Expect New Land’s plans for development on Downer Avenue to take another step forward next week when the City Plan Commission holds a public hearing on the zoning of the parking lot on Downer at Belleview Place Monday, April 23 at 1:45 p.m. in the first floor boardroom at 809 N. Broadway.
The agenda for the meeting notes that, "This ordinance approves the site plan and building design for a 4-story parking structure with bank and retail tenant space for property located at 2574-90 N. Downer Avenue.”
Ald. Mike D’Amato said that the groundwork for approval is already in place.
“The general parameters for development were established last month with the passage of the General Planned Development,” said D’Amato via e-mail. “That means the general size, uses, mass and exit/entrance were already approved. The file now going forward is really to put skin on the bones. We will see the design and materials that they propose to use, which should be far less controversial that the original decision to actually approve a building for the site.”
The same agenda includes a resolution that declares the land “surplus to municipal needs and authorizing its sale to New Land Enterprises, LLP, for mixed-use development.”
D’Amato believes that while there will be concerns among neighbors, the plan addresses those issues.
“I think the majority of concern from neighbors regarded the east side of the building facing the back of the homes on Summit,” he said. “The building code requires that the east wall be solid, without openings, so that should satisfy a number of concerns.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
