SITES FOR UWM DORMS LISTED

UPDATE : MONDAY, AUGUST 4th, 2008 -- Eight sites have been identified by UWM this morning, including one on the river west of Boris Gokhman's Riverbridge project at the intersection of N. Water St. and N. Humboldt Ave. and a location on the undeveloped portion of the Milwaukee Housing Authority's Locust Court project at the southwest corner of E. Locust St. and N. Holton St. The remainder are pretty much as I gave them below. However, there is an error in the UWM listing [pdf] of the site on N. Farwell Ave. "near Brady St." The UWM listing says the site at 1744 N. Farwell (the one I predicted) is located on the "northeast corner of North Farwell Ave. and East Royal Place." No! The site is the southeast corner, just across the alley from H. Carl Mueller's office. And it is spelled "Royall," not "Royal." The northeast corner has been long developed and includes Green Fields, which we can't tear down because that's where the students can buy their hacky sacks.
The UWM error was perpetuated in a posting this morning in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
--Michael Horne



Special to the readers of Milwaukeeworld.com

By Michael Horne
and the Milwaukee World Hound Dog Team

According to an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel this morning, Wednesday, July 30th, 2008, the possible locations being considered for a new 700+-room dormitory for University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee students "remain a mystery."
The Milwaukee World Hound Dog Team did a little sniffing and was able to come up with a list of six possible sites under consideration by the UWM Real Estate Foundation, which will build the dorm, scheduled to open in time for school in 2010.
The first is the "Hometown" site, located on the east bank of the Milwaukee River north of E. North Avenue just across the stream from the River View Residence Hall built by the foundation last year. The Hometown site, named for the ice, coal, heating oil and gasoline business that had long operated there, is owned by the Mandel Group.
Another site being considered is in the vicinity of (and possibly including) The Tracks, a legendary tavern located at the northwest corner of E. Locust St. and N. Humboldt Boulevard since 1969. The site includes three outdoor volleyball courts.
Just to the east is the former Heinemann's Commissary, 1300 E. Locust St., once the central kitchen for the restaurant mini-chain.
Another possible site is on N. Humboldt Blvd. at the foot of E. Center St., where a little white building holds a daycare center now just east and south of the intersection. That doesn't seem a very plausible location; you'd think Kellner's Greenhouses, north of Locust would be better suited.
Another possibility is the Prospect Mall, located just south of E. North Ave. at the southwest corner of N. Prospect Ave. and E. Ivanhoe Pl. That building sold for $2,350,000 in 2004. It has since been emptied of tenants for a renovation that never happened. It is now valued at $1,160,000.
Another site mentioned is on N. Farwell Ave. "near Brady Street." The only site that comes to mind there is a 22,000 square foot lot at the southeast corner of Farwell and E. Royall Pl. that now houses a three story building where not a lot seems to be happening.

ABOUT THE UWM REAL ESTATE FOUNDATION

According to its 2005 IRS Form 990-EZ, [pdf] the first it has filed, and the only one available to-date, the UWM Real Estate Foundation had at the time $1,599,000 assets, consisting mostly of the dorm then under construction and a little under $200,000 in promised gifts. The foundation's "Statement of Organization's Primary Exempt Purpose" is to "hold and develop real estate for the benefit of UWM [by building dorms] ... This is a vital component of a student's education and has the potential to significantly enhance a student's academic experience and performance."
Its board of directors consists of Bruce T. Block [Boston U. '79] an attorney with Rinehart Boerner Van Deuren where he is a shareholder and head of the Real Estate department there. He represented Manpower, Inc. when they built their downtown headquarters and taxpayer-financed-and-owned vulgar parking garage. He represented the owners of the cartoonish Bayshore Town Center when they gave us what we've got there now. Another client is the Pabst Farms travesty in Oconomowoc. On the plus side of the ledger, Block also helped bring us the Riverwalk downtown. He is also president of the UWM Foundation.
Another board member is Mark E. Brickman, an executive with the Polacheck CBRE real estate company in Milwaukee. Also pitching in at the foundation is David J. Lubar, president of his family company, founder of the Lake Express Ferry and director of such entities as M&I, NML, the Milwaukee Brewers and University School of Milwaukee.
Finally, rounding out the board is David Gilbert, senior advisor to Chancellor Carlos Santiago of UWM. All serve without pay.
--Michael Horne