Eschweiler Buildings In Abeyance While Public Awaits Proposal

Developer Mandel says buildings have to come down if plan is to succeed, but citizens say that goes unacceptably counter to city's longstanding promise to preserve them.

Sometimes things don't go exactly as planned – and sometimes that's a good thing. An open discussion Wednesday night of the future of the historic Eschweiler buildings, convened by the County Grounds Coalition, was intended in concept to be a source of creative and productive ideas for preserving the structures. It turned into a vigorous policy debate, something its chief organizer afterward acknowledged was probably more valuable at this, "the eleventh hour." She, Barb Agnew, founder of the Friends of the Monarch Trail and a Wauwatosa businesswoman, moderated the meeting and asked at the beginning, and more than once during, and again at the end, that the discussion focus as much as possible on positive, proactive proposals for preserving…

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Absolutelyfabulous

4:15 pm on Monday, July 30, 2012

Really, 1.5 years go by since the RFP goes out to developers clearly stating that preservation is part of the package and now when TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE and the clock is ticking all of the sudden Barry Mandel & Co., the largest residential developer in the area, just happens to let it be known that certain buildings can't be saved. Please, I have a hard time buying that story. It would not have …   more ›

Editor's Notebook

Name That Street: Road Serving Innovation Park Area Needs Christening

City will ponder a permanent name for road after "Technology Parkway," UWM's working title, did not go over particularly well.

When the UWM Real Estate Foundation brought its plans to the city last week for the first two elements of its Innovation Park project, both came with proposed names. The first building, a two-story, 25,000-square-foot structure, is intended to be an "accelerator" laboratory where academic and industry researchers will collaborate toward rapid development of new technologies. Officially, it would be the Institute for Industrial Innovation, but the foundation and its design consultants are calling it simply the "Innovation Accelerator." I have no problem with either name, and I haven't heard anyone else squawk, either. However... UWM's foundation also proposed a name for the road that will serve the accelerator and all future developments. …

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Jim Price

7:02 pm on Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Mark, according to the city clerk, the naming of any new city street is a matter for the Common Council and its committees to consider and approve. We're all paying for it, so our representative government is responsible for naming it. In the case of most new subdivisions in more exurban municipalities, I would guess that councils accept Blue Jay Way and What Oak Ridge from the developers without…   more ›