The proposed grocery store in West Racine is headed for a buzzsaw of opposition this week.
The Access Corridor Review Board is set to take up Tousis's $4.2 million project on Thursday. The committee, which is advisory to the city's Plan Commission, is stacked with opposition.
Opponents include Alderman Jim Spangenberg, who has publicly fought the project for several months, Dave Namowicz, president of the Douglas Avenue Business Improvement District who has been quietly angling against the project, and Mitch Wemmert, owner of Mitch & Marty's gas station, which competes with Tousis' Better Day BP on Douglas Avenue.
Other members of the committee include: Chief Building Inspector Rick Heller, Aldermen David Maack, Jim Kaplan and Michael Shields, Linea Anthony, Randy Aukland, Steve Joosten, Frank Smith, Kelly Jensen, and Mark Madsen.
The three opponents could cause problems for Tousis's proposal, but they can't outright kill the project.
The Access Corridor board focuses on projects in the city's main corridors - including Washington Avenue and Douglas Avenue - and determines if they're a good fit for what are, essentially, the welcome mats to Racine. Members will vote on Tousis's project, but the Plan Commission, chaired by Alderman Greg Helding Mayor John Dickert, doesn't have to take their recommendation.
The same goes for the City Council and the Plan Commission. The council, which has final say, can go against the Plan Commission, though it's rare, particularly if the commission votes against a proposal.
So in that sense, Access Corridor could sway the Plan Commission, which could sway the council, which will decide if the West Racine grocery store, restaurant and gas station move forward.
That sets up a showdown between Tousis and three of his critics - public or otherwise - at Thursday's meeting. Should make for some interesting exchanges.
A new restaurant in Uptown may also have a coffee shop, the owner said Wednesday.
Gerald Bester, who plans to open "Gerald's" restaurant at 1501 Washington Ave. next spring, told the Plan Commission he's close to securing a deal with a Milwaukee's Stone Creek Coffee to open a cafe for the site.
The cafe would add morning hours to Bester's plan, with Gerald's opening daily at 7 a.m. The coffee shop would close daily at 7 p.m., while the restaurant stays open until 11 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 10 p.m. on Sunday.
The Plan Commission approved the additional hours as part of Bester's conditional use permit for the site, which is the former home of "The Bank," and "The Vault." The permit now needs final approval from the City Council.
Body Oasis Massage
A body and foot massage business is moving into Regency Mall.
Hua Ying Sun is planning to open Body Oasis Massage in the former D.O.C. Optical store in the mall. The store will be Sun's second. He also runs a massage business at the mall in Fond du Lac.
Curt Pruitt, manager of Regency Mall, visited Sun's Fond du Lac shop. He described the business as an open and appropriate service. All massages are fully clothed in chairs or on a table. Cloth screens may be used to divide people using the service or to block the front window.
Sun estimated between 10 and 20 people use the service daily in Fond du Lac.
The Plan Commission approved a permit for Sun's business on Wednesday. It now needs City Council approval.
Taylor Home
The commission approved a residential facility for developmentally disabled adults in two buildings on the Taylor Home campus at 3131 Taylor Ave.
JML Healthcare Services LLC will run the program, which will accommodate up to 16 adults. Audrey Viau, chairwoman of the Village of Elmwood Park, said no one objected to the residential facility during a public hearing Tuesday night.
"We're looking forward to having them," Viau said.
J. Michael Grasso, of JML Healthcare, said eight residents will attend a shelter workshop - like Careers Industries - during the day, and eight are more severely disabled and will require more intensive care. All 16 will be supervised 24 hours a day, Grasso said.
The commission approved JML Healthcare's permit, which now moves to the full council for approval.
A proposal designed to encourage more city, county and Racine Unified employees to build homes in the city is being sent back to the drawing board for revisions.
Aldermen Aron Wisneski and Terry McCarthy had proposed giving employees tax breaks and free or reduced priced lots if they agree to build a new home in the city.
But McCarthy said during Wednesday's Plan Commission meeting that that tax component of the idea was legally unworkable. Under the law all properties in the city have to be treated the same, he explained.
The setback doesn't necessarily doom the program. The city can still give away land for new homes at reduced prices and McCarthy asked city staff to study other incentives they can offer people to build new homes.
McCarthy also said he was open to including more people - possibly anyone interested in moving to the city - in the incentive program, and expanding the program to include renovations along with new construction. Adding renovations to the program would be a major expansion. Right now the city only has has four or lots that would qualify for new construction, according to City Development Director Brian O'Connell.
Eric Marcus, a member of the Plan Commission, said he strongly supported opening up the program to more people.
"I'm a strong proponent of not limiting this to city, county and RUSD," Macus said. "Let's open it to anyone who wants this."
Plan Commission member Elaine Sutton Ekes said the city needed to consider the broader question of whether the program amounted to using public resources for private benefit.
The Plan Commission voted to defer action on the proposal. McCarthy said he and would Wisneski would continue working on the idea with city staff and hopefully work out a new proposal to bring back to the committee.
The Plan Commission voted Wednesday to give Lincoln Lutheran of Racine another year to build high-end condos at 3720 North Main St.
Carolyn Seeger, senior vice president at Lincoln Lutheran, said in a letter to the commission that the economy hurt the project. She wrote:
At this point, we have many people interested in the concept of Woodland Pointe Condominiums, however, many are not willing to take a risk that they can sell their home timely in this economy. Not to mention the hits their investments have taken as we all know.
The starting price for a condo in the new building is $347,000, Seeger wrote. Lincoln Lutheran needs eight confirmed reservations to proceed with construction; so far there are two. The city approved the development on June 17, 2008, with the stipulation that work begins within the year.
The Plan Commission voted Wednesday to give Lincoln Lutheran another year.
Alderman Greg Helding, who sits on the Plan Commission, said Wednesday the commission supports the project and understands the effect the economy is having on new construction. "It's a good project," he said, "it's just not the right time."
High Rollers Motorcycle Club
The Higher Rollers Motorcycle Club will need the approval of another city board before it gets the blessing of the Plan Commission.
Commission members deferred action on the High Rollers' (not to be confused with the High Riders Motorcycle Club) request until their proposal passes the city's Access Corridor Development Review Board.
The High Rollers are seeking a conditional-use permit to for a meeting hall at 1333 Douglas Ave. between Barker and Hubbard streets. The club is not seeking an alcohol license for the hall.
Olympia Brown
The commission deferred action on re-designating Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, 625 College Ave., a historic landmark. The move is largely procedural given that the church was named a landmark in 1976. But the building technically doesn't fall under a preservation ordinance passed in 2005. The re-designation would align the building with the most recent ordinance.
Helding said the commission delayed action on the vote over confusion on what, exactly, the new designation would mean. Once the questions are worked out by city staff, the proposal will head back to the commission for review.
Olympia Brown has a long history in Racine. From the church's website:
Our congregation was one of the earliest churches in Racine, being founded in 1842, and called "The Universalist Society of Racine." In 1878 the Rev. Olympia Brown came to our church and served as its minister until 1887. Olympia Brown, ordained in 1863, was the first woman in the United States to be ordained by a regularly established denomination.
The developer of a proposed $7 million low-income housing project appeared at a key meeting Monday by speaker phone. City staff pointed the above microphone at the speaker to amplify the developer's voice. The commission rejected the proposal.
UPDATE, Feb. 3: With no debate, the City Council voted 14-0 to accept yesterday's Planning Commission's recommendation, formally killing what Alderman Greg Helding called "the infamous West Racine project." In the public comment section of the council meeting, five citizens spoke against the project, and one presented another 200 signatures on a petition opposing it.
Original post:
The Plan Commission, at the urging of a grassroots neighborhood movement, knocked out a proposed $7 million affordable housing development proposed for West Racine.
The commission voted unanimously Monday afternoon to deny the 55-unit apartment complex, which included commercial development.
The North Carolina-based developer did little to help its case at Monday’s meeting when it failed to send a representative to the meeting. An employee chimed in on a conference call, but dodged a poignant question claiming only another employee could answer it. Not exactly helping out concerns that you’ll be absentee landlords, folks.
The proposal moves ahead to the City Council, but is likely DOA. Chalk one up for participatory democracy. Dozens of opponents packed a public hearing last week to oppose the project. They turned in a petition with over 200 names on it objecting to the low-income apartments, and swayed a commission that appeared to be leaning in favor of the proposal.
Not that this is good news for the city. The vote puts developers and planners back to square one on a piece of (supposedly) prime real estate in one of the city’s most prosperous neighborhoods. It also means a loss of about $150,000 in property taxes, which could go to paying down the $2 million in debt needed to demolish buildings for redevelopment.
Here’s a recap of the meeting: 4:04 p.m. City Council President David Maack calls the meeting to order. It’s his last Plan Commission meeting. He’ll hand over the gavel to Tom Friedel after Tuesday night’s City Council meeting. Maack reminds the crowd of about 30 there’s no comment during the meeting. Roll Call: Four members are here, but no Judley Wyant.
4:05 p.m.
Matt Sadowski, of the city planning department, is trying to get the developer on speaker phone … and there she is. It’s an odd sight. One of the City Council microphones is pointed down at a speaker to amplify the developer’s voice. I think the company knows this is a lost cause.
4:07 p.m.
Alderman Greg Helding asks for city staff’s recommendation. Sawdoski reads it off … staff recommends approval. So that sets up the showdown: the city’s development professionals vs. a riled up group of West Racine residents.
Aldermen Aron Wisneski, Sandy Weidner, Bob Anderson, Robert Mozol and Jim Spangenberg are in attendance. So is County Supervisor Van Wangaard.
4:11 p.m.
Helding moves to deny the project’s conditional-use permit (the commission is actually voting on giving the developer a permit to build on the land). Crickets. No one seconds the motion.
4:11 p.m.
Plan Commission member Brent Oglesby has some questions for the developer. Oglesby was for the proposal at the last meeting. (Wyant walks in.)
Oglesby asks the developer to prove they can’t build a smaller development and still make money. He points out they’re not putting in any of their own cash, because they’re using state tax credits to fund the project.
The developer, Heather Hammond, hems and haws about the numbers and then says she wishes “Jim” was available, because he could explain it. But Jim’s not here, and the question goes unanswered.
Oglesby then wonders if the developer actually has the money they say they have. Here’s the deal: the state tax credits this year are worth a lot less than tax credits from previous years. Why? Because everyone is losing so much money there’s no need to invest in credits that are essentially a tax write-off. Essentially, real losses mean there’s no need for fake losses.
The developer says they have a national network of investors who will cover the project’s cost. Oglesby openly shakes his head in disbelief, which is funny because the developer can’t see him.
4:15 p.m.
Helding again moves to deny the request. He wants to say why, but he needs a second. Oglesby seconds, recluctantly.
Helding says the development is too dense and there’s not enough parking. He says parking is an issue, because West Racine may fill up one day and need a lot of parking. (It’ll be interesting to see how important parking is if a 55-unit condo or senior housing development is proposed for the same site.)
Helding adds there’s already too much rental housing in the city, and points out that residents seem pretty strongly opposed to this.
“We have these public hearings for a reason … they can’t just be symbolic,” he says.
4:17 p.m.
Commission member Elaine Ekes-Sutton is worried the development is too dense. She says the idea is good, there’s just too many apartments. She’ll vote no.
4:18 p.m.
Oglesby says he’ll vote no. That’s a change from last week. He encourages the developer to resubmit a smaller plan, saying the state may give out two or three rounds of WHEDA tax credits this year. “I would not take this as a death shot,” he said.
4:19 p.m.
Wyant asks: Is this the best the city can do, or will something better come along? He thinks something better will come along.
4:20 p.m.
It’s unanimous. The commission votes against the conditional-use permit. The City Council could overturn the commission’s decision Tuesday night, but it’s probably won’t. The project may not get a single vote.
4:21 p.m.
That’s it. We’re adjourned. You have to wonder if this project fares better if Mayor Becker was still around. I suspect he backed this project and wanted to get things moving in West Racine. After all, a vacant lot with $2+ million in debt isn’t exactly a help to the city budget. (It’s also worth noting high-quality low-income housing is needed in the city. There are thousands of hard-working families in the city who make between $23,000 and $43,000 a year who could use a decent place to raise children or just come home to.)
But Becker is gone, no one was willing to standup for the project, and now it’s kaput.
The City Plan Commission voted Wednesday evening to put off a decision on a 55-unit affordable housing development in West Racine at Washington Avenue and West Boulevard. Here’s a blow-by-blow account of a contentious public hearing at the commission’s meeting:
4:08 p.m.
Someone is parking in the “Reserved for Mayor” parking spot outside of City Hall. It’s curious, because we don’t have a mayor. It’s not even fill-in mayor David Maack’s car. Hmm …
4:18 p.m.
David Maack calls Plan Commission to order. About 60 people are in the crowd. More are trickling in.
4:19 p.m.
The commission votes to go into closed session to consult with legal counsel. They retreat to the mayor’s office to meet. The crowd is up to at least 80 people.
4:32 p.m.
The commission returns and votes to table some sort of request involving the establishment of an outlet at 4700 Washington Ave. They just want to plug in a lamp! (Oh, not that kind of outlet.)
4:36 p.m.
An ordinance involving historical guidelines is passed, but it needs more approvals. Alderman/Mayor candidate Greg Helding upsets PETA by saying; “There’s more kicks at the cat, so to speak, before it’s done.”
4:39 p.m.
MalekMusaitef wants to open a daycare center at 1630 Douglas Avenue. Seems pretty straight forward, and the commission approves the permit. Oops, I typed too quickly. Commission member Elaine Sutton-Ekes amends the proposal – something about landscaping – but the commission still approves it unanimously.
4:44 p.m.
The Commission rolls on with business while a standing-room only crowd waits for the public hearing, which was scheduled to begin at 4:30 p.m. Couldn’t the commission have gone into closed session after the public hearing?
4:45 p.m.
Now they’re talking about a procedural change that affects few, if any, people. It passes.
4:46 p.m.
Public hearing is underway … let’s get it on! Maack lays out the rules, and then tells the group the Commission will lose its quorum at 6:15 p.m. How’s that for public servants! (And, no, apparently they couldn’t put off that closed session.)
4:48 p.m.
Quick overview of the proposal. It seems like a decent development, but a lot of people are opposed. We’re about to find out why.
4:49 p.m.
More slides. It is a pleasant-looking development for the corner of Washington and West Boulevard. Three-story buildings with stores on the first floor and apartments above.
4:50 p.m.
There are two more buildings between Grove Avenue and West Boulevard that are a little more imposing. Hardly offensive, though. Or aren’t they?
4:51 p.m.
We’re looking at 66,646 square-feet on 27 percent of the available space. The development could be four times bigger under city ordinance.
4:52 p.m.
That’s a problem. Ordinance only allows for 27 units above the first floor, and the developers want 55 units. It also requires 129 parking spots. First rule in fighting a development: challenge the parking.
4:53 p.m.
Heather Hammond, from Landmark Development, the North Carolina company that hopes to the build the $7 million project, is up. She says people making between $28,000 and $43,000 will be able to live in the apartments, which include new appliances, balconies, pre-wired for cable, ceiling fans, A/C, etc. Rents range from $500 for a 1-bedroom to $700 for three-bedroom, which she says is a good price for hard-working people.
Hammond adds the neighborhood has a bunch of old houses, and it could use some new construction. Landmark is the group to do it, because it has an award-winning track record on property management. In short, the company will take care of the property because it wants to make money. It’s also scaled back the development from 73 units to 55 units, but can’t go any smaller and come out ahead. They also can’t add more than 83 parking spaces, and they need approval quick because of a Feb. 16 deadline for state (WHEDA) tax credits.
“Our plan will bring life back into the block,” Hammond said, pointing out it’s now a gravel lot.
5:00 p.m.
Brian O’Connell is up. He backs the project, saying it’s the culmination of four years of work on the part of the city’s Redevelopment Authority. He goes through the timeline of what it took to knock down old buildings to make way for new development on the site.
5:01 p.m.
The crowd is near 100.
5:02 p.m.
O’Connell is defending Landmark. He’s happy with their plan, and wants it passed.
5:03 p.m.
Here comes the public comment portion of the public hearing. Maack reminds the standing-room crowd that the commission will lose quorum at 6:15 p.m. Commission member JudleyWyantisn’t in attendance tonight. I’m not sure who else has to leave. 5:04 p.m.
First speaker comes out in favor of the proposal. He wants to confront rising crime in the area with new development. He says Landmark is a good manager who won’t allow the property to spin out of control.
5:07 p.m.
Greg Thompson, of Bukacek Construction, supports the project. He points out it’s been a rough year on the construction industry. Bukacek has laid off employees, and their backlog is 50 to 75 percent below what it was last year. He points out Landmark is taking a $7 million risk on West Racine. The company will protect its investment.
5:10 p.m.
The commission didn’t set a time limit on speakers. It’s hard to know if Maack forgot, or if there is no time limit on public hearings. With the 6:15 p.m. deadline looming, could we see a filibuster?
5:11 p.m.
Maack asks the audience not to talk during the hearing.
5:11 p.m
Lawrence Gray, a West Racine resident, speaks in favor. “We’re not moving forward, we’re probably slipping backward a little bit,” Gray says about the neighborhood.
He adds the neighborhood can handle more rental units, and points out a condo building may be nice there, but it hasn’t happened. His one caution: don’t design long communal hallways like Jacato Drive. People don’t like those.
5:14 p.m.
Dick Hinsman, the owner of Hinsman Realty, is talking. He says he invested $500,000 in West Racine years ago without help, a shot at the WHEDA-funded project. He says the project doesn’t fit West Racine’s two-story architecture, strains parking and doesn’t have space for children to play. “I’m totally opposed to this,” he says.
Hinsman then offered to sell his building to the city if the project is approved. “I’m very serious,” he said. “I didn’t invest a half-million dollars to see something like this happen to me.”
Audience cheers Hinsman.
5:18 p.m.
Next speaker is opposed. He thinks it’s too cramped for the area. More applause. Maack asks the crowd not to clap because it takes into time, but then proceeds to take up a whole minute himself.
5:21 p.m.
Next speaker is upset more people weren’t notified about the project. He’s also opposed. No one claps.
5:23 p.m.
Wayne Clingman, a local online activist/blogger/radio host, says the apartment can’t be managed and that it will spin out of control. Somehow he ties the development to Film Wisconsin (just a little tweak, Wayne).
5:25 p.m.
A speaker passes.
5:25 p.m.
Josh Johnson is for the project. He says Landmark has a good reputation and will do a good job. “If things don’t change, that crime everyone is talking about will creep into the neighborhood,” he said.
He added the development will contribute to the city’s tax base and notes there’s a park nearby.
5:27 p.m.
A woman is speaking now. I think she’s opposed, but it’s not clear. “It has always taken a two-income family to live in West Racine,” she says.
OK, now she wants a park on the site. Or a pet cemetery. Or the city to knock down Rubberville and build the development there.
She’s the second person to bring up the lost Piggly Wiggly grocery store in West Racine.
5:31 p.m.
Kristin Niemic, from RAMAC, is talking. She’s in favor, noting it hits with the city’s plans for the corridor.
5:34 pm.
A woman is talking now about how nice it is to walk around West Racine. She’s in favor of the project, because the neighborhood needs investment. “It’s important to move forward,” she says.
5:36 p.m.
The guy who bought the other half of Dick Hinsman’s building is opposed. He says there are too many apartments on the site, and he’s concerned about the lack of green space.
5:38 p.m.
A called speaker doesn’t show.
5:38 p.m.
A Racine landlord who lives in Mount Pleasant is talking. But he’s opposed to the project. He says it’s not the appropriate use for the land. Worried about competition?
Yup. He says the WHEDA grant is subsidized housing that will compete with the market he’s trying to reach with his apartment.
5:42 p.m.
A woman is upset word didn’t get out on the project. She collected 200 signatures opposed to the development in the freezing cold. Alderman Greg Helding jumps up to take the petition from her.
She’s the second speaker to mention Jacato Drive, and not in a good way.
She says the city should wait for a better development.
5:45 p.m.
County Board supervisor Van Wangaard is up. He’s opposed, pointing out there’s a lot of apartments for rent in the area. He’d rather see a grocery store (Piggly Wiggly?) or a restaurant, going on record as supporting a liquor license for the area. He also says better notices need to be given for proposed developments.
5:50 p.m.
25 minutes to the loss of quorum …
5:50 p.m.
A guy says he owns two rental properties and can take 100 applications before he finds one acceptable tenant. He figures Landmark will take marginal renters to fill up the place, which could lead to problem behavior.
5:52 p.m.
A firefighter is up now, he’s opposed and is concerned a fire truck won’t fit to save people from balconies. It’s likely city planners took that into account when reviewing the plan.
5:54 p.m.
Next speaker is opposed. He says low-income housing in Rubberville causes problems, low-income residents don’t have car insurance, there’s no place for kids to play, it won’t raise his property value and it will increase litter. “Mixing have-nots with haves could be a problem,” he says with a straight face.
5:57 p.m.
Another mention of Jacato Drive, and, again, not in a good way. This guy also uses the word hellhole, hookers and lipstick (and ribbon) on a pig. “I better quit here before I get too pissed off,” he says.
5:59 p.m.
Speaker says he’s undecided, but wants to know if 55 units are necessary. He doesn’t think so. He’d rather see a restaurant and more commercial space.
6:01 p.m.
The next speaker lives near the development. She sees Hinsman shoveling his walks in the morning, and she shovels sidewalks even though she doesn’t have to. She’s opposed for all the big reasons: parking, safety, property value.
6:03 p.m.
Are we out of speakers? No, looks like one more … and he’s “totally opposed.” He says Landmark may be decent, but they’ll eventually sell the property to a less reputable management company. “If you don’t believe that, you still believe in the Easter Bunny,” he said. He’d rather see an Applebee’s there.
6:05 p.m.
Names of people who submitted an opinion, but didn’t want to speak, are read into the record. Four more people are opposed … and two of them did want to speak. Sure enough, they’re opposed.
6:08 p.m.
The public hearing is closed.
6:09 p.m.
Alderman Terry McCarthy now gets a turn. He says the feedback he’s received is 50-50 on the project. He wants to know what happens if the apartments fill? Will the standards drop? And, are vouchers allowed?
6:10 p.m.
A flurry of activity at the end here.
Hammond was called up to answer McCarthy’s questions. She says the housing does fall under Section 42 housing, which means vouchers from the government. The crowd mumbles disapproval.
Then she says rents won’t be lowered, but surprises Maack by saying the apartments will be made available to residents making between $23,000 and $42,000 per year. Maack said he believed the average would be around $42,000. Hammond says that’s always been the upper end of the scale.
6:15 p.m.
The commission is close to losing quorum. Apparently it’s Helding and Maack who have to leave for personal reasons. They talk about deferring the decision, but O’Connell jumps in and says that could jeopardize the project because of a Feb. 16 deadline.
Heldingisn’t impressed. “We didn’t schedule this thing to come before us two weeks before the deadline,” he says.
The commission starts discussion, but it’s clear they’re going to run out of time.
Sutton-Ekes starts discussion by saying the commission’s job is to review land use, not make judgments on the people who are moving into the apartments.
Member Brent Oglesby, who lives near the project, then jumps in and says he supports the proposal, but he has some questions about parking. He adds that he’s a real estate developer, which may sway him toward supporting the project.
The commission is now out of time. It votes unanimously to hold a special meeting on Monday, Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. to make a decision.
Just before things wrap up, Helding tells the crowd that the proposal is pretty much the only one that’s come before the city. While people want a restaurant or a grocery store, no developer wants to build a restaurant or a grocery store there.
“It isn’t this or a grocery store, or this or a restaurant,” he said. “It’s this until somebody else comes along with a different idea.”
That comment went over OK, but then Helding threw in this aside:
“We’re not turning away a grocery store. The reason the grocery store left is it didn’t get enough business.”
That set off the crowd, which broke out into open jeers. One man started screaming at Helding that the old Piggly Wiggly was one of the chain’s top producing stores. Maack started banging his gavel and ruled the man out of order.
Things calmed down, the commission adjourned and now they’ll take up the matter on Monday.
A group home for at-risk teenage girls may be shut down by the city because of repeated incidents involving Racine police.
The city Plan Commission will consider a proposal tonight to shutdown the Lydia Group home at 3131 Taylor Ave. (click for map) Sgt. William Macemeon, of the Racine Police Department, said in a report to the comission that third-shift police officers have responded to 17 complaints at the group home for runaways and disorderly conduct since Oct. 1. All of the complaints have involved the same three girls, ages 15, 15 and 13.
The group home is tied to the Milwaukee County Court System and the girls are supervised by Milwaukee County case workers. Even though the girls have violated the terms of their placement at the group home, their case workers and the head of the group have not requested that they be removed to a secured environment, Macemon said.
Assistant Police Chief Steve Hurley reported that he spoke with a supervisor at the group home and asked them to call Lt. Al Days to discuss a solution to the repeated calls to the facility. The supervisor had not contacted Days as of Oct. 23.
City staff is recommending the group home be closed. The Plan Commission is scheduled to vote on the proposal today at 4:15 p.m.
Chris and Aleisha Djuricic are seeking permission from the city to open a recording studio at 2415 Douglas Ave. (see map below). The Djuricics need the property to be rezoned and need a conditional use permit to operate the studio.
Claim denied
The city denied the claim of Maria Rodriquez, of Summit Ave., who wanted $250 to fix a lawn mower that was damaged after hitting a raised water service shut-off box. The City Council rejected her request, saying the city did not know a problem existed with the shut-off box.
Claim approved
The city paid HM Investments $7,334.68 to reimburse the costs of repairing a sewer main next to 1918 Slauson Ave. The city confirmed the wye connection to the main was broken.
New police vehicle
The Personnel and Finance Committee agreed to spend up to $50,00 to replace the Police Department's personnel transport vehicle for the Special Investigation Unit. Police Chief Kurt Wahlen said the 1995 Chevy van currently in use needed to be replaced.
A Starbucks with driveup may be going in near Regency Mall at 2805 S. Green Bay Road. Dave Herbeck, of Clubhouse on Wisconsin, is applying for a conditional use permit to operate the coffee house chain. It would replace the Joe To Go, which operated at the same address.
If approved, it would be the third Starbucks, and fourth coffee shop, between Durand Avenue and Washington Avenue. There's a Starbucks near Washington Ave and S. Green Bay Road, the Barnes & Noble at S. Green Bay Road and Durand Avenue sells Starbucks and across the intersection there's a Caribou Coffee with a drive up.
Two new night clubs on Sixth Street are trying to work their way through the city approval process.
The city Plan Commission will consider a teen dance club called "The Bricks" at its meeting on Wednesday. Michael Rosales wants to open the club at 522 6th St., which is the former Century Market (see map below). Rosales brought the idea to the commission's meeting on Sept. 27. The dance club would be open to 16 to 20 year olds on Thursdays and Fridays until 10:45 p.m. Security staff and police would be hired to control the crowds.
The commission deferred action on the proposal and directed Rosales to come up with a business plan and further map out how he would use the building. The proposal comes back to the Plan Commission on Wednesday.
On Monday, the City Council's Public Safety Committee deferred action on a liquor license for Tinita's, a proposed salsa club at 500 Sixth St. A lawyer representing the night club was unable to attend the meeting. The committee is expected to take up the item at its next meeting in two weeks.
