As I drove back from dinner tonight, I noticed Hollywood Video on Silver Spring (technically in Glendale) has closed.

I'm partially responsible for driving it out of business.

Two months ago, I subscribed to Netflix.  And I love it.

I think the primary reason I wanted to join was that .. I miss a lot of movies I want to see.  I hear reviews, see trailers, and have a desire to see many movies each year, but we just never get around to seeing a tenth of them, whether at the Fox Bay, or from renting them at the now defunct Hollywood Video.

The solution is Netflix's queue.  See a movie you want to eventually watch?  Put it in your queue.  Once it comes out on DVD, it'll show up in your mailbox like magic.

I started out on the $5/month plan, where you get two DVDs each month.  I figured I could easily find time to watch one movie every two weeks.  After I put 25 movies in my queue, I realized, crap, it's gonna take a year to see all those movies.

So I bumped my plan to the $14/month deal that gets you two DVDs at a time, with no monthly limit. My evil plan is to blow through the list in 2-3 months, then drop back down to the $5 plan.

How to pay for it?   Well, do you get HBO?  Do you actually watch it?  Turns out, we didn't.  Even with a dozen HBO channels, neither my wife nor I find movies we want to watch on HBO, except on rare occasion.  Do a household survey and count up the number of movies you actually watch on HBO.    If it's less than 5 or 6 .. cancel it.  Quit HBO, and pick up Netflix. 

Netflix is extraordinarily easy .. DVDs are shipped to you in one day, you watch 'em, and stick them in their postage-paid return envelope for your mailman to take.  They receive them in one day, and ship a new one to you immediately for the next day.  Pretty slick.   Netflix sends over 1 million DVDs in the mail every day.

So .. sorry, Hollywood Video.   Gosh, I sure hope Aurora Health Care doesn't find out, abandon their plans for the WFB clinic, and take that newly empty spot in prime Glendale, wink, wink.  

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At tonight's standing-room-only Plan Commission meeting, 80+ people attended to hear the application of conditional use by Sal's Pizza, who will move in to the location formerly occupied by Ciao Café in July.

After little debate, and a unanimous vote, Katie Pritchard announced "Welcome to Whitefish Bay, Sal's Pizza!"

(Oh, yes.  In other business, the Plan Commission thricely voted unanimously to permit Sendik's to expand their offices, Skin Guru to open, and Aurora/Advanced Health to open a clinic on the old Talbot's/Famous Footwear property.)

What can I say?  I knew it would be extraordinarily difficult for the Village to turn down a multi-billion dollar corporation to occupy a long-vacant location on Silver Spring.  Tremendous kudos goes out to Boulder Venture, who fought the winning fight, holding out for years to find that one solid renter with deep pockets, regardless of its benefits to the Village as a whole.

I remain in belief that the Village lost a tremendous opportunity tonight, not just to hold out for something better, but to send a signal to prime property owners that they are required, by the decision of the people, to find tenants that move the district forward and do better than "not hurt."   -- In the end, Sal's Pizza, with its tiny footprint, will benefit Silver Spring and surrounding businesses far more than the health clinic.

(In other news, a reader emailed me that a single buyer will purchase all three units on the top floor to create one residence in the 5600 Lake Drive condo building.  Who owns 5600 Lake?  None other than Boulder Venture.  With Aurora winning tonight, the champagne is flowing down at BV headquarters.)

(Thank you to KM for tonight's photo.)

I've written many times on the debate over whether Aurora/Advanced Health Care should be granted permission to move in to the old Talbot's / Famous Footwear location owned by Boulder Venture.

Tuesday, April 29th, 7pm, at the Village Hall, the Plan Commission will decide our fate.  (See Agenda)  The public is invited to appear and speak.   You may also send statements to the Village Manager (Manager@WFBVillage.org) who will forward them to the Plan Commission.  (Do so quickly.  The meeting is tonight!)

Since I've already written a half-dozen articles on this subject, I'll summarize:

1. Silver Spring Drive needs help, having lost 9+ businesses over the past year and a half.  While its infrastructure will be renewed in the next 18 months, the true cancer is the lack of broad-appeal retail and service offerings on the Drive.   

2. Because of this decline, we need aggressive action to improve the district, with a strong vision for the end goal of having a thriving business district full of entities the Villagers find necessary and interesting.  The Plan Commission (and CDA) should allow or deny businesses on the basis of whether said business moves us closer to that vision.   "Aurora won't hurt" signals a terrible policy direction: we've given up.  When prime locations are vacant, the Village must ensure they are used optimally.

3.  A medical clinic is not bad for the area; It is simply a poor use of prime land.  A clinic does not fill a need for Villagers, as there are over 200 physicians in a two mile radius.   Silver Spring needs businesses that provide spill-over from one establishment to another.  People who visit doctors do so for a clear reason, because they are unwell.  This means there will be little customer spill-over, as people will see their doctor, then depart the area.   Silver Spring needs businesses that "turn night into day" adding to the economic health of the street, past 5pm, at which time, a medical clinic will be a big, dark building.

4. For these reasons, I urge the Plan Commission to understand that the granting of a conditional use for Aurora on this prime land WILL impede the normal and orderly development and specifically impede the improvement of surrounding property in the district.  

As an additional note .. I am not anti-Aurora.  I am confident they have hundreds of caring professionals serving thousands of people in the area.   I would welcome them to other locations in Whitefish Bay that aren't front and center, signature opportunities.

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If you'd like to read another letter sent to the Plan Commission, two residents have forwarded theirs for your perusal.

In today's NorthshoreNOW there was a "Public Forum" letter titled "Village could not dream of better proposal" .. which professed glowing support for the Aurora Advanced Health Clinic, to be discussed at the Plan Commission next Tuesday, April 29th. 

Seriously?  Could not dream of a better proposal?    "It is a much better proposal than boutiques that do not have a history of longevity."  

"Residents of all ages would have access in their own neighborhood to a physician.."    I had no idea the mostly well-insured residents of Whitefish Bay were so starved for health care.  One would have thought the 200+ doctors within 2 miles would be enough.  Guess not.

The author continues "..jobs would be available, and there would be no concerns about late-night hours or permits to serve alcohol."    Can you imagine the horror that would befall Whitefish Bay if there were businesses that drew people to Silver Spring after dark?  That serve booze?   Pandemonium!

And those "jobs" the writer suggests?  I got an email from a loyal reader today that might explain this...

The Public Forum letter in today's North ShoreNOW in support of the Aurora Advanced Healthcare Clinic is written by .. the wife of an Advanced Healthcare physician. She does not so indicate this in her letter.

And, if Google is correct, if this 2002 picture (page 5) is one of the author herself, it turns out she worked as a nurse at Aurora Healthcare!

Ahhhh.  Now I understand what "jobs" she's talking about.   Can you say .. conflict of interest?

There's a few items you should have on your calendar over the next 10 days:

1. Monday, April 21st is the first Village Board meeting with newly elected Trustees Julie Siegel and Thomas Fehring. The agenda is a real barn-burner!

2. This Thursday, April 24th at 7pm, Advocates for Education of WFB will host a forum entitled "The Pitfalls of Raising a Children in an Affluent Community" with featured guest Philip Chard.  The event is located on the 2nd floor of the WFB library.  You can find out more about Advocates for Education here, and read more details about the forum here.

3. Saturday, April 26th, the WFB Civic Foundation is hosting "Green Day in the Bay" .. This is a volunteer effort to spend one hour, from 9am-10am, to clean up our streets, parks, and beaches.  Contact JulErickson@sbcglobal.net or read the details here or the NOW article here.

4. Next Tuesday, April 29th is the WFB Plan Commission meeting to discuss the application for Aurora Health Care to build a medical clinic on the old Famous Footwear/Talbot's property on Silver Spring.  The agenda can be read here. 

Prediction 1:  Aurora gets their clinic.  The CDA approved it, and what Aurora wants, Aurora gets.  Who knows, though.  Maybe the seven commission members will see what an important corner-stone property it is, and hold out for something that would be welcomed.  Hope against hope.

Predictions 2-3-4: The next three major properties that are renovated on Silver Spring will have rents so high that the only viable businesses are medical clinics, pharmacy chains, and banks.  Shorewood will be so envious!

A few more items about the Aurora clinic today..

A loyal reader reported back from Aurora's meet & greet at the high school.  He stayed an hour, and estimated 7 other people drifted in.  He said they displayed a number of posters of the project which included pictures of the vacant buildings on Silver Spring .. a not-so-subtle way of Aurora saying "See?  Love us.  You have no other choice."

Next, this story caught me off guard.  In honesty, I didn't know the CDA was meeting about Aurora.  Kept thinking the Plan Commission was the (only) meeting where it'd be discussed. 

The summary of that CDA story is that they voted 6-1 that, while they preferred retail move into the old Talbot's/Famous Footwear spot "so surrounding business benefit from the foot traffic generated" .. that the "proposed medical clinic would probably not hurt the business district."

Hooray.  It "probably won't hurt the business district." --  I must agree there.

But my, how we've lowered the bar.  Makes me wonder what businesses would hurt the district.  A gas station?  Used car lot?  Hooters?  I think you could argue none of them would "hurt" the district.  (My neighbor thinks Hooters would be awesome, though.  If my wife didn't read this blog, I would agree.)

How about "Would certainly help the business district" or "Would be a great asset to Silver Spring and Whitefish Bay"  or . "A unique business Whitefish Bay needs" as guidelines?

I've received more than one email suggesting, with CVS and now Aurora, people (like me) stop trying to "block" business who want to come to Whitefish Bay.    Firstly, it's only been two.  On the same property.  Both fit similar molds, in that they don't fill a community need.  We have 3 major pharmacies within a 5 minute drive.   There are over 300 physicians within 5 miles.  Neither of these businesses move Silver Spring forward.  Neither business generate any excitement with villagers.

The argument that we should stop "blocking" .. give in .. lower the bar because what, we've been worn down?  What about the next property?  Should we just squander great potential this time, or continue to acquiesce until we've got a street full of pharmacies, banks, and clinics?

It's not far fetched to imagine the future areas that may be developed, like Zita's block, Fox Bay lot .. that they would fall to the same peril.  Expensive renovation, high assessment, high rent, and presto, citizen opposition because the only ones who can pay are the CVS and AHC type companies few are interested in.

That's where we are headed if things don't turn around, without strong partnerships between the Village, land owners, developers, and businesses.

Just a few quick items that may have slipped under the rug during the election frenzy.

The Plan Commission will have an interesting April 29th meeting. Two items:

• Sal's Pizza (of Cedarburg) is interested in opening up in the old Ciao Café spot.  This is good news, it's always good to have a pizza joint on the block.  Dine in/Take Out/Delivery. 
  
  
• Aurora Health Care is renewing its application to start a medical clinic in the old Talbot's / Famous Footwear location.    Here's where the fun starts.  As I've written a number of times Silver Spring needs a home run on that property, and Aurora isn't it.   One would hope the Plan Commission will squint at the zoning regs and come up with a reason to send AHC somewhere else. 
  
  Let's hope they read "That the establishment of the conditional use will not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property for uses permitted in the district." and apply it with some imagination of what could be there.

The Plan Commission meets on Tuesday, April 29th, 7pm, at the Village Hall.

And .. after months of working on it .. Whitefish Bay finally has a new website.  Looks pretty good.  Needs more content here and there, but it's far better than the old one.  I hope the Village uses this new site to deliver more information about what is happening in the Village. 

If you want all the election results .. here's the official report in PDF format.  It doesn't list write-in candidates, though, so I asked the Village.  The write-in candidate for School Board got 172 votes to the incumbents' 2200+ votes. 

UPDATE: Note, the Plan Commission meeting WAS April 15th.  It is now scheduled on April 29th due to a public meeting notice snafu.

I received an email today from Heather Nill, a Whitefish Bay resident who is interested in the re-development of Silver Spring.

Nill attended a meeting Thursday with Aurora, Silver Spring businesses, and several Whitefish Bay officials, and reports.  I've attained permission to reprint her email here in the blog, to give it a wider distribution.

One note before the email.. she writes "While everyone agrees it is CRUCIAL to fill that spot (Talbot's), most agree we would 'prefer' to have retail in that location, or how about that restaurant?  Some don't want Aurora at all (as communicated in today's NOW). "

My blog entry was reprinted in the Thursday paper-edition of the NorthShoreNOW, and I assume "Some don't want Aurora at all (as communicated in today's NOW)" is supposed to be a summary of my position.  -- That would not be correct.  I want Aurora, right after 14 other restaurants and retail stores open.  I want Aurora to open a clinic in a spot that isn't a prime candidate for a true home run, like the dream of a restaurant/tavern/retail complex would be.   (Pipe dream, perhaps.)  -- In the end, the Aurora Clinic is an office building that does not depend on "foot traffic" .. using prime foot-traffic property for a business that doesn't need foot traffic is an opportunity, wasted.

On with the email.  I'm always pleased to present different sides of public opinion, and Nill's balances my hesitation with Aurora, with significant optimism. 

As always, feel free to comment below.  This is a great step towards a more informed Village.

I got an email from our Village Manager that included a letter from Aurora Health Care asking that the public hearing for AHC inhabiting the old Talbots/Famous Footwear location be removed from the February 19th Plan Commission agenda.

Don't get too excited:

We look forward to bringing before the Plan Commission a more complete plan for a distinctive clinic that will offer important health care services close to home .. and contribute to a vibrant Silver Spring business district.  In the weeks ahead we will continue to reach out to village merchants, building owners, neighboring residents and others.  These conversations will help us craft the kind of project that village residents will embrace.

In other words .. AHC doesn't want to go into the Plan Commission half cocked.  They'll bring in consultants and lawyers and architects.  Probably a puppet show for any children in the audience.  All to convince us that a health clinic would be super duper.

I've received comments about how people perceive my reluctance for this Clinic, and want to clarify.  I'm not against having a health clinic on Silver Spring.  I'm not against Aurora.   However.  The Famous Footwear/Talbots spot is a huge opportunity.  HUGE.  It's the only large parcel currently completely available on Silver Spring. 

In baseball terms, Silver Spring needs a triple or a home run on that spot.  As I wrote a few weeks ago, any new business should be evaluated on the basis of several factors.  Uniqueness, Customer Count, Customer Spillover, Regional Reach, Night-time effect, and X-factor Enthusiasm.  The Aurora Health Clinic scores very low on that scale .. it's not awful, but it's about 15th on the list of things Silver Spring needs.

So if Aurora's big scheme is to try and make nice with the natives, dress up the building .. give us all a free MRI .. it's not going to change the fact that it's still a bad choice for a big opportunity.  Nothing personal, Aurora. 

I suppose they should get points for not just ramming it through, which they probably could.

Unfortunately, Whitefish Bay is stuck. There isn't a consensus on the Village Board to act aggressively act upon Silver Spring.  I assume this landlord is trying their best, but without a partnership with WFB, and yes, public TIF money, they are interested in any tenant who can pay the rent.   This means, the chance of getting that home run, is very small. 

2008 will be an interesting year for Silver Spring.   With the US and regional economy stuttering .. and, in theory, Silver Spring ripped up for streetscaping, further depressing business ..plus no aggressive moves by the Village to recruit business .. watch out for more store closures.

Who knows.  By 2009, Silver Spring may be so empty, we'll beg Aurora to come back.

It's official.  Whitefish Bay has received a Conditional Use Permit for the Famous Footwear/Talbot's site by "Aurora Advanced Healthcare," presumably to create a "Clinic" on that property.

In an email to interested parties, Village Manager Jim Grassman has written that "it is important to recognize that the ability of the Village to control the use of property that is already zoned commercial is limited to the review of additional standards that are set forth in the Zoning Code."  

I think that means that the Zoning Code does not provide any element whereby the Plan Commission can deny it based on "Well, this really isn't what we'd like here."

There are a few elements that could provide wiggle room from the code:   "That the establishment .. will not be detrimental to ...  general welfare." or "That uses, values and enjoyment of other property in the neighborhood .. shall be in no foreseeable manner substantially impaired or diminished .. and is compatible with the use of adjacent properties and businesses."

Or maybe "That the establishment of the conditional use will not impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property for uses permitted in the district."

One could argue that a Health Clinic, instead of something more beneficial to Silver Spring's redevelopment could "impede the normal and orderly development.." of surrounding businesses.

Maybe.

Anyhow, this will all go down on 7:00pm on Tuesday, Feb. 19 at Village Hall during the Plan Commission hearing. Interested residents are able to appear to provide "formal input" into the decision. 

From a personal perspective, I would say that the Plan Commission should do everything in its power to interpret the Code to the advantage of what's in the best interest for the re-development of Silver Spring, a district that's been riddled with business closures due mainly to a poor mix of retail businesses.  An Aurora Health Clinic will not advance this important cause.

While the community talks about a variety of Silver Spring parcels that "could" be redeveloped, this spot is the ONLY one that's actually vacant and big enough to entertain property improvement that could substantially help our immediate need. 

Furthermore, the Village Board should continue the process they started in October, and proceed with Eminent Domain on that property.  It's a signature parcel and the village should control it to the optimal benefit of the district.

Ideas on how to stop this?  Comment below!  I know you're out there, reading this blog.  Add to the conversation.