$600,000 for Bay View BID?
July 2, 2012
District 14 Alderman Zielinski said that he is working with the Bay View Business Improvement District #44 to raise $600,000 for streetscaping and improvements for businesses in the BID. The district includes businesses on Kinnickinnic Avenue from Becher Street on the north to Morgan Avenue on the south, plus the businesses on Howell Avenue between Lincoln Avenue and the intersection of Kinnickinnic Avenue.
BID board member Steve Ste. Marie, owner of the Bay View Maytag Laundromat, 2510 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., said that funding might be provided by a revenue bond underwritten by the city of Milwaukee; the remaining $300,000 would be financed by a 20-year loan to the BID at 5.5% interest.
The funding will be discussed at the July 9 BID meeting at Joyce Parker Productions, 2685 S. Kinnickinnic. The meeting begins at 9pm. BID meetings are open to the public.
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Annie on Mon, 2nd Jul 2012 11:13 pm
Are any details available on what type of streetscaping and improvements would be funded with this loan? How does this proposed funding mechanism compare to what is typical for similar projects? How does it compare to the types and extent of borrowing and expenditures by other BIDs around the City?
Annie on Mon, 2nd Jul 2012 11:45 pm
Also, what kind of public input would be possible or built into the planning process? Even if the BID were to fund the projects, the public as a whole would be the users of any changes to the streets and public spaces and rights-of-way. Changes to streetscaping and such would be an opportunity–that could change the look, feel, accessibility, and usability of our public areas–hopefully in positive ways if done with the right kind of planning. I would hope it be a more open and publicly inclusive process than the “art bus stop” (which infamously failed to consult bus riders). The Walkers Point community recently achieved a redesign of S 2nd St to make the street more accessible to bicycles and pedestrians, along with cars. There are a few articles on the S 2nd St project’s progression at Urban Milwaukee: http://urbanmilwaukee.com/2009/12/10/s-2nd-street-street-re-design-approved-at-committee/
bvcompass on Tue, 3rd Jul 2012 5:22 am
The BID members are going to discuss the proposed funding at the July 9 meeting. Nothing concrete yet, either in terms of how much they may borrow or how money would be spent. A few things that may be considered which I picked up from informal conversations with three BID members who were speaking on background: planting trees, pedestrian safety. BID meetings are open to public; they are not restricted to property owners in the BID or biz owners in the BID. Only board members may vote, however.
Annie on Tue, 3rd Jul 2012 9:09 am
Thanks! I will try to make it. Is the meeting really at 9 pm?