madison school district's 2009-2010 budget will likely be stirring talk of a referendum as soon as the city's new schools superintendent, Dan Nerad, takes office at the beginning of July. The referendum, which would ask taxpayers to override state-imposed revenue caps so services and programs would not have to be cut from the Madison Metropolitan School District, could take place as early as November, School Board President Arlene Silveira said Friday afternoon following a press briefing on the district's 2008-09 budget.

Developer Terrence Wall is making a bold proposal to bring a striking new library to Downtown Madison. T. Wall Properties is proposing to demolish the worn, 43-year-old facility on the 200 block of West Mifflin Street and replace it with a $45 million, nine-story structure with ground-floor retail, a three-story library and private offices above it.

As employees had feared, Famous Footwear is moving its corporate headquarters out of Madison. Executives from the parent company, Brown Shoe Co., and Famous Footwear gathered the 270 Madison employees in a conference room at 2 p.m. Thursday and told them their jobs will be consolidated at Brown Shoe's corporate base in Clayton, Mo. The move will begin in mid-July and be completed by late October.

State regulators want to study what it would take to put giant wind turbines in Lake Michigan and Lake Superior, a move that might someday lead to new power for Wisconsin but cost millions of dollars and transform serene lake views. The three-member Public Service Commission voted unanimously Thursday to begin assessing whether the concept can be executed, the power it could generate, the costs and public sentiment.

A plan to widen Interstate 94 from Milwaukee to Illinois may receive final approval soon after a report said the project would comply with federal environmental laws. The $1.9 billion reconstruction plan may receive the go-ahead from the Federal Highway Administration soon after the 30-day comment period.

Mequon approves condos. City also takes steps toward buying private water utility. The Common Council has approved a 60-unit condominium development that preserves land in another part of the city and has moved the city a step closer to buying a water utility that serves parts...

Credit crunch frays Squires deal. Land trust renews plan to buy golf course. An agreement calling for a development group to purchase the Squires Country Club golf course in Ozaukee County appears to be unraveling, and a local nonprofit land trust says it has renewed its interest in...

Village uses economic tool to secure firm. Traffic and Parking Control Co. has purchased the former Northstar Printing building and will move its business there next fall...

Developers trumpet progress on hotel. Government, business leaders get peek at construction. The state's top tourism official walked on Wednesday through an ugly duckling construction site that promises to become a beautiful boutique downtown hotel and high-end restaurant...

New care center has healthy effect on city. Wheaton Franciscan center is a standout. After more than 18 months of construction, the six-story Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare Franklin building now stands prominently along the 27th Street corridor as it makes final preparations to serve patients...

Buyer has plans for St. Coletta property. Proposal by Simon Group includes offices, housing. A developer plans to buy the historic Jefferson headquarters of St. Coletta of Wisconsin, which has long provided services to disabled people, with plans to create an office park, condominiums and single-family...

Lisbon considers land use moratorium; Town Board likely to agree with Plan Commission. The Plan Commission voted 5 to 2 last week to recommend that the Town Board impose a moratorium on new commercial and residential developments and land divisions for six months or until the town adopts a proposed new zoning code.. The Plan Commission...

Town, county push to save farmland. Debate over subdivisions highlights preservation efforts. When a developer decided that he'd rather put an access road to his high-end subdivision through a grove of pine trees instead of where it had originally been approved, the Town Board refused...

After some grousing, Ozaukee adopts Smart Growth plan. State-mandated document called 'waste of paper'. The Ozaukee County Board on Wednesday approved a comprehensive plan that's supposed to help direct the county's development through 2035, but not before some supervisors took a few shots at the state Legislature...

Riverwalk funding advances. City funds will help pay for a riverwalk, built in connection with a new downtown Milwaukee hotel, under a proposal approved Thursday by a Common Council committee...

Downtown ideas emerge. Apartments or condos possible for Waukesha sites. Separate proposals for six downtown properties call for either $6.5 million in apartments or $10 million in condos. Both projects are asking for assistance from tax-incremental financing...

While Dean will build the physician complex, SSM, the parent company of St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, will build the hospital. Dean currently has about 50 ...

Brookfield-based Simon Group Ltd. has reached a tentative agreement to purchase the 174-acre historic St. Coletta's campus in Jefferson, and plans to create a 30-acre commerce center and develop 40 acres of condominiums and 100 acres of single family homes.

Palatine, Ill.-based The Hummel Group and Skaneateles, N.Y.-based The Mirbeau Companies filed a Notice of Injury alleging that Lake Geneva officials violated the law when they held an advisory referendum to gauge public opinion about the company's proposed 710-acre resort, winery and 882-home residential development.

West Bend Mutual Insurance Co. plans to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, May 8, to celebrate the completion of the 214,000-square-foot expansion of the company's corporate headquarters at 1900 S. 18th Ave. in West Bend.

Construction starts for office buildings in the Madison area have hit their highest level since 2000, according to a report by the Grubb & Ellis/Oakbrook real estate firm. More than 760,000 square feet of office space is being built now. That's comparable to the size of the glass-walled U.S. Bank building on the Capitol Square - times two.

A harsh winter and changes to the design of the project are forcing delays in the second phase of construction at Hilldale Shopping Center. Officials with Joseph Freed & Associates said Friday that the construction of a Whole Foods grocery store, an office and retail building and parking structure will not begin until July and that construction on the six story, 140-room Hotel Indigo would be delayed until September or October.

South Madison 's emerging "miracle mile" may get another huge boost. The city is considering a new tax incremental financing district along the Beltline and South Park Street that would be fueled with more than $60 million in new commercial and housing projects.

Gov. Jim Doyle reiterated his economic goals for the state in a speech at the annual Business Day in Madison in February, organized by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. Even with a projected state budget deficit of $652 million, Doyle stuck to his plan, called "Grow Wisconsin - The Next Steps," which calls for incentives for research and development, for renewable energy and for angel investors.

Wisconsin 's high-tech industry added 1,600 jobs in 2006 to reach a total of 81,400, 21st most in the nation, according to a new report by the American Electronics Association, the nation's largest technology trade association. The 2006 data was the most current available for Wisconsin, AeA said in releasing its 11th annual "Cyberstates" report today. The group does not cover biotech, a strength for Wisconsin, particularly the Madison area.

Thrive, the Madison region economic development enterprise has surveyed 1,500 random households about quality-of-life questions. Surveys were sent between Feb. 25 and March 3. Recipients were asked to evaluate such topics as work, home life, education, natural environment, public safety, diversity and transportation. The results will be used to track changes in the quality of life over several years.

Barbara Swan knows that the idea of building an $850 million to $950 million power plant fueled primarily by coal is not an easy sell right now. "If I had my druthers, would this be the time I'd be trying to build a new baseload plant? No," said Swan, president of Wisconsin Power & Light, Madison. "But we have an obligation as a utility to provide reliable, affordable power to our customers in as environmentally responsible a way as we can. The need for the power from this plant is not going to go away."

As one city prepares to sweep away the ashtrays for good, another is deciding if it should implement a smoking ban of its own. On Tuesday, Fitchburg will join Madison and other cities across the state in its smoke-free status. Also that night, the Middleton City Council will decide if the city attorney should draft for discussion an ordinance prohibiting smoking in taverns and bars. The city already bans smoking in restaurants.

The city of Middleton will get its first big box store this summer when Costco Wholesale Corp. opens its first store in the region. The 154,000 square-foot "members only" warehouse and tire center is expected to open this summer in the Discovery Springs development off the Beltline Highway and U.S. 14.

Nerites Corp., a Madison company developing products based on the way pesky mussels stick to the bottom of a boat, plans to double its staff and move forward with its first product, thanks to a new infusion of cash. Nerites, 525 Science Drive, is getting $5.7 million in the second-round funding, led by Venture Investors of Madison.

More than half of the public school referendums in the state failed to gain approval from voters in Tuesday's election, sending some districts back to the calculators and calendars. Of the 61 referendums, 30 passed and 31 failed.

Meriter Hospital's plan to remodel some facilities, construct four buildings and make other changes - such as tearing down a pedestrian overpass over Park Street - will be unveiled to the public today. The 10-year plan, which hospital planners have been discussing with a neighborhood group and city planners since late last year, will be rolled out at a public meeting. The proposals are expected to go before the city planning commission by late summer.

It's a mix of glass and steel, students, yuppies, panhandlers and Lady Forward - the eclectic crossroads of the region. Now, after nearly two decades and amid a surge of growth, Madison is asking the public to help create a new Downtown Plan.

Madison is moving to create a special committee to explore the need for a major Downtown hotel and deliver $40,000 for a consultant to do a study. The city's Board of Estimates endorsed the moves on Monday. The City Council will make a final decision next week.

Library officials are working to tap private donors for money to build the south side of Madison a new branch library large enough to fill the community's needs. "We've got feelers out there," Tripp Widder, chairman of the Madison Public Library Board and vice president and director of the Madison Public Library Foundation, said Tuesday.

The World Dairy Expo needs more space and Dane County is working on plans to expand the Alliant Energy Center to accommodate the annual event. Expo officials signed a three-year contract Friday to keep the event at the center, where it has been held since it began more than 40 years ago.

Madison will soon be home to two locations of the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery. The sports bar that has seven franchised locations in five states, including a location in Green Bay, will be near West Towne Mall in the space that housed a T.G.I. Friday's and more recently Peppermill Grill and Bar at 420 Gammon Place.

RETAIL The Gander Mountain stores on the city's east and west sides will close Saturday after several weeks of sales.

State gives loan to Inviragen. Firm to open lab in Madison. A state government fund that assists small Wisconsin high-technology businesses will provide a $250,000, low-interest loan to a Colorado company...

Construction starts for office buildings in the Madison area have hit their highest level since 2000, according to a report by the Grubb & Ellis/Oakbrook real estate firm.

Coal has been increasingly under fire in the past year or two as a fuel source for electricity-generating plants because of the air pollution created when it is burned. But alternative energy sources have drawbacks, too: Natural gas: With its volatile price and growing demand, natural gas-fueled power plants are usually turned on only as backup power, when electricity use is high or other plants are down.

Wisconsin Power & Light estimates it will cost $850 million to $950 million to build the proposed 300-megawatt, coal-fired power plant at Cassville. That's a jump of 9 percent to 22 percent from the $777 million projected price tag, one year ago. Material and construction costs have jumped, WPL spokesman Rob Crain said, because a lot of power plant construction is under way.

Receiving a parking ticket can be a stressful event, but UW-Stout students might feel a little better if they know that the vehicle used by university parking personnel is an environmentally friendly electric car. UW-Stout's Zero-Emission, No Noise (ZENN) electric vehicle is part of campus sustainability efforts.

Wisconsin doles out millions in economic development assistance each year to private business. Over the past decade, those handouts have included $8.2 million for General Motors Corp., $3.4 million for Kohl's Department Stores and $3.3 million for Harley-Davidson Motor Co.

Riverwalk funding advances. City funds will help pay for a riverwalk, built in connection with a new downtown Milwaukee hotel, under a proposal approved Thursday by a Common Council committee...

Miller Park : Economic promises got it built. Has it paid?. The team is successful, stadium may draw 3 million this year, but economists debate whether the community is benefiting. Seven years after Miller Park opened for business, the Milwaukee Brewers are a competitive franchise with a constellation of young...

Lake Geneva developers undeterred. A development group planning 825 new homes in Lake Geneva vowed to forge ahead Wednesday despite a public referendum showing residents oppose the project by a ratio of more than 3-to-1...

Church hall conversion, condo plan up for public hearings. Public hearings for a proposed condominium development at 1710 Rawson Ave. and the possible adaptation of St. Mary's Hall at 1234 Manitoba Ave. will be held prior to the Monday, April 21, meeting of the South Milwaukee Plan Commission...

Paradigm to add 25 'clean-tech' jobs. Start-up makes biodiesel sensors. Paradigm Sensors will begin production of biodiesel testing devices this year from a new home inside a business incubator on the city's north side...

Court ruling clears way for taller Deer Creek Inn. Hotel with 405 rooms, water park, conference center can be 94 feet. The city of New Berlin and its Board of Appeals were within their rights to approve the Deer Creek Inn and Conference Center at an increased height last April, Waukesha County Circuit...

Charter Wire sees potential in valley. Firm will leave Third Ward for new location. Charter Wire, the last major manufacturer still standing in Milwaukee's Historic Third Ward, will move to the Menomonee Valley by summer 2009, giving the valley another large industrial development while creating...

Lender takes over east-side condos. Slow sales lead to move at Landmark on the Lake. A lender that financed the purchase and condo conversion of Landmark on the Lake, one of the largest apartment buildings on Milwaukee's east side, has taken over the project after a sales slowdown...

Warehouselike Woodman's grocery now open. Megastore has generated much anticipation. Complete with a vast parking lot, gleaming floors and wide aisles stocked with products from laundry detergent to beer, the Oak Creek Woodman's is ready for business...

Voters oppose 700-acre housing, resort development. Voters turned out Tuesday to signal strong opposition to a 700-acre development that was so controversial officials decided to put it up to a public referendum...

Developer files for bankruptcy. Receiver took over Fergus' First Place. Developer Scott Fergus, whose First Place on the River condominium development was taken over by a court-appointed receiver in January, filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition Tuesday...

Panel recommends high-rise rezoning. A developer's plans to build two residential high-rises on the eastern edge of downtown Milwaukee moved forward Monday...