Walker targets UWM's Downer Woods. Why?

It was a gloomy morning. Although it began with a light snowfall that might have been lovely, by the time I reached Downer Woods the snow had turned to drizzle and the overcast sky dimmed. Despite the undeniably dreary day, however, the gloom I felt had more to do with the news than the weather.

Since I live clear across town in Wauwatosa I don’t go to Downer Woods often. But when I heard the news I was impelled to do the things that come naturally to me: to walk in the woods and make photographs. The news? Governor Walker’s latest budget proposal includes a provision to remove protection of the “the sole remaining natural area on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee”—in the words of the very Wisconsin Code that established that protection.

As I walked beneath the leafless trees I wondered whether Scott Walker had ever been to Downer Woods.

The code goes on to say this of the woods: “…Its preservation and enhancement is consistent with the university's recognition of its need to protect and enhance its own physical environment, and to serve the pressing human need of its faculty, students and staff, as well as the greater Milwaukee community, to live and work in an urban environment which respects those portions of unspoiled nature which yet exist. The woods is a unique asset; it provides visual relief to the concentrated building pattern surrounding it, complements the urban landscape and affords aesthetically and psychologically attractive places for people to congregate and relax. In addition, the woods serves as a refuge for wildlife and vegetation, and is, therefore, an important educational, scientific and ecological resource to the university and the community.”

The provision concludes: “Its presence imparts priceless recreational and aesthetic values.”

No matter how many times I read that paragraph, I can’t for the life of me fathom what part of it could be objectionable. In fact, bureaucratese rarely articulates the value of urban natural areas as clearly as this. Who wouldn’t want to protect and enhance their own physical environment? Well, I guess we know the answer.

Furthermore, this proposal comes from a governor who, far from walking in any Wisconsin woods, has been spending more time outside the state lately for his unannounced campaign. Imagine natural areas all over the country that might be sacrificed if his relentless drive towards higher office were achieved.

I’ve objected to many of the governor’s choices relating to the environment, from his selection of the DNR director to relaxation of regulations to benefit mining companies. But if I do the mental gymnastics required to see those policies from the dark side of the looking glass there is at least some recognizable logic. Where is the logic in singling out an 11-acre oasis on a university campus? It would seem petty if it weren’t so patently destructive.

I can imagine only two motives: someone influential will benefit economically from the development of the land or the governor considers this a twisted kind of retribution for political opposition. But I readily concede that the governor’s motive may exceed my powers of imagination.

It doesn’t take long to walk from one corner of the woods to the other. Footprints in the new fallen snow indicate that even on gloomy days the opportunity to enjoy nature is appreciated by the community of students and neighbors. I shoot a number of photographs. Inevitably, they reflect the somber mood of the day.

I imagine this scenery in spring. And hope generations of students who live in the tall dormitory towers next to Downer Woods will be able to appreciate its priceless recreational and aesthetic values.

For other perspectives and broader analyses of this issue, go to
"Walker budget targets Downer Woods" at Urban Milwaukee.
"Walker budget deletes preservation of UWM Downer Woods, historic buildings" at The Political Environment.
"Pervasive Walker budget leads every countty to search  for its own 'Downer Woods'" from Dom's Domain.

Into white: A photographic circuit of the Milwaukee County Grounds

A recent snowfall drew me outside and, not wanting to drive in it, I went for a long walk in one of my favorite haunts, the County Grounds. I was amazed, not by the beauty of the landscape, which long experience has continually reaffirmed, but by how many people there were out there also enjoying it. More often than not, upon seeing me with my camera and tripod, I would hear the question repeated nearly verbatim: "Have you gotten any good pictures?" They are always well-intentioned but the implications seemed to be that it would be hard to miss and that I would be an incompetent fool not to have done so. I always smile and say something noncommittal like "I believe I might have."

One particularly enthusiastic fellow, after the inevitable question, added "There are some good ones over there," pointing up the hill where I was headed. As if photographs were simply out there like ripe apples waiting to be picked from the trees. And, indeed, I believe I did get a few good ones, at least good enough to share. Enjoy!

Approaching the east detention basin from Hoyt Park.

Revelers sledding on the steeply sloped berm of the east basin.

Two roads diverged in a wood and I..., I took the one without tire tracks making troughs in the deep snow.

Dog walkers on one of the popular trails through the woods behind Ronald McDonald House.

The endangered oak savanna.

The Grove. This copse is behind the We Energies power plant and was the inspiration for the winter solstice story I wrote for Urban Wilderness: Exploring a Metropolitan Watershed.

Port-a-potty. This is also behind the power plant, at the edge of a parking lot between the copse and the plant.

UWM's Accelerator building on the Innovation Park campus, enclosed but still under construction.

An icy tree in front of the ABB building, also under construction at Innovation Park. One of the many newly planted trees along Discovery Parkway.

The Eschweiler complex, visible through the steel pilings that are being driven along Watertown Plank Road to support the new interchange under construction there.

A view towards the We Energies power plant and the Milwaukee Regional Medical Complex from the recently re-landscaped County Grounds park.

Children's Hospital is just visible through the windrow of oaks along Swan Boulevard next to the east detention basin.

I hope I was able to pick a few good apples, though some were probably not what my fellow travelers that day had in mind. Thoreau said, "The perception of beauty is a moral test." This is ever true in the urban wilderness and all the more reason to keep the little of it we have left to us.

Wauwatosa Common Council to act on TIF for County Grounds

The Wauwatosa Common Council is set to debate and decide this Tuesday whether or not to grant a TIF--tax incremental financing district--to support plans by the UWM Real Estate Foundation and the Mandel Group for residential development around the Eschweiler Buildings.

The importance of this decision for the fate of the beleaguered historic structures and the Monarch Trail habitat surrounding them, as well as for the development plans, has been outlined in an op-ed article in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The authors of the article are Barb Agnew and Jim Price, founders of the Monarch Trail and indefatigable supporters of habitat preservation on the County Grounds.

Click here to read "An important vote in Tosa for UWM plans."

County Grounds: What can you do?

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Although, as of this writing, it is snowed over in places, there is a fence line now that indicates the amount of land that will be used for Innovation Park.

My recent post about the tree cutting that was done on the County Grounds generated more response than any previous blog post. The reactions expressed in those responses ranged from anguish to anger. Clearly a lot of people care deeply about what happens on the County Grounds.

Along with the outpouring of emotions, many questions were raised. Chief among them was, “What can I do?”

The short answer is, Participate. There are two Wauwatosa Common Council committee meetings scheduled this week, the Plan Commission and the Budget and Finance Committee. Both will allow public comments. If you can’t attend, write to the aldermen and city officials. Details below. 

Witnessing the tree cutting was painful for many people. Be prepared for a similar shock when construction begins in earnest. But there are still opportunities to make your voice heard.

Credit: HGA Architecture/GRAEF

There are many moving parts to the proposed development and some of them have been changed and are to be presented to the Wauwatosa Plan Commission for approval. One aspect of the new proposal is particularly troubling. The 2010 UWM Innovation Park Master Plan (above) shows a distinct separation between the residential developments around the Eschweiler complex on the north and the rest of the campus.

This separation served several important functions. It was to be a bioswale, which helps manage stormwater runoff. The bioswale also would help to maintain a healthy habitat to support wildlife. Just as important, it preserves one of the most magnificent features of this site, an open view across the high point of the entire Count Grounds. (Future residents may have their own reasons for preferring a green space between their apartments and the business park.)

The new proposal (below) has sited a pair of buildings in the former location of the bioswale and added connecting driveways to the residential zone. The reasoning that is given is that the new HWY 45 exit ramp to be built as part of the Zoo Interchange reconstruction will encroach on the buildable area. This is true, but the amount of encroachment doesn’t justify the amount of shift in the new plan. As with the tree removal, it isn’t an innovative solution.

Credit: Nancy Aten

On the map above the dashed white lines indicate Innovation Park buildings, roads and parking. One feature that may be hard to identify on the map is a large surface parking lot in the center. In other parts of the design parking structures have been used in order to reduce the area taken up with surface parking.

The question I would ask the Plan Commission is why the revision forced by the DOT wasn’t done in a way that is more consistent with the vision of the carefully crafted Master Plan?

Meeting and contact information

Plan Commission meeting:

Monday February 11 at 7 p.m. in the Common Council Chambers at Wauwatosa City Hall.

Send emails to:

Alderwoman Kathleen Causier: kcausier@wauwatosa.net

Paulette Enders: penders@wauwatosa.net

Budget and Finance Committee meeting:

Tuesday February 12 at 7p.m. in Committee Room 1 at Wauwatosa City Hall.

This committee will discuss a proposal to change the Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) district from $12.5 million to $30 million. The original TIF was created to build utilities and roadways. The new proposal allows the money to be used more “flexibly.”

Questions that a taxpayer might want answered:

What if this project does not develop as smoothly and successfully as projected?

How will the TIF affect overall land use in Innovation Park?

What about stormwater management, natural landscaping in the stormwater features, and other sustainable development features?

What will be the return to the taxpayers on an investment of $30 million?

Send emails to:

Craig Wilson (chair), cwilson@wauwatosa.net

Joel Tilleson, jtilleson@wauwatosa.net

Tim Hanson, (vice chair) thanson@wauwatosa.net

Pete Donegan pdonegan@wauwatosa.net

Jill Organ, jorgan@wauwatosa.net

Brian Ewerdt, bewerdt@wauwatosa.net

Don Birschel, dbirschel@wauwatosa.net

John Dubinski, Jdubinski@wauwatosa.net

Put ‘Innovation’ back into UWM Innovation Park

The piece that follows is a guest post by Cheryl Nenn, Milwaukee Riverkeeper. It was published this morning as an Op Ed piece on the cover of the Crossroads section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The two photos they used to illustrate her story may be familiar, as I first posted them (and others) in this blog. 

UWM Project is sacrificing County Grounds Land

 Since the mid-90s, local citizens and environmental advocates have been fighting to protect the Milwaukee County Grounds from development. Why? Because the County Grounds contain the largest remaining open space in Milwaukee County and are home to the confluence of the Menomonee River and Underwood Creek.   Eighteen years later, we are still fighting to protect the County Grounds, which continues to experience a death of a thousand cuts.   

In an attempt to be proactive, local advocates worked with Milwaukee County and Wauwatosa to create a Master Plan for 66 acres of the northeast quadrant of the site, which allowed for 850,000 square feet of development but also recommended that views and green spaces be preserved, that new buildings and roadways be shaped to respond to topography and facilitate natural drainage, and that the historic Eschweiler Buildings be preserved.

In 2010, UWM Real Estate Foundation entered into an agreement with the County to purchase 89 acres of the northeast quadrant to create an engineering campus for UWM or an “Innovation Park.”  Since DOT took 17 acres on the west end of the site for the Zoo Interchange, the development area was shifted east, into the open space that was set aside for the public. Innovation Park was proposed to house some private technology companies and potentially reuse the historic Eschweiler Buildings for graduate apartments or university offices. In order to pay for the costly restoration of the historic buildings, the Real Estate Foundation convinced Wauwatosa to increase the recommended square feet of development by 40% (to 1,192,000 square feet of buildable space). This increase in building footprint virtually assured that development would come into conflict with preservation of the natural features of the land. In fall 2010, Wauwatosa approved using $12 million in taxpayer dollars (through a TIF) to fund infrastructure for Innovation Park, including roads, sewers, stormwater management features, etc. The TIF was meant to make the site suitable for development and to "support the goals of natural and historic preservation."  The City is now considering increasing the TIF by an additional $21 million, and diverting TIF funds for parking and other developer subsidies.

Several weeks ago, contractors used TIF funds to remove almost all the high quality vegetation on the site, including a large stand of oaks and pines in a ravine that provides vital site drainage, and a stand of 100-200 year old oak trees east of the Parks Department –  all to make room for the new “Discovery Parkway.” UWM and the City have justified this by saying that the DOT ordered the road further east;  however, the “parkway” could have been better designed to wind around existing trees and honor “existing natural resource features and topography” as stated in Master Plans for the site.

Innovation Park is well on its way to becoming neither innovative nor a park. It is possible to create jobs and tax revenue and still protect the environment. UWM has talented faculty and students, but where are they? Wauwatosa and UWM could use Innovation Park to truly model innovative, sustainable development techniques, attract engineering jobs, enhance a nationally designated historic building district, and protect natural areas and parkland.  They could show leadership in creating a development project that reflects the forward thinking of a world class university. Instead, they are paving paradise to put in a parking lot. There is no innovation here, just another conventional business park that is over budget. It remains to be seen whether Innovation Park will live up to the expectations of its name. We challenge UWM to make use of their talent, before it is too late. 

Milwaukee County Grounds habitat protections still an issue?

Supporters of the Monarch Trail and the County Grounds in Wauwatosa know very well the value of the land there as wildlife habitat and urban open space. But if we’ve learned anything in the 12+ years of effort to protect it, we’ve learned we can’t take it for granted.

As most of you know, for various reasons the purchase of 89 acres by the UWM Real Estate Foundation, agreed upon by the County Board in 2009, has been delayed many times. Now, after making a commitment, the foundation is requesting another extension on a payment towards the parcel. While I have questions about that I don’t have any real problem with it.

My concern is for the Habitat Plan that was adopted by the Board and agreed to by the Foundation as a contingent to the sale. At the time of the well-publicized signing, the County Board, the UWM Real Estate Foundation, and environmental groups saw this agreement as a win-win for the protectors of wildlife and the proponents of development. As the realities of proceeding with this development during the current economic climate unfold there is a danger that the original consensus and commitment will be diminished. This shouldn’t happen. Protecting the habitat and preserving the character of the open spaces are still in everyone’s best interest. There should be no transfer of ownership without an understanding that ownership entails stewardship of the habitat as agreed upon.

The Economic Development Committee meets on January 24 to deliberate on the request for an extension of payments. I urge you to contact the members of the committee and express your concern. The message is simple:

All requests should honor the original commitment to preserve, protect, and maintain the designated wildlife habitat areas and the implementation of the Habitat Plan should begin immediately. Delaying payments should not delay the implementation of the Plan.

Guidelines have been adopted. The Foundation has agreed to them. The County Grounds Preservation Coalition is ready to lend its expertise. But it needs to be funded and it needs to begin soon in order to prevent further damage.

Contact info for the Economic Development Committee:

Johnny L. Thomas - 18th District  ▪  (414) 278-4259  ▪  johnny.thomas@milwcnty.com

John F. Weishan, Jr. - 16th District  ▪  (414) 278-4255  ▪  john.weishan@milwcnty.com

Peggy West - 12th District  ▪  (414) 278-4269  ▪  peggy.west@milwcnty.com

Willie Johnson, Jr. - 13th District  ▪  (414) 278-4233  ▪  willie.johnson@milwcnty.com

Lynne De Bruin - 15th District  ▪  (414) 278-4263  ▪  lynne.debruin@milwcnty.com

Theodore Lipscomb - 1st District  ▪  (414) 278-4257  ▪  theodore.lipscomb@milwcnty.com

Nikiya Harris - 2nd District  ▪  (414) 278-4278  ▪  nikiya.harris@milwcnty.com



UWM to move forward with County Grounds Purchase

The roofs of the Eschweiler buildings are in serious disrepair.

The saga of the County Grounds continues. Milwaukee County agreed over a year and a half ago to sell 89 acres to the UWM real estate foundation for its Innovation Park and research campus for $13.5 million. I won't repeat the details of the intervening months of setbacks and postponements. Read about it in the article by Tom Daykin in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. But, according to the article, UWM is ready to move ahead with a down payment of $5 million.

The story in the paper mentions that the foundation expects to sell the historic Eschweiler buildings to a developer for residential use. This has been the plan since it was presented to the Wauwatosa Common Council for zoning approval last May and therefore isn't anything new. What the story doesn't say is that there is an alternative being promoted by the County Grounds Preservation Coalition, which is a diverse group of environmental and historic preservation organizations (see previous post.) This alternative, which would require either philanthropic donations or a more creative development proposal, is intended to facilitate the preservation of the historic buildings and minimize additional construction around them. The UWM real estate foundation is aware of this alternative and has expressed willingness to work with the Coalition to achieve its goals, which would be a win-win for UWM and the people of Milwaukee County - along with the Monarch butterflies and other wildlife that grace this unique piece of land.

The Eschweiler buildings are in terrible shape and nothing has been done to prevent continued deterioration. Some have accused the county, which still owns the land and buildings, of "demolition by neglect." Whatever is done, measures must be taken quickly to ensure their preservation.

To see more pictures of the buildings, go to my flickr page.

Mowing the zone at the Milwaukee County Grounds

It seemed like such a small request. Now one can only hope it isn’t an omen.

For the past few weeks hundreds of people have been coming every day to witness the phenomenon of the monarch migration at the County Grounds in Wauwatosa. It’s been a very good year. The monarchs have chosen this particular spot for their unfathomable reasons – as unfathomable as the notion of generations of fragile butterflies making their way by instinct alone from Canada to Mexico. But there’s no mystery as to what they need to survive here in this place. They need the right combination of geographic features—water, trees, shelter—and hospitable vegetation. All of it happens to exist, in some small measure, on the hilltop surrounding the decaying Eschweiler buildings right here.

When UWM applied to the City of Wauwatosa to rezone the 89 acres Milwaukee County agreed to sell to them they laid out a compromise development plan that designated 11 critical acres around the Eschweiler complex as wildlife habitat. Their plan was approved by the Common Council amid much discussion of the value of the monarch migration to the community. UWM assured everyone that they would be good stewards and members of the Common Council proudly maintained that this would be a “win-win” for all parties: developers, conservationists, taxpayers, etc.

The 11 acres has remained untouched and suitably wild for the wildlife to gather in great numbers. However, since the butterflies recognize only actual conditions on the ground and not zoning boundaries, they have wandered freely over the entire 89 acre development zone, which had gone unmowed since earlier in the season and therefore contained attractive wild flowers.

And so the small request: Barb Agnew, the director of the Monarch Trail asked the contractor responsible for mowing to hold off until after the bulk of the migration had passed on through in October. The supervisor in charge, understanding the issue, consented eagerly. Despite this agreement in principle, a county worker who was “just doing his job” went ahead and mowed anyway. The supervisor noticed the accident before he was finished and put a halt to it but he’d already obliterated significant areas. Much of it was a swath immediately surrounding the habitat area (as can be seen in these images.)

And for what? Why mow at all? The tall grasses that grace the protected habitat and the new county parkland to the east are so much more beautiful, so much richer in color and texture, so much more attractive to wildlife. Mowing lawns is an anachronistic legacy of our colonial past, derived from the traditions of the English manor house. We mow to tame the landscape. It is a metaphor for our relationship to the earth. We don’t want an unruly landscape, just as Imperial Britain didn’t want unruly colonies. We fought to attain our freedom from England only after internalizing her values. We need some wild places—some urban wilderness—in which to roam, to daydream, to watch the butterflies.

What good are the assurances of good stewardship if an hour’s labor can, by accident, ruin those intentions? Good intentions cannot prevail over a culture that does not prize stewardship, a culture that hasn’t adopted Aldo Leopold’s land ethic. At all levels, corporate and governmental on down to every individual citizen and county laborer, we need to understand that we have paved enough, we have mowed enough.

There are places we should leave for the wildflowers and the butterflies. Those places are for us, too. Let us break the cycle wherein the default action is to mow rather than to let it be.

A prairie sunrise on the County Grounds

Wauwatosa moves closer to development on the County Grounds

The Plan Commission, a committee of the Wauwatosa Common Council, voted 5-2 last night to recommend approval of a $12 million TIF (tax incremental financing) district for UWM to create its planned Innovation Park on the County Grounds. The proposal will go next to the full council for a final vote on approval.

Read the full story by Mke Journal Sentinel reporter Tom Daykin at "Land and Space."

Here is the letter I sent to the members of the Common Council before the Plan Commission meeting:

More people than ever have been visiting the Monarch Trail this season. Thanks to Barb Agnew and the Friends of the Monarch Trail, Wauwatosa and the County Grounds have become the kind of attraction that we have been envisioning. You all have affirmed your commitment to maintaining the habitat that makes this phenomenon possible. I thank you for that.

I urge you to tread carefully as you deliberate whether to pass the request for a $12 million TIF. I am not alone in thinking that this is being rushed and that the amount being requested is unduly large. In fact, some council members have raised these same questions.

I believe that if UWM is serious about building a campus on the County Grounds that the necessary funding will be found. I don't believe it has to be done now, in October, or this year. A TIF may be required - I understand that - but should not be rushed.

The people who have been flocking to the Monarch Trail are mostly new to the County Grounds. They are always amazed at what they are finding there - even when the butterflies are not present! They are almost universally concerned to learn about the development plans. It is clear to me that the majority of Wauwatosans have not been made aware of these plans, let alone the request for a TIF using their tax dollars as a guarantee.

A few of the many people watching and photographing the monarchs on Monday evening.

Dear Urban Wilderness readers, there is an alternative to the current development plans that allows for UWM to have its research campus and protects the integrity of both the historic Eschweiler buildings and the irreplaceable monarch habitat. This alternative is the work of the County Grounds Preservation Coalition, which is comprised of a growing number of non-profit organizations devoted to historic preservation and conservation. They include the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Milwaukee Area Land Conservancy, just to name two.

Support for UWM's research campus is not incompatible with the goals of preservation and conservation, but the premature establishment of a TIF could promote overdevelopment of the site and diminish those goals. Such a large and risky tax-payer guaranteed TIF would create tremendous pressure to reap a return on development. The cost of renovation of the historic buildings would make it even harder. All the parties know this. The coalition has a solution: separate the Eschweiler complex from the rest of the development plans.

Please call or write the members of the Common Council and ask them about this. Tell them how you feel about these plans. Common Council contact info is available on the City of Wauwatosa website.

To see more photos from the County Grounds and the Monarch Trail, click here.

The public is discovering the Milwaukee County Grounds

Until recently, the only people I ever met out on the Milwaukee County Grounds in Wauwatosa were dog walkers. Then word began to get out about the butterflies. (I’m happy to have helped do that, but, of course, the most credit goes to Butterfly Barb Agnew and her stalwart Friends of the Monarch Trail.) Now on any given night there will be dozens of people out along the trail in addition to the usual dog walkers. Tonight was balmy, mild and calm. Tonight there must have been over a hundred people there.

The monarchs, who don’t always appear, did not disappoint tonight. Large clusters formed in several places where copses of trees remain in isolated patches on the land that is slated to be developed as part of UWM’s planned Innovation Park. Large clusters of people formed underneath these clusters of colorful insects, many of them pointing cameras and fingers; some merely watching in awe. Some of the branches seemed to be dripping with hundreds of butterflies.

Many of these people are newcomers to the Monarch Trail and the County Grounds. They often express their amazement at the open land, the views, and the peacefulness of the place. Of course, these feelings are dear to me, but it is wonderful to see so many folks discovering it for themselves. They invariably express other feelings--of concern; sometimes stronger feelings--for what development plans might do to this exceptional place.

Wauwatosa has a treasure here and it draws people to the community once they know about it.

I’m not delighted with my own photos this time. I’m sure there were others there tonight who got better shots of the butterflies. (People who see me there always ask if I got good ones and I always reply “we’ll see later” or something equally noncommittal. I’ve learned not to count these chickens before they appear on the computer screen.)

UWM insists Innovation Park will require $12 Million from Wauwatosa

The notion that UWM needs the Wauwatosa taxpayers to support their bid to develop the county grounds is not news to those who have been following the issue. It's been controversial all along. It still is. However, the Wauwatosa Common Council, which seemed to be conceding everything UWM wanted, has begun to take a harder look at the proposal, according to this report in WauwatosaNOW.

Pressure is being applied in the form of threats that the plans will fall through, but some are skeptical even of that. The debate is healthy. Wauwatosa needs to tread carefully on this. Much is at stake and the public is still woefully ill informed.

Read the story at WauwatosaNOW.

Are the Milwaukee County Grounds the right place for UWM?

Construction of the flood detention basins

on the County Grounds in 2006

There has been a lot of buzz going around lately about UWM’s plans for Innovation Park, the Engineering research campus that’s looking more and more like ordinary business—and residential—development.

I won’t repeat what others have already said so well:
Cheryl Nenn at Milwaukee Riverkeeper
Chris Liebenthal of Milwaukee County First

As regular readers of Urban Wilderness know, I have consistently argued for preservation of the natural character of the County Grounds. I have also consistently affirmed the appropriateness of UWM as the developer of choice if the grounds must be developed, a position many environmentalists embraced a year ago when the county decided to sell the land. In contrast, the general public, as indicated by attendance and participation in public hearings held by the Wauwatosa Common Council, has never given up on the idea of preserving all of the land.

You wouldn’t know that by asking the Common Council. As an active participant myself, I have been discouraged by the total lack of acknowledgement of this by the Common Council. We have even been dismissed by some council members as pushing too hard for more conservation—we who are the ones willing to compromise.

If you live in Wauwatosa, write or call your alderman and find out what he/she has to say.

There is still time for a healthy compromise to be achieved. As I first reported a week ago (read previous post), a coalition of environmental and historic preservation groups has been formed that is devoted to maintaining a presence on the grounds and to ensuring that wildlife habitat is protected and the Eschweiler buildings renovated—as promised by all parties. It is clear that there is strong sentiment for reconsidering UWM’s plans altogether. Whatever comes to pass, it is in the mutual interests of the city, county, and public that these lands remain a beautiful place to visit and experience its unique scenery and wildlife habitat.

For more pictures of the county grounds, go to my county grounds flickr page.
For pictures of the historic but decaying Eschweiler buildings, go to my Eschweiler flickr page.
For more pictures of the construction of the flood detention basins, go to my website.

Chancellor Santiago resigns from UWM: what does it mean for the County Grounds?

Carlos Santiago has resigned as UWM Chancellor. Possibly this will have no effect on the plans for development of Innovation Park on the County Grounds, but who knows? The plans have been laid for quite a while but they have an uncertain momentum.

However, the departure of Santiago is creating some buzz. For a thorough analysis, check out Milwaukee County First.

Followers of Urban Wilderness know I’ve posted about the county grounds many times before. Here are two pertinent ones:

Milwaukee County Grounds Coalition for Environmental and Historic Preservation, and
Should UWM be more like Madison?

Should UWM be more like UW - Madison?

A meditation after visiting the University of Wisconsin – Madison Arboretum, one of my favorite urban wildernesses! And a reflection on the contrast I see with another university with aspirations to emulate Madison.

I first discovered the Arboretum as an undergraduate at the university (too many years ago!) and I go back whenever I get the chance. I had an opportunity to spend several hours there over the weekend. I’m including just a couple shots here, but you can see many more: just click the link below to go to my flickr site.

As I enjoyed walking through forest, wetland, and prairie sections of the arboretum – I believe I saw more of it in one day than ever before – I couldn’t help reflecting on UWM’s plan for the Milwaukee County Grounds. They are focused on developing a research campus on one of the few places in Milwaukee County that could be similar to the Arboretum. Wouldn’t it be refreshing if we could have a University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Natural Area and Education Center instead of a research “park”? What if land stewardship and wildlife ecology were the focus at the County Grounds?

UWM’s long range goal is to be more like U.W. – Madison. I’m cool with that. As an alumnus of both institutions, I’d like to see them both thrive. UWM thinks the way to be like Madison is to increase its research capacity. I’d also like to see Milwaukee benefit from research the way Madison has. But have you been to Madison lately? The campus I attended so long ago is barely recognizable. Huge new buildings block familiar views and dwarf familiar structures. But Madison is doing it through what’s called “infill” in architectural lingo: using previously developed land rather than sacrificing parks or natural areas.

Although it goes against my core values to lose any potential parkland, being realistic I've consistently supported the compromise that was brokered following the "Save the County Grounds" debacle over ten years ago. Deferring to overwhelming public pressure, that compromise set aside most of the land as open green space, but allowed for some development as well. I've also supported UWM's bid to be the developer of choice because I believe UWM ought to be a good steward of this incomparable property. But is UWM committed to stewardship, or only research unrelated to the spectacular setting on which it wants to construct a campus? Let’s make Milwaukee more like Madison. What do you think: University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee Arboretum? Or maybe UWM Wildlife Sanctuary.

More pictures of the Madison Arboretum at flickr.
Pictures of the Milwaukee County Grounds at flickr.

After rhetorical firestorm Wauwatosa adopts UWM plan despite questions

What was Alderman Donegan thinking? The rest of the Wauwatosa Common Council went very quiet; the audience went still as if holding their breaths. The one unmentionable topic was broached, and despite protestations to “drain emotion from the debate” this one brought out emotions aplenty: is preservation of the Eschweiler buildings worth the loss of potential parkland?

The reaction was predictable. In fact, Mr. Donovan even predicted it himself, saying that he’d be “getting a lot of letters” by taking this position. What he got, in very short order, was a firestorm of criticism from the council. Never mind that the preservation of those buildings, which are on the national registry of historic places, has always been a prerequisite for any development on the county grounds, end of argument. No, there had to be an exhaustive review of Wauwatosa’s stewardship of historic properties and reassertion of preservation as one of the city’s premier values.

In fact, this stunning turn in what should have been a conversation about the merits and scope of UWM’s plan followed an award ceremony. We had just witnessed the charm and effervescent delight on the faces of elementary school children for artwork they had done on the theme of historic Wauwatosa. The contest was sponsored by the Historical Society. If questioning the value of the Eschweiler buildings was some sort of strategy, it not only failed utterly but, in my opinion, it derailed an important debate.

Nearly an hour of rhetoric obscured the fact that Alderman Donovan had not suggested that the historic buildings be demolished. His much more measured and reasonable motion was simply to return the question of approval back to the committee on community development for further study. Unfortunately, his tactless comments about preservation made it possible for vocal aldermen who had already made up their minds to dismiss his other very pertinent questions. The foremost of these were: Will Wauwatosa give a green light to 200,000 sq. ft. of residential development before it knows how much the renovation of the Eschweiler buildings will cost? What if, after construction of the apartment units (intended to enable the developer to renovate the dilapidated structures) it is then determined that the cost is still too high?

More important to the many patient audience members, Alderman Donegan’s motion to remand the resolution back to the committee superseded one by Alderman Hanson to amend the resolution. Hanson’s motion would have limited the total square footage of development to the originally agreed 850,000, down from UWM’s request of almost 1.2 million sq. ft. Late in the evening, by the time the council returned to Mr. Hanson’s motion, which had the support of most of the environmental groups represented in the audience, no one was in the mood for further debate. This significant difference in development footprints was dismissed as “negligible.” (Never mind that, if all of the still speculative developments are completed and further need is demonstrated, UWM could come back to Wauwatosa with a new request to return to its 1.2 million.) The “no” vote on that amendment was quickly followed by approval of UWM’s preliminary plan for Innovation Park with two dissenting votes.

To view my recent photo shoot on the county grounds go to my flickr site.

For more information and analysis:
The Daily Reporter
The Political Environment
Milwaukee County First

Wauwatosa: proceed with caution on the milwaukee county grounds

An open letter to the Wauwatosa Common Council.

My positions on UWM’s plans for the county grounds closely match those of Barb Agnew, director of the Monarch Trail, and I will try not to repeat them. I have four main points to make: 1) constituencies, 2) compromise, 3) some details of the plan, 4) caution.

1. Who are the constituents here and what are their interests?

The committee on community development discussion last Tuesday night was dominated by concerns about the details of the UWM plan. UWM is clearly the dominant stakeholder. Representatives of the Monarch Trail, Riverkeeper, Sierra Club and other concerned groups, although not allowed to speak, were visibly present. Some of their concerns were acknowledged during the discussion. Although the audience included ordinary citizens, like myself, what was missing was even a passing reference to the overwhelming opposition that was expressed in last week’s public hearing to any sort of development. The point I made at that meeting still stands: no constituents stood up to support this plan. The environmental organizations are not taking the extremist position in this conversation; they—however reluctantly—see the need for compromise.

2. It’s time for a new compromise.

Ten years ago the Common Council compromised. The public then, as now, clearly wanted no development. The Kubala-Washatko plan that was approved by Wauwatosa allowed for some development. During the past year we have seen further compromise. UWM’s good plan takes many environmental concerns into account. However, the requested acreage increased from 66 to 89 and that was approved. Now you are being asked to allow a significant increase in overall square footage of development from 850,000 to nearly 1.2 million. This is too much. It’s time for the developers to compromise, not the public.

3. The devil is in the details.

Most of the plan, which includes habitat protections, bio-remediation of storm water, and sensitivity to the relationship between parklands and developments, among other things, is a good compromise. The committee discussed some specifics of the plan and added judicious restrictions. These were accepted by the UWM representatives at Tuesday’s meeting. I want to urge action by the Council on three major details.

 As Barb Agnew has said, it would be a mistake to raise the building heights in order to reduce the footprint of development. (See my previous blog for more on that.)

 Instead, the overall footprint of development should be reduced by limiting the square footage to the originally agreed 850,000. UWM needs only a small fraction of that for its campus. This is the compromise needed to give the public its due.

 The initial phase of development, as presented to the committee, makes it clear that complete development is not only years away but speculative. While it may make economic sense to install the utility infrastructures in anticipation of full development, the exit road to Swan Blvd., which would divide protected wildlife habitat areas, should not be constructed until a later phase makes it necessary.

4. Caution and vigilance will be needed.

By the end of a meeting that went very late some of the aldermen seemed a bit shell shocked at the magnitude and importance of the issues being discussed. (Read the blog I posted online previously for a more complete description of that meeting.) A very real dilemma was inadvertently created by the coincidence of such a large turnover in the middle of this process. I urge the common council to acknowledge the need to slow this process down and honor the instincts of those committee members who had valid questions. Please send this back to the committee before a final vote is taken.

As Alderman Jay pointed out so graphically, vigilance will be needed even after your well-intentioned specifications are put in place. This is not the moment to proceed without exceptional caution. I thank you all for your sincere efforts and your obvious concern for this vital and special place. We are about to change Wauwatosa indelibly. Let us do it right.

For a portfolio of photographs of this area that I shot during a two hour walk on Wednesday, April 29, go to my flickr site.

A walk on the Milwaukee County Grounds

On Wednesday, after the Wauwatosa Common Council's committee on community development rezoned this land, I went out for a walk and took a few pictures. Here is a sample. More can be found on my flickr site.

The Sycamore tree, highlight of the Monarch Trail and roosting site during the fall migration.

The Eschweiler complex. Five buildings designed by the famed Milwaukee architect still stand on the grounds. Restoration of the historic buildings is planned as part of the Innovation Park proposal.