I went to the Silver Spring Discussion Panel tonight. First off, I want to remind you that I am not a journalist. While very newsworthy, it is a gamble whether our community newspaper will cover a meeting like this, since their coverage has disturbingly declined to a paltry dribble.
I admit I do not know the names and characters of the folks in attendance, so this report will be vague. Consider this blog entry a mind dump. You may find it interesting, you might not.
Panelists:
Retail- Dan Cohen - Principal, MidAmerica Real Estate
Residential- Dick Lincoln - Senior Vice President, Mandel Group
Municipal- Mike Harrigan - Executive Vice President, Ehlers & Assoc.
Business- Tom Stuhlmacher - Owner, Winkie's
Restaurant- Joe Bartolotta - Owner, The Bartolotta Restaurant Group
Moderator: Dr. Mark Eppli - Bell Chair in Real Estate, Marquette University
There was a very good turnout, I'd estimate well over 100 residents.
The discussion started with a brief history of WFB's Community Development Authority (CDA). Since 2003, the CDA created a Master Plan for Silver Spring, which included recommendations of condemning the gas station on Lake & Silver Spring and later recommending the Condo/Bank development that sits there today. They've also assisted in creating a $100,000 grant program for SS businesses to improve their façades, of which $60,000 has been disbursed. Additionally, they declined to recommend “The Bay” development in 2006, but has been involved in the streetscaping process that should begin in late 2008 and finish in 2009.
One rhetorical question that was answered about the CDA was “Why haven't we gotten business X on Silver Spring?” The answer is that the CDA is not designed to solicit proposals from developers, only judge them once they've arrived.
The discussion began and the first theme that was mentioned extensively by a number of panelists was the need for Silver Spring to have restaurants. Since restaurants bring communities together, having them would draw people into the business district. One of the “Ten Principles for Rebuilding Neighborhood Retail” is to “Extend Day into Night” .. which having restaurants could do.
Joe Bartolotta spoke at great length, and was, in my view, the most interesting voice on the panel. He described his extensive experience in the restaurant business, but most specifically, his failure with the eatery he opened on Downer a couple years back. While he had great hope for the Downer restaurant, i.e., it was a good location, a good menu, high density of people, it failed for the usual reasons. Lack of customers, specifically during the weekdays, low margins, and a tough climate in Milwaukee for the restaurant business.
Joe explained that the restaurant business in Milwaukee has gone through an expansion over the past 5 years, which generally means the pie is sliced smaller for each place. The (guess of) $30 million a year that the new Bayshore restaurants bring in, means that those $30m dollars that used to be spread throughout Milwaukee's restaurants are now spent in one place: Bayshore.
Joe, and also Winkie's owner, Tom Stuhlmacher, agreed though, that Silver Spring is a great location. Another panelist agreed that the perception of Silver Spring is very high. – (This sounds right. It's the residents of Whitefish Bay, who see the empty storefronts and business closures, who have a negative impression. In Milwaukee, Whitefish Bay is looked upon very highly, with a dense, wealthy population. Traditionally, this is a business owner's dream.)
A question was asked about whether Bayshore was a help or a hindrance to Silver Spring. The given answer was that Silver Spring is a very different property, and Bayshore shouldn't hinder it's development. (I also agree. SS can't compete with national chains that exist in Bayshore, nor should they try.)
Much conversation was spent discussing Business Improvement Districts, and BID Boards. BIDs are formed, funded, and governed by businesses to improve their zone. Stuhlmacher explained that 5 years ago, Silver Spring businesses tried and failed to create a BID by a small margin.
Bartolotta reported that he was on the BID Board for Wauwatosa, which had difficulties because the business owner members each had their own priorities and egos, which hampered progress. He suggested the only way a BID Board would be successful was to create a paid position where an executive was empowered to bring the vision of the BID to fruition. It was mentioned that other BID boards around the area share resources, i.e., one Executive is paid by multiple communities to manage their BIDs.
At one point, the moderator, Dr. Eppli, surveyed the crowd about the “tools” which are used to improve business districts. The tools ranged from zoning regulations, the creation of TIF districts, to the use of eminent domain.
Thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly unsurprisingly, the crowd enthusiastically voted “yea” for
the use of each tool on Silver Spring. (Clearly, those in attendance
wanted to use every tool available to end Silver Spring's slide.)
While
a good hour was spent answering written questions from the crowd, the
fun only began at the very end, when a lightening round of spoken
questions from audience members began. While most of the questions were
less inquisitive and more statement oriented, there was a palpable
feeling of extreme frustration and anger at Whitefish Bay's leadership.
The
general theme expressed was that Whitefish Bay, and specifically the
Board of Trustees, had completely failed to create a vision and execute
it with purpose. The audience applauded commenters who expressed their
anger at the slow pace of change in Whitefish Bay, where everything is
“talked to death,” said one angry village elder, who had the support of
most of the crowd.
That's my report. I'm sure I missed many items. I'm sure the NorthShoreNow will report in much greater depth. Sure.
My commentary:
It's all about economics. Look,
landlords are interested in one thing. Maximizing their income and
asset value. This is done by buying property they hope will appreciate
.. and by charging the maximum rent the market will bear. Business
owners (tenants) want that too, yet most have a passion for their
business, and usually have some interest in the community on top of
their profit motives.
The barriers are clear. Since restaurants
are obviously the path to saving Silver Spring, they must be put in a
position to succeed, and apparently, the land owners along Silver
Spring charge too much rent for this to happen. Clearly, this requires
some form of economic partnership between restaurant owners, landlords,
the business district, and the Village to ensure that revenue >
expenses.
Silver Spring needs what Bartolotta suggested, i.e.,
a BID Board that has a professional executive empowered to bring the
vision to fruition. The current collection of “champions” have had
years, perhaps decades, to get it done and have not.
In the
final moments, Village Trustee Jim Roemer, who had facilitated some of
the meeting, closed with the idea that “This meeting is the beginning
of a solution.” While true, I think that went over very poorly with the
crowd. Don't get me wrong, I think Jim is a proponent of change, and
helped create and facilitate tonight's meeting; he may be as frustrated
as the rest of us. -- It is indeed a step in the right direction. --
The message, that this was step number one, made the crowd ponder the
days, months and years that have been wasted, bringing us closer what
one resident predicted: a Silver Spring Ghost Town.
What I would
hope those in power would take away from this meeting is that the time
for capitulation is over. Silver Spring is close to a tipping point
with business closures snowballing. Whitefish Bay needs a plan, and
needs it immediately.
No more first steps, no more quarterly status reports.
It's go time.
It's
also time for the residents of Whitefish Bay to help out. Talk to your
neighbors, your business owners, and your trustees. If you've found
this blog informative, forward it to your neighbors and make some
noise. Time is of the essence.
And please,
for the love of Pete .. write a comment below. Otherwise, I'm the lone
quack who says the sky is falling. Is it? Is it not? Was my meeting
report accurate? Write your comments here.
