All right.

Um here with my volume.

Your boss.

I'd say you know the staff side.

Um conversation with something else's side.

I'm gonna give it over to Syria to take us through what we were able to accomplish last quarter, and then I'll jump in and talk about uh the quarter ahead and even just a little sneak peek into the first year into next year.

With that, I'll let you get right into this here.

All right, Q3, July through September.

We all give model Milwaukee best.

Um and economic development connections that we wanted to highlight from this successful event were the many local businesses that were both sponsors and active participants.

Um not only were they leading Jazzer size in the middle of the square, but they were also donating electricity to their storefronts, um, as well as the fact that if traffic was moving all the way from historic city hall all the way down to the South Downtown Plaza for the entire day.

Um and we will also be looking to get feedback um from businesses in a Q4 survey, which we'll touch on in our future activities, um, where we ask about how events have impacted businesses and how they would like to get involved in events going forward.

So speaking of this survey, um, thank you, Councillor Stavan Jordan.

Um I took lots of what you had given us via email um and infused some of our other city weeds into it.

Um so we have a draft survey that is ready to go out.

Um, and so it'll talk about our business friendliness um to get a metric.

That's one of the metrics that is on our council work plan.

Um we don't have a baseline for, so it will help us get that baseline as well as be able to measure improvements to business friendliness.

Um, as well as on this um work plan, we have a business license code update.

Um so it'll ask questions along the lines of what would you like to see this meeting go towards?

Um, should it be measured based on um employee count or post receipts?

Um, so on and so forth.

Um, and then those needs and opportunities are where I'm really leaning on what your input was um to kind of measure the health of our business community.

Um and then of course the first part, which is the journal info, just to help us understand um those patterns and trends for specific cohorts of businesses.

Um yeah, and so I'm thinking, and I'll get your input on this maybe January launch um after the busy uh holiday season, um, but multi-con index.

And how will you?

Oh, maybe that's on your next one.

No, I don't think it is there.

So how will you get it out to people and how will you yeah?

Yeah, um, we have a pretty good email list for the business license info already.

Um so probably gonna start there, see how that goes, and then maybe do another round of in-person.

I'm noticing some big gaps in geographic areas and things like that.

I think one thing that chamber has said a lot is they would like to see funds from our uh business registration go towards chamber membership.

Will that be a component of the business license question?

Or that will be a part of the conversation.

I know that's something we had told the chamber when we had that discussion with them that's when we revisit that conversation.

The mayor and I had a conversation with Jones about that.

So good.

And they I mean, I think there's a question for us, right?

About is the chamber, I mean, there's the chamber, there's the business of Milwaukee, there's Dan.

Um we favor one over another, or do we?

I mean, you know, do we have money out of it to get and this is connected to our broader update of the business license code that we are working on?

Um right now our business registration or business license code is written very much from a revenue perspective, and we're undertaking a process to look at that and update that and bring that to you.

So I think these conversations and feedback can be a full bit of that conversation.

Yeah, the hope is that we'll get feedback from the businesses that'll be what kind of value do they want to see the registration dollars use for and so then we'll give you that input or that feedback so that you all can make a decision on what that might be, whether it's funding our business uh associations um one or the other, or if that's not even a something we do in those dollars.

So we'll find out more.

That's the and uh um that's of the or from the chamber.

What would that actually go to?

I think that's probably I mean, is it part of the advocacy?

Is it part of their little bit of both?

I mean, it's also their payroll, keeping people maintaining what they have right now.

And basically just buying a business membership dues and then the dues be spent on what writing them down.

I mean, I I don't think we'd ever be in a position to probably pay the full dues because that's like 400 a year for business, yeah, but maybe a hundred dollars.

I mean, that's kind of the ask he brought to us was a hundred dollar buy down of uh to get people to have a lower deuce to the door.

I mean, I think they had you know, in COVID, they got a lot of business relief dollars and you know, and all of that's gone now, and so they're really struggling to get these staff.

Yeah, okay.

So the mayor's point as you're asking the question, I'd be curious to asking away if you were to join a membership organization for your business.

Dam, chamber, all of the above, but I think that that might be helpful data that's we'd pick.

Yeah, I agree with that.

I think there are businesses who choose not to be a part of the chamber because of their advocacy and policies.

Or not policies necessarily, but like stands.

They're black.

So that I think that would be really valuable information to gather from local actually.

Or if we supplement membership, then would the city be involved in you know that conversation about stances?

I think it would be high.

I don't know all of the chambers stances or policies that are like that.

You know, I would be concerned about some of the as a council would object is you know significantly about subsidized.

And on and honestly, that would we have to add talks at the chamber about when the legislature legislator was in change when you're in session.

Um and I wrote down some of those bills that they were opposing and advocating for, and I'm sure overall we probably wouldn't have a majority on council that would necessarily agree with their stances on this.

Yeah, well, I'm glad you're at that table.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

And we we also we mentioned a couple of these concerns to met with I think the mayor, I think you actually brought up that stances and legislation uh being a thing, and then also Sierra and I was talking about um really we the difference here for our chamber is that it's it's a it's a regional chamber, right?

Versus a very city-specific tied to our boundaries.

So there's also the question of uh if the city is providing funds, um, how do we make sure that that's really coming back to just the city, not just to a much larger network of businesses that are coming beyond us, that's the price and things of that nature.

So we asked some of those questions.

Okay.

The other thing on our work plan this last quarter was to prep the grant launch by the next round.

So I wanted to walk you through some of kind of the roadmap of what led us to today, which the grants are launched in October 1st.

Um it started with Joseph and I think reflecting um on the last round of the grant program.

Um we had a little mini retreat and some probing questions to make us think about what needed to be changed.

Um, and from there, we wanted to storytell about the past success, but we already have the big rank program, so we had a private article go out in August, um, which highlighted uh getting cafe and the nose ice cream.

Um, and then we had to do some of the behind the scenes work, which updating some of the application materials, um, as well as updating the web page to include having a Q page now, um, as well as a page highlighting the cost grantees.

Um, and then from there it started I started outreach, um, which started with in-person engagement at the downtown lines of Milwaukee and the chamber meeting, um, announcing the launch of the grant program, and then I connected with our partner organizations to have them send out the grant announcement in their newsletters.

Um, so that went out in damned newsletter, Canada's newsletter for that local reach, and then also some regional business organizations, MISO and Wildlife Northwest reach more of the regional business owner audience.

Um, and then we sent out a direct email to the businesses that are in the eligible areas, um, announcing the announcing the program, and then in November we have another private article going out saying that the grant program is now available by now.

Um, and next in November as well, I'm going to the NDAs to talk about the place making grant, which is a new grant program this year, um, because they would be eligible applicants and probably um good maintainers for that grant um as facilitators of place making.

And so um we already have had 11 applications since launching on October 1st, and we have about 13 interested parties on top of that um that are working on applications or looking at the properties um in order to apply.

Um so and uh over 550,000 already requested out of the URA funds and then 25 plus remote CET funds um with much more to come.

So are you saying that some of these are businesses in waiting that don't have a storefront?

Yeah, we get inquiries a lot about people asking what storefronts are available.

They want to open up a bakery and they want to take advantage of these grant funds, property owners.

So there's been quite a bit of interest in the pretty incredible.

She's really made it much more professional than I could have, and really did a great job with outreach and getting the queue.

I think uh Councilor Master, I think even asked when we were when we came back to council asking for more money here because there is there, you know, is a million dollars too much almost like we have marked.

Um it's only been seven days and I think 500,000 dollars already.

It's only seven days.

So it's uh come CR today.

I'm like, that's uh we're gonna be going through it pretty fast.

Okay.

And then also on our two is what's the formalize the biopark request form.

So that is now live.

We have a form um under Eknock development doing business and bike racks.

Um and last time we came in, we showed you that picture on the left, which was us scoping the bike box outside of frame and down on the right.

And if you walk by it, you can see that the bike racks have been installed.

Um meeting here or wait outside.

Yeah, it's open, it's an open meeting.

Come on in.

You're way early, but better break early than like all the applied over.

Um task we started, but it's ongoing, it's web page refinement.

So those are two of the web pages already mentioned, which can be cues in the past brandies, about three and the bike rack request form.

Um, but there's still more to be done on updating some of our data pages and maybe just removing some more content.

But the new launch of the website um really took care of a big chunk of this.

Um, but it's the time is right now that the new website is here.

Yeah, we're doing fine um out of date information but still trying to get to us.

There's a lot of out of the information on that.

There's some out of date and there's some missing information.

That's what I find more than more than I run a search, and then it's once to call up a page, and that page isn't there anymore.

So and then we were tasked with starting the discussion around the marketing and branding strategy.

This is also ongoing.

Um we are gonna incorporate a little bit a bit of this in the business engagement survey, um, as well as hold continue having SWAT discussions with our revitalized committee, which is our internal committee.

Um, and then we also just did our film on Sunday that ICMA film was talking about, which will be a really huge piece of this branding strategy of rebranding Milwaukee as not Portland's younger step sibling.

Uh yeah, some yeah, we're hoping to use that uh video, which will be it'll be a long version, short version, and we'll have plenty of B role to use however we'd like, but it's really helped tell the story about Milwaukee in a number of different angles as far as place.

It's really for the attraction piece of economic program.

It's the retention piece, which is trying to keep folks um in business staying here.

There's the expansion piece, which is helping those that are doing well continue to grow here, that there's the attraction piece, which is kind of the white wealth of things.

People always think about it first, but it's really the hardest, and really um it's really a lot of work for very little because to get somebody to come to your city, uh it takes a huge move on from access resources and everything, versus continuing to supply folks with uh resources here to grow and become bigger.

So I say all that because it's um it's that piece that we've kind of built inside because we've been focused on really building the economic economy here for those that are already here.

And so this will be kind of a third uh component of traditional economic development.

The universe smiled down on us and gave us the most beautiful day on Sunday to film this.

So I don't know who would watch that movie and not want to come to Milwaukee.

We were down at the water broad, it was perfect.

Um yeah, we're excited to share that with you.

It will debut at ICMA um on the 25th of this month, and then okay.

So that is it for the Q3 updates, so I'll ask it.

Uh so moving forward to things that we'll look at the next couple months.

Main Street CIP.

So we have just got the charter up on the internal side, and we're uh we're talking with all the directors and all the project team about what what's likely gonna be in that scope.

Once we finalize that and get some of the uh some idea on the costs and where the funds could come from.

Uh, we do intend to to daylight it to you all so you kind of see what that that whole uh project is gonna look like when it comes to Main Street.

It's still probably a year or two out from actually breaking around, so which I think is practically good.

I was kind of upset um how long it might take to get to breaking ground for that project, but also it's gonna be massive disruption for downtown.

It's gonna be a massive disruption for Main Street.

Um we're already doing a lot of updates for facades and storefronts and things of that nature, so at least let uh things settle, stabilize, and then hopefully try to figure out a way to build out that project and uh it doesn't uh probably block out of time so it doesn't uh disrupt all downtown all at the same time.

So when you talk about the scope of that, um I assume we're talking about replicating the one block that was done and how far up and down Main Street we're gonna be able to do that, or is there something more to it?

Good question.

It's basically gonna be from this block that we're just revisiting all the way down to the South Downtown platform.

Um it's gonna incorporate more than what occurred at uh mayor's talking about declaration multiple and that one side of this free.

It'll be it'll encompass parts of that, but we're also looking at there's there's water infrastructure that is very, very old in downtown that needs to get replaced.

Uh there's some sewer work and storm water work.

But there's also uh kind of the cooler side of these things is uh electrical and plumbing, so that the trees have there's there's plumbing and there's water irrigation for not just the trees, but also for like other types of enhancements that we want to do with vegetation.

There's also it's Christmas, yeah.

Electricity for Christmas lights on trees and is it burying the wires?

Yeah, yeah.

This project's price tag is gone.

We're working on it.

Joseph, how long did the existing project take?

When construction or like actually getting there on construction, yeah, construction with about three to four months, I believe, like having construction.

There was the punch list that kind of occurred the cleanup afterwards.

This will be so how many of those do we have to replicate in this project?

Yeah, I think six sense.

So there's a lot of year project.

Yeah, and uh we'll it'll be more detail in the future.

Yeah, we'll talk more about that in the upcoming CIP conversations with you all about budget problem.

Um the other thing we have in Q4 is Hudson Corridors and conversation.

This is gonna be this as you rolled into the residential H uh high density conversation that we're having next month.

Um also talk about Hubs and Corridors and how that will be scoped.

So more of the planning side of things, uh the URA action plan update.

So uh if you're not familiar with the action plan right now, that's a five-year plan, and then it's it's coming close to uh its its useful life.

So reinitiating with the MerCAC advisory DB to talk about what the actual matter should be in the next five years.

Um what the priorities are from that perspective and any things that we haven't covered already that we need to focus on.

So we'll be starting that that uh that work as well as market analysis for hubs.

This might be um this we'll exposure this might initiate in Q4, but it most likely might get media moved to Q1 of next year.

Trying to do this in-house as much as possible, and there's just a few of us um is really good at this stuff.

Uh and she she's uh she's done before as a consultant, so we'll take advantage of that versus using others.

So just kind of capacity-wise, but uh we'll see where we get, and then finally the the citywide grant CET docs.

That's that's launched, and so actually check that watch.

Yeah.

And then uh just a sneak peek at Q1.

Um kind of refining that housing cord scope, clarifying more of what that will look like.

Uh as we discussed a little bit earlier, we'll start really diving into the business tax code or business license code.

Um what that will look like.

We'll hopefully have some more information about the values from our business community and how that might track some of that code language.

And then finally, uh we'll revisit Harrison and Maine, and that conversation will come back.

Um, and I'm not sure what that date will be at that point.

Just that we we put it on the forecaster that we come back and touch base with Metro touch base with you all.

Just a quick note on that.

If uh you haven't noticed in the forecaster, we added a column.

Um agenda item has a connection to a goal, it's noted there with some pretty funny acronyms like AF and ED and PG, but you'll you can figure it out.

I can opt about an affordability.

I'm sorry, can you go back?

Okay.

Um that's the staff side.

If there's more questions happy to answer now, I would move to cancel conversation discussion side.

Are you please?

Uh a question on some of the metrics that we're tracking.

One of them is downtown traffic.

And I know that one conversation that I've had with some folks on ESAC is they really want to have some type of like hardware to be able to track the effectiveness of the systems that they're implementing.

Is that how do we get that number and are there tools that we could purchase as a city to be able to have a pedestrian count in our downtown on some of our streets?

Um hardware would be a different story.

We have a software access that gets us like more broad geographic numbers.

So we have the downtown number number right now and there of um up to 2024, 2018 to 2024 of how those numbers have changed over the years of downtown out-of-market visitors through placer AI.

But if you wanted that physical hardware like counting bus or whatever, yeah, so place where AI is essentially it's it's using cell phone data.

You give it a give it like a geofence around an area that you want to get some data for, and then it provides you the interactions of the cell phone data.

Yeah, where it came from.

So actually, we tell you where people's business came from.

So from getting regional visitors from a southwest sportland, that's like where one comes from.

We can uh see a little bit of that.

Um as far as yeah, like on the on the ground, quick data.

I bet we have I bet we own some tube counters.

I will look into that.

So yeah, it's very there, there are various hardware interventions that we can use for traffic counting.

I'm also sure in the day of AI there's probably more creepy camera ones you can use too.

So lots of great development engineering and get back to you.

Okay, because I do know I know folks at Dan had also said they would want some type of pedestrian count, but I don't know the difference then laser versus a camera that just says there's a book going on.

Yeah, we should um yeah, we'll I mean there are trail trail counters that parks districts use all the time, right?

Yeah, they're real pretty simple and they're not very expensive.

I don't know.

Um because yeah, I think placer you don't know that you've counted person twice, right?

They've come in their car.

If they're you're doing a cell phone data, they've come in their car, but then they've walked four blocks and they've been counted twice, you know, sort of things.

I mean, you don't know that with a trail counter either.

But yeah, it's um I think what maybe be helpful is we'll we'll do uh we'll some like a day and a time and give you a sense of what it what it can do and what it looks like.

Yeah, yeah.

So but on the transportation side, I can see what we already have, or not being used to we'll check.

So the placer data, that's a database that you have access to, but then if we wanted to look at specific, you know, I don't know, periods of time or month to month or year to year or something, then we would have to come up with a query and ask you to provide the data.

I think we can get there.

Yeah, we have year to year right now.

Okay.

Okay, and it goes back how far?

I think it's 2018.

So I think that would be really interesting.

To see we are above this, yeah.

But we are having increasing the last three years.

Did you say the citywide grants were already launched?

They are here.

Um about data.

I don't know if it's gonna have this kind of I so I was at the LOC conference and I have like 25 pages of notes, but um they were talking in one of the sessions I went to about um a system called my sidewalk.

Are you guys familiar with that?

Yeah, I'm trying to remember how why it's yeah, I don't know if it's gonna have that kind of info, but the one thing they called out that it has that I think would be very interesting to know is it has inviction data.

Um so yeah, it can show you your hot spots of where you I mean it's you know they were talking a lot of larger metro areas probably, but they were showing how you could see hot spots of where fictions are happening.

That's one of the data posters for you.

So yeah, it came up in there, and um, I just want to bring it up.

I wasn't clear on I was gonna try and go online and look at it, but um to see what else it happened.

I mean, it sounded like it had a fair amount of urban informant area data from the I wonder if that might also be a data set you can get from the sheriff's office since they would be involved in serving evictions.

That information, you know, they could probably just export something that you could put into GIS.

That's it's a good idea.

Um we thought about the county, we did not think about the share.

That's great idea.

That's where the my sidewalk probably pulls from some of them.

Yeah, yeah, that's probably where they're pulling from.

And they would have more accurate data, so like the serving of the eviction versus the actual court.

You know, some things are diverted before they go to court.

So it would give you the like the raw data.

Yeah.

Both minutes.

All right, anything else for SAT.

Uh well.

My thing was gonna be more, I guess for both.

Because I actually I spoke to uh the owner of Great American on the east side.

And he brought up some interesting things.

He he knew about the the grants.

Yeah.

Uh he just hadn't had a second to sit down and actually see what's required.

So I'm I'm hoping that maybe we on the city side we can kind of reach out to some of these business owners that that may not have that, yeah, that that are interested, but may not be able to get the time to sit down and actually see what's required and provide the information needed.

But um some of the things he he talked about in terms of barriers uh was with potential landlords and doing some of the stuff and and not knowing if you know you know who who benefits from that and improvement.

Yeah, doing it that's his concern, right?

Is doing an improvement to the point where you know um like he'd love to put solar, but there's no incentive on our half on our behalf from the city.

And then he's like, well, who gains more out of that?

Is it the landlord who owns the property and I'm just renting from them?

Or do I actually get something out of that too?

And um like those are some of his the the concerns with with even applying for the grant is like where you know what what gets him the most pain for his buck and um uh you know, he he had some concerns with bigger organizations or or groups getting grants to do restoration projects, like for example the the the mall.

Um because I I guess that's being that's gonna get redone, but it's gonna get rented out at an astronomical price per square foot.

I think he told me 27 a square foot.

So he's like, you know, that prices out any local business and it only like corporate type and those chains can really pay for something like that, because he was thinking of having an extension down in downtown.

Yeah.

Um that's what the price he gave.

Um and he was saying how it's it's it's just kind of odd the city's trying to promote economic development and help small businesses, but then you get a bigger group like that who probably doesn't necessarily need that money to do some remodeling to keep it what it is, and then in turn price people out who may want to rent in their local businesses can't afford the rent that they're gonna charge for that.

So he just said it's kind of I heard that I heard the concern, and I think it's like it's the gentrification.

Right.

Right.

That's the that's what I'm hearing.

Uh I'll say about the that that project specifically the local local developer does need the money, got state grant dollars, and the people that I know are moving in are all local.

That's all shots.

So well, that's good.

Yeah, but I think uh first the perception.

The perception is a little bit a little different than what's really happening.

But I I think I hear the the issue I need, but yeah.

Um and then just the the incentives for his for just businesses in general.

I mean, he was obviously was talking more about his his specifically, but like I saw his energy bill and his electric bill is $1,373 for one month.

And it's lovely how PGE puts our franchise fee on there because they put City of Milwaukee tax.

So he's like, you guys are taxing on my you know, I had I'm explaining how that works in a $300 million net profit, doesn't necessarily mean you have to collect that.

Um but again, that's you know how to bring his energy bill down and and you know, we're trying to do sustainability.

He's like, you know, I it's you know, I can't raise my prices fast enough to keep up with what's going on.

Um those are those are some some tough conversations, but that need to be had because I I don't like what we're doing is great, but I also want to make sure that we're addressing those type of root issues because those issues are really what what causes the gentrification and causes small business like that to have to shut it.

Um so yeah, I just some of those concerns really uh really worried me and just I've seen his electric bill is insane, and he's like, I'd love to put solar, but there's no incentive for us to do anything, right?

And then dealing with the landlords, they're not bad landlords, but again, like what happens if they kick me out and then I did all that, and I'll get I don't get the benefit of it.

The coffee count video.

Yeah.

Regarding them, I would just also bring up um a little bit different issue, but still about the sustainable businesses is I think he and some of those other businesses in that center are gonna be very uh concerned about the King River project.

Because they had a really bad experience with the county on the county's stretch of Linwood, it dragged on and on and on.

Um and so I heard from them then I was sort of like it's not a city project.

Um so I just wanted to flag that.

And I know you and I also spoke with the gas station.

He was worried about the access.

Yeah.

Okay.

There's not gonna be any function access.

Okay, good, good.

I mean, you're yes, King Road projects.

Yeah.

There's a second up uh conference we're going to this week on energy uh savings for small businesses that we attend you on Friday and we have to make Friday sessions.

Um if I learn anything, that section would be job.

Yeah, definitely.

Um yeah, and I'd I'd like to try to connect them with the grant stuff before there's money is wiped out, so I'm sure they can't.

Well, I'm gonna say that I wonder if they're eligible for like any of the electrification.

I mean, is that are they heating that building with electric?

Um, and if so, is are they eligible for any like heat pump upgrades or things that would make that bring that bill down?

That's a good question.

I know he wanted to do like one of the things he wanted to do potentially with the grant money was kind of what some of the businesses downtown are doing with the windows, replacing because he's like a lot of heat comes in from that.

And then, you know, he's got to keep the ice cream cold, so that's producing heat.

And he's like, you know, it sometimes gets 80-something degrees in here, we gotta keep it comfortable or else people aren't gonna come in.

You know, so it's like that issue, and you know, those type of costs he did mention the water bill.

Um that's pretty heavy on him too.

So um, yeah, just just kind of I know these are tougher conversations, uh, but I do think these are conversations that we talked about doing round tables and things like that.

I think these are conversations that have to be had because that's really the line between them surviving and then I'm hoping too that we get some of the idea from the survey.

Um I have some more about that and then also your work.

I mentioned that just with a little peek into the day-to-day life of your hardworking staff.

Um, I think it's really awesome.

Um Sierra Gabriella is our equity and inclusion coordinator, and Katie Guevara is our climate and natural resources uh uh manager have formed.

I think your acronym is seed, sustainability equity and economic development, and the seed mighty seed team meets um frequently.

But I think this is a perfect example, and I appreciate you sharing it, counselor, because there's maybe opportunities here for uh, you know, Katie may not have known that this was a business looking to plug in for those sustainability resources and she could connect them via Sierra.

So um, yeah, please keep sharing these kinds of things that you hear.

We can connect the thoughts on the internal side.

It's not a secret society.

Sorry.

So he said it's a secret society.

Oh that's public record.

I did go to school.

I did go to stronger too.

I didn't get a chance to speak with the owner, but I did let them know, let the person that was there know about the grants and stuff.

So I think that'd be a good conversation with him.

Yeah, no, I'm I mean, thank you guys.

I'm not just go over there.

You guys are doing all the analysis and stuff.

For the ice cream.

You know, and I didn't even get any.

I know I walked I had I had my that's what I wanted.

I was like, you know, screw McDonald.

Yeah, I just right by my house, and then I walked out and I was like, I don't have time to go back in.

So I'll stop by if we get out of here early enough.

Yeah, well, speaking of that, um, the concept post-body's file.

Basically, the grants I know we were renaming um, but would that be helpful here too?

Or not that not really that issue with the new businesses moving in with those national programs, um, but for the businesses that come in for two or more years, um, was renamed.

We have two clients signed up right now for it.

Um, so they're meeting with the consultants this Friday.

Um, so we'll get to learn how effective that is after.

Nice.

That's yeah, yeah.

And we've had people reach out about being also consultants for small businesses in the community.

So we've been in discussion about maybe after this grant program and what the survey says.

Um we'll hear from the businesses about launching more consultant opportunities because our current consultants are really focused on design consultation, so maybe some of the business may be more marketing, it's energy upgrades and late.

Um, so maybe having a handful of consults we can launch after uh awesome.

All right.

Uh there are questions of staff.

Um I'll hand it over to staff and George to kind of talk about the the corners merch uh council.

Well, this is a tag team sport because uh council president and I were tasked with reaching out to some of the URA grantees and um had some times set up, and that ended up being the same week that two of our three HVAC systems went out.

And um I was not able to attend.

And so um I'm just really grateful that you were there and that you had an opportunity to reach out and talk with folks, and I'm curious to hear what you had uh the conversations that you had there as well.

I brought a few notes.

Um they were some really good conversations, and I think um a lot of the questions that you all are gonna use were the basics for the questions that I sat down and asked folks.

Um getting a lot of the same questions again and again.

Um, but we sent out a call to action to all the folks who bought the URA grant, asked them to sit down.

Uh we've got two more folks who had reached out, so we potentially have a few more coming in in weeks to come.

Um I'd say some themes that we heard um for long time businesses.

Um, I think that there's a pervasive sense that Milwaukee is in this renaissance.

I've heard people say like we were struggling for years, and just now we feel like there's hope.

Um, and these grants really recognize or like symbolized to folks uh new lead the city.

Um and so I think even like the impact of the grant alone on the business, what it meant to these people was really really powerful to see.

Um I think one thing that people mentioned is the new group in our downtown, both with commercial space, but also I heard a lot of folks mentioned the new apartments downtown, just gets good for traffic.

Um trans was talking about how excited they are for the new Piedros site to be more apartments, hoping that this north downtown becomes more of a pedestrian area on the client's part of the moment.

I know.

Uh uh we heard um interestingly, um multiple folks mentioned signage.

Um they wanted a sign for their business, and I know that for like Piedras, their sign has been such an important part of their identity, and I do think that maybe there's a conversation about what our sign code looks like, or placemaking, or I don't know exactly what the fixes there.

Um one business mentioned it.

They would like to see um how Ben has kind of these signs that show where you can go in their downtown.

We have that a little bit, but like other spots where we can do science and place making to guide people through our downtown.

Um, especially this is something transmission.

If you're in the corners of our downtown, it can be hard to find you.

So we can do to get people every part of that.

Dan is doing that passport system, so passports, um, and Rebecca and I hope and give them some buttons to that.

Um and it should be really fun.

All the businesses are giving different discounts.

Dan has really gone above and beyond to coordinate this amongst different businesses.

So hopefully you have an incentive as a consumer to go, not just uh cream or the beer store just to drink and head on out.

You're actually gonna be going to a bunch of different shops.

Um so I think that that is an opportunity some good stuff there.

Um I heard mixed reviews about events.

Some people said that like first Friday is great, especially now that it's moving location or like block to block to block.

Um, but I think some people have said it didn't drum up this business that we wanted.

So are there interesting things you could do to make sure that people come into our vets upgoing businesses?

Um the flip side I heard from um ovation that they're uh giving cafe now.

Um that since they were starting up when we had Milwaukee Fest, it was like such a great time, and it really like let them capitalize on this movement.

Um so I think that people really really appreciate the events.

Um those are some of the statistics.

But overall, I think people were just really grateful for the city program.

Um it speaks volumes to the work that both of you have done to get this buying from businesses.

Um, and I think that business friendliness score that we're trying to achieve, like this to a lot of businesses showed that Milwaukee's serious about helping you out.

There just was a lot of help.

Thanks for having me.

Yeah, definitely.

I would add to the passports um uh spoken word that did where's Waldo this summer, and that brought in so many people because they were you know, the kids were on this hunt to find Waldo and they went to each participating business.

So I think in some of these situations where business owners are really really busy during the day and they they want to take advantage of these opportunities, but maybe miss the deadline, or you know, the flyer gets handed in to somebody at the front desk and doesn't make it to the right person or something.

Um it's almost like um, you know, maybe having like a phone tree for businesses or a phone, you know, an email tree or something like that that um that activates downtown a bit.

I mean, there are some businesses that are in the um like the downtown core that have text spread um and have been sharing information about you know, like things that oh like uh somebody got into the back of our um building and and stuff was just like all over the place.

And so then another business texted me that morning and said, like, hey, I just saw this on my way in, you know, like let me know if you need help.

And then um, you know, it's just there's there's some really neat community building that's happening on a grassroots level.

Um, and so I you know, I don't know, that's it feels really great.

Um the activation that Dam has been doing around like the passports and now there's the window contests for the businesses that I think so.

Have you all heard about this?

The um I think it started out just being sort of holiday, winter holiday windows, but now it's Halloween too.

Yes.

And so um, so there people are leaning way in.

And we're not the only ones.

Um but a lot of businesses.

We are we are participating.

Um but yeah, I mean that that's bringing some fun into, you know, and some togetherness.

And I think that has brought some joy.

Um there are I don't know, the I just have to like double down on the place making um and how important that is.

I mean, I don't know how many times a day I serve as like the the visitor's guide for someone who's newer to Milwaukee, or you know, doesn't know how to get to made Milwaukee or doesn't know that the bookstore is right next door, doesn't know you know about Monas and Hoppas or the other vintage store at the other end of town and all this stuff.

And so people, I don't know, it's almost like if we had something that we could just hand out to people to say, like, hey, welcome, welcome to Milwaukee.

Here's some information about you know where you can go and you can find food at these different locations, or you can find music and these are the different locations.

I think something like that would be really helpful, kind of like a map like Disneyland.

Yeah, we had one.

So when Layla was here, we had a map of the downtown businesses, and it was it was a foldu that you could pick up, but it was also posted on that little kiosk by the light real station.

And of course, we used to have a kiosk in front of the old city hall.

So I mean, there's a place to start to update.

Um you know, and the question is who then keeps it updated, right?

And how can you how often do you reprint and all of that?

I mean, I think there are some questions, but maybe there's a thing, maybe the city could do a refresh of it, and then Dan could take over periodic updates or something.

Maybe there's a way to partner.

An analog person, I love a physical map, but I also think something that's physical and maybe has a QR code that takes you to an online map and your MGIS coordinator that I love to give work to.

I think Dam's working on something like that.

Okay.

But I don't know the timeline for it to be rolled off.

Well, okay.

There's I mean, there's some really cool GIS functionality too, like a story map would be amazing here downtown.

Because then you just click on one thing and it holds up this, you know, like you get to see pictures of the building and you get to see, you know, like this is what you can find there.

Um that's cool.

We can also include historical, you know, pieces about downtown and about other you know, the hubs and all of that kind of stuff that would be really cool.

I think yeah, Ken is working on things like this.

So Rob, I made a walking band window clean with like the QR code to put in business for funds um and on their new website, which they have Sapphire and their big website, but then um the map will be bookable even.

Okay, oh wow, I think some of these things can be integrated.

Okay.

And but if I'm remembering right, and this is like from several meetings ago, maybe you know, but um that's something that they are gonna be asking businesses to to provide the content, right?

So you have to sign up to be like on the map back in January when we met, and that was part of the conversation.

Okay, okay.

They've been very bored with going around downtown knowing, like having this sign up sign up for things, helping them sign up.

So I wouldn't be surprised if that was a part of that.

Okay, so we know we can't even still have support.

Yeah, we're very happy.

Yeah, well, going back to our conversation about the chamber, you know, like I would much rather part of my business registration fee go to some of the things that are creating that grassroots homegrown connection to Milwaukee than a regional advocacy organization.

Um, unless of course there's some greater interface with that advocacy organization and the goals that we have locally.

We've got a rainy day fund for businesses.

So if you get a 1400 electric bill and you're short, we'll have to throw some get some grants assistance, but some of that registration fee aside.

Well, it sounds like just to keep us on track.

So that's previous grantees.

Uh thank you all.

And I think this can make sure we can't believe that for URA and honestly on city wide.

It really is what would you know?

Like Sierra and I, yes, we've been part of the development um and then implementation and whatnot.

But you all please take so much ownership over there.

The downtown is shifting because of you all saying yes, it's not it's that's really important.

And that's why going out to the businesses and saying, hey, hello, how they go is actually really powerful and meaningful for them to connect the decision makers.

We were at the LLC conference last week over and over again.

Uh speakers would talk about like counselors don't understand their power all the time.

They don't understand how they might think they're just like a normal person, but the truth is you you carry a representative weight wherever you go.

So just like saying hi as a counselor as a mayor's council president, it's meaningful.

So I just say thank you, and I know that part of this conversation is also Council Mass and the mayor went to other businesses in industrial areas, and those women want to step up on Rebecca or Stanford.

I'm super curious.

Okay, we decided to prioritize uh two businesses in the international way, so like the star edging like a year and a half ago whenever we spoke with Megan to our council.

So we met with um the new EO of Oregon tool uh a week or 10 days ago, and then today uh we met I met, uh Robert was unavailable, but um I met with the CEO and CFO of Marquee companies.

Um I'll just say my takeaway from all three is that uh they're not going anywhere, they're pretty happy where they are.

They all came here from Portland.

They all I mean they started a small business with Portland.

Like Oregon Tools started in a guy's garage, making you know, chains chain sauce.

They moved, they might have moved once or twice in Portland, but they've been here for some decades, and um, and they like where they are.

Um they uh have different challenges.

Um but nobody's really that worried about tariffs, which I thought was very interesting.

Umregon Tool, um, I mean, marquee companies for those who operates uh senior uh assisted living facilities, rehab facilities, and then they also have a separate business line that is pharmacy services to 700 assisted living and senior living facilities across the country.

Um they have 4,000 employees nationwide, they have 175 in their office on international way.

Um I mean the uh Oregon Tool has I don't remember the number.

Oh 2500 globally.

Yeah.

The reason that they're not too worried about tariffs is that they manufacture the work locations.

Uh uh, and so um, but interestingly, the CEO Robin Govall.

Went to Rex Butnumber.

They'll we'll give him a buy the Miami Valley.

But he said that's a good majority of those working at the international wind location are live within a couple miles of there.

I will I will digress a little bit, and and I I love Origin stories.

And so they started business in 1947.

Um like that.

And there was this uh lumberjack whose last name was uh Cox C O X.

I can't remember his first name.

And um basically with uh you know timber gets invested with uh the the timber beetle, lumber beetle, whatever it is, they just take it over.

So they had to get in and harvest it, you know, the tree to be any better name they got.

He was just curious one time about how these little beetles can wreak such havoc on these big trees.

And he sort of dissected beef and uh it's beat, and he examined how you know uh it's snout and everything like that, tore the uh the the wood apart and was so efficient at destroying the street.

And he said, I think I can make a chainsaw.

You know, a chain that mimicked that.

And that's the Oregon story of Oregon School.

So they make these uh bars and tools, they don't build a chainsaw, they just build the front end the bar and chainsaw for virtually every uh manufacturer in the United States.

The only people who don't who build their own are in Europe and they're still in Huscan Barra.

So, you know, their their business is as a supplier to those uh OEMs.

Very cool.

Two other product, I mean that's their big product line, 70% of their business.

They also make a kind of a under a name called woods, they make a kind of a mower attachment that like a brush hog thing that goes behind a tractor and does the flat ones that you see along the highway and stuff mowing.

And then they had this was the my takeover story.

They had a uh they have a line of tools for cutting concrete.

And like I guess before like concrete was typically cut in a wall with the circular saw, they have an actual like blade that cuts concrete, and so it is useful for uh things that uh that the circular saw would just chew up.

And the thing that was really cool that they were involved in is um the restoration of Notre Dame.

Their saws cut out the gargoyles on the blocks they were on, so they can be lifted out and then put back in.

They're more precise than anything else.

That's incredible.

And they're a lot safer than circular sauce.

Yeah, yeah.

Wow.

Awesome.

And the bugs can do that too.

They can cut it back clean.

That's crazy how they modeled it up to that though.

That's pretty well, that's unique.

I will say we we asked them questions about their challenges filling um filling positions and retaining employees, um, got very different answers.

For marquee, it's all about the shortage of nurses, and they work with all the community colleges, the colleges, they even have two colleges in Mexico they work with trying to get more trained nurses.

There's really a deficit of nurses, and I had never heard before.

You know, we always hear about how Oregon ranks near the bottom in mental health capacity.

Oregon is the lowest nurses per capita of any state.

Which I really surprised me, but yes, that's what that's what he said.

Um he did say the Oregon Board of Nursing when he first got in the school in the late 80s was very much like wanting to keep the number of nurses low because that kept wages high.

Um, but now especially after COVID, the the head of the Oregon Board of Nursing is much more about building the capacity in schools to produce more.

Um you think that the onset of traveling has had an impact on that.

We talked about that.

Um they definitely think they yeah, they went off on how bad policy that whole traveling nurse thing.

Um and they do feel like it's not it's not such an issue anymore, which I know from uh at least from anecdotally from a couple people who were renting rooms to the traveling nurses that there are they're not coming in the numbers they were a few years ago.

Why I don't know.

I think hospitals, I don't know.

I mean, I would just be speculating, but I mean, I think there was this our nurses go to Oregon and then Oregon's nurses go to Hawaii, and then you know, there's sort of this hospitals coming to a realization, and it it makes your own employees who say very unhappy because you're paying these traveling nurses a lot more, right?

So I think maybe hospitals recognize that it was had more downsides than upsides.

Um but um anyway, I I I have a lot of notes, but I will just highlight a couple of things.

He called out first one I've heard is he uh he called out an interest in having a hotel in Milwaukee.

He said that when they have business visitors, they stay at the hotels out along 205, and he doesn't feel like they're um all that nice, and he was interested in having a nicer, you know, boutique style hotel in Milwaukee.

Um he said he thought only 10% lived of their employees live in Milwaukee.

I mean, and this was all sort of just guess.

Um, but he said 80% of their employees are within a 15-minute drive.

Now the the CEO and CFO who are brothers, uh, live in Wiltonville and West.

So they're not necessarily within a 15-minute drive.

Um neither of them uh well when I asked about transit and child care and whether those were barriers to um to attracting and retaining employees.

It didn't seem to be on the radar screen of either one as a big barrier, but they both sort of both at Oregon tool and at Marquee sort of said I have to talk to the HR people to really know.

Um, but they did not perceive, they had not bubbled up to them that either of those issues was a barrier for their employees.

Although the guy at Oregon Tool did tell me that he sees, he says, I come in early and I see employees arriving by Uber.

Yeah, so I mean he did acknowledge that there's a gap that you know TriMet's not filling.

Um yeah, anything else?

Just uh we kind of asked if there was any interest on the part about business round tables and the board of LCO was really, you know, quite mostly says, you know, one business is not white the businesses down here.

And and so he said, I want to succeed a lot in common.

Uh and so he kind of likes to he likes to network with the the guys next door at Meggett, who are you know they're they're more manufacturing oriented, they're more uh they have a lot more international business, they're like that.

And uh he says he travels so much that he just you know couldn't get to a regular meeting.

Well, yeah, I was gonna say that's the difference between a regular meeting or a uh a a one-off one-off kind of thing.

I mean, I thought he said he would try to participate if we convened a round table, and that's what the guy said Marquee said as well that they would be happy to participate in something like that.

But I think neither one of them probably saw much value and sort of some ongoing um thing, and they did say you know, that there isn't anything like that for the businesses along international.

They sort of had a you know informal or several of them we just meet with Bob Red No was open for lunch and just say how things going, you know, and it was kind of informal, and they figured out that they had some things, some similar uh challenges, and they shared with how they were meeting those challenges, and it was it was just more looked informal than corporate approach, yeah.

But they don't have a place that they can go nearby, you know.

Right.

They all they both were um happy to hear that we're looking at international way to get some sidewalks, yeah.

Um to get some filling of the gaps in the sidewalks.

Um, so they were both they were both happy to hear that.

Um they both have you know employees who walk or run at on their lunch hour and things like that.

Um yeah, and they um both have had relationships with Clackham's community college.

Um the marquee side or mark side, it is you know, ongoing.

I said, you know, is there any messages?

He's like, you know, more nurses, more nurses.

He goes, Oh, they know.

Um I guess both the CEO and CFO have been the head of these Oregon Healthcare Associations and are very active on federal and state level health care associations.

Um, they could say they're not in hiring mode right now, they're not you know in need of training, but if they were in a place where their um the product production was going up in the higher, they would definitely college about China still eyes.

Um yeah, and so I think that's booked in international.

So what do you think the do you think that there would be similar trends for businesses that are in the NMIA?

I don't know.

The word was there a reason that you didn't stop anybody in the list just how I got there yet.

Okay, all right.

I think June that might be a good what's coming on that.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

Um, so this is for Q4 URA and action planning questions, things that staff will be driving and those part um and helping with.

So in my mind, I feel like your survey should go out before round tables.

I agree.

Uh but yeah.

Happy to move that to Q1.

And in Q1, the quote is working which we talked about on the staff side, so honestly, there's connection there to you all, and then also talking about priority items to the year.

Um that is I think we have one economic development adjacent.

Oh, yes.

Um before I do that, this is about Milwaukee Bay Park.

Before I do that, are there any other questions for Joseph and Sierra?

Great job.

Thank you.

Yeah, yeah.

Thank you.

I gotta say, I'm I'm just I mean, I can't grieve enough about these two and the work they do, and just I mean, I think it's such a testament seven days, six days the grant program's been open and already allocated over half a million dollars.

It's great.

Um, but I also just I'm really tickled by how like this is what I think we envisioned was moving forward goal work at two planes and owning it in both spaces, and it's really um it's really exciting to see, and I think the community sees it too.

So we'll talk about our retreat next week about how we tell that story even more.

But I'm just really excited to see it all happen and grateful for you all, and I'm taking a little pieces of the words.

Okay, so um, it's been a little bit since we gave you an update on uh Milwaukee Bay Park and we apologize.

We apologize.

And typically, you know, with the next parks and green space update is not until the first meeting of November, and we didn't want to wait to give an update.

As you know, um Councillor Massey and Mayor Beatty have been kind of deputized by the council to be our negotiating representatives at the table with two members of the NCPRD board of directors, uh County Commission Chair Roberts and Commissioner or Director Savis.

Um and we have met um, I think we're now on six times in the last nine months.

Um it's been a long nine months of negotiation, uh, starting all the way back to that letter we sent the first week of January asking to meet and get Milwaukee Bay Park back on track.

Um we're frustrated that it's it's taken this long with this little to really share and discuss.

And so I think we all wanted to just express that um we wish we could have come back two months in, three months in with more substantive updates, and it's not for lack of trying, it's um for a variety of reasons.

We expressed that uh disappointment to the county at our last um two on two.

Actually, we expressed it at our second to last one, and I think the message was received because um your appointed representative basically said we'll give you till October 1st to really come back with something more substantive, other you know, because we we owe our constituents and we owe our colleagues an update.

So we did meet then again on October 1st.

Um, more work, I think had been done in those nine days we've seen in many of the months beforehand.

Um and some progress was made.

So I um I'm gonna speak in some kind of vague terms, and I apologize for that, and we welcome questions and we'll be honest about what we can and can't answer.

Um while I think there was a lot of skepticism, um, even a few days ago that this was going to end somewhere productive.

There have been some developments of the last few days that give us more confidence that we could have agreements ready for your review and potential adoption at your next meeting.

Um that uh achieve the goals that I believe you've set out related to Milwaukee Bay Park.

So, namely delivering it on a near-term timescale, delivering it with equitable funding and delivering it to the scope that was originally envisioned by the community.

Again, I know I'm speaking in vague or vague terms, um, but we uh we hope to be able to share more at the next meeting and are appreciative of the work behind the scenes um on our on their counterpart side to I think move this forward productively in the last several days.

So um we we want to prepare you from the October 21st meeting packet.

We hope you will have things in there to review um that move us forward.

Uh mayor and counselor, are there other messages you would like to share?

I'm gonna take this opportunity to show up.

Well, I want to take this opportunity to say that a couple of months of this delay, and I don't think I'm really um speaking too much out of turn, but we did agree to look at the comprehensive IGA and not just the Milwaukee Bay Park IGA.

And so a couple of months of this delay was a time when we, the electeds weren't meeting, but Joseph and Kia were doing the negotiating, and I really want to thank Joseph and Kia for you know coming to the table and having multiple meetings and working out um those details that got to something that at least on our side we felt was close enough to schedule for you know a potential um meeting date.

And we hope that will still be the case.

Yeah, yeah, well, I will echo that.

I do think Joseph and Kia have really moved this forward super productively.

Um, and as Councilor Mass has allowed, none of this is for lack of effort, but a lot of effort trying to move some of these mountains.

I also just want to acknowledge it to anyone in the room and anyone listening.

You know, we also know our community is is waiting for this for over five years and 10 months, also feels like an exceptionally long time, and we completely see that.

I really appreciate our electeds drawing very firm boundaries on we're not going to tolerate can kicking.

Um so we've set some deadlines and cautiously optimistic.

We can the county can meet those, and we'll have some things ready for your review in two weeks.

In two weeks is it adoption or is it review?

Or potentially both.

Potentially both, potentially review and then adoption the following week, but potentially both.

What would we slip into November?

What would the timeline be for the county?

Sit the same.

We've set the same deadlines.

Well has that for a non-update on me.

Yeah, at first I didn't really know what was being said.

Yeah.

Yeah, I will say I'm a lot more optimistic today than I was on October 1st.

So yeah.

Um if there's anything else to say about that.

All right.

Uh anything else on economic development.

Okay.

Well then I guess we can move on to the COVID point discussion.

Yeah.

Great.

So Joseph stays there.

Yeah.

There's no slide show for the phone.

No, it's just a discussion.

I'm gonna ask for you.

Come on up.

Um just more uh your time with uh quick and Charles.

Campbell, we are this is part of the development disposition agreement we have with BlackRock development.

Um had a number of activities and extensions occur over the last several years of this relationship, and we just wanted to have uh three come in and speed to you answer your questions and concerns um as we had so coming out of FEMA coming out of the plumbers uh where you see things going and uh yeah, otherwise sounds good.

I'll give you this as your thank you so much.

Mayor, counselors, good to meet you.

Beautiful day.

Sorry that we have to be here uh course.

Uh to kind of I see a lot of new faces here.

May or not go back from the beginning in 2017.

This project was actually worried about May 17th and 2008.

Seems like a long time.

Uh and it's been a challenging project, you know, the location of it, uh and you know, the city of always wanted to have a gateway to Milwaukee.

That's what we have a lot of plans.

Uh just give you a history.

I've been I've been doing business I did this by trade for developing side, but see about the stable work.

Uh within all Milwaukee system, like and I moved my practice to Milwaukee marketplace because the plan was to demolish that building, and so it's really good.

Uh so I have been getting downtown Milwaukee for a while, and it's not to see the old city laws change.

Looks good.

It seems like I'm glad I was early.

Heard a lot of good things.

We have a few hiccups.

Um Joseph Messions.

Uh COVID was one of our Homar was one.

Uh I'm sure you're all familiar with Walmart.

Homework is a process that we have to take the land out of the flood lengths.

And it's a very important part because without doing so, there's no way you can get financed.

And the insurance would be astronaut.

So it's something that we needed to do.

Supposedly, it could take seven to nine months to give us eighteen months, almost two years to do.

Uh the problem you're having right now is in Ulysses, you always say location, location, location.

That's true, but timing is also very good.

Time timing timing.

Our timing is not very good.

Uh as you're going through the city, which I always do.

There's only one great.

That's operative right now in the city of Port.

And then being approval housing phase two.

There is no development.

Um part of the problem we are having is it's multiple.

Uh cost of construction has gone up through COVID, the prices went up, labor costs went up, prices of uh goods went up on the last project I did.

We finished kind of metal of COVID.

So those are the obstacles that we're dealing with.

This totally changed.

Last project I did, our construction one was 3.7%.

Now it's over 10.

The fact that we have a lot of hard in the city.

I mean, not necessarily here.

This kind of goes back to City of Portland because I do a lot of visits to city of Portland as well.

The crime and homelessness has been an issue.

It's driving the occupancy rates out right now in Portland Metro.

I wouldn't say metro, but important documents rate is about 80 to 80%.

Really?

So a few years back, everybody wanted to live in the urban.

You wanted to walk to the restaurants, you wanted to walk to your shopping, you know, wherever you shop.

Now we're total opposite.

You go to suburbs to beaver, the occupancy rate, which was low back then, four or five, six years ago, start flourishing, they're doing really well.

Beaverton is putting a lot of units up.

My son just had a soccer game there last night.

Beautiful high school.

Incredible.

All the lights are on dark, so you can tell.

All the lights are on.

So you know, we have a little bit of a change of let's all develop.

You know, the red seems important area in the last couple of two years.

Now I don't want to bore you with all these factors, but I think these factors are really important to understand why we are putting this project down, not moving forward.

Uh I know seven eight years is a long time.

I've missed a lot of equity and time into this project, and I want it to be finished.

We had this discussion with Mandy and Wilbur last week.

They're like, what do you want to do?

I said I'm looking all different angles to see what we can do.

Uh is time on our side?

Probably, but not in the short term.

Uh to be honest with you, I'm here to be transparent.

So if you have any questions, please ask me.

I will be sure you answer because yes, I'm invested in this project, but I'm not that selfish to kill it, so nobody else can get it done.

I have reached out to other developers with to be honest with bigger pockets, they're not that interested in.

Uh, and I tell you why.

I mean, when we first started this project in 2017, uh, our car cost was about 45 to 50 million.

Now it's north of seven.

That's a big gap.

That's a big gap that I remembered last time.

I was I was in front of City Council.

One of the members asked me, and she said, What are you gonna do?

The prices go up.

I said, Well, we've got to put more equity, but I was saying about 20, 25 million.

So that's a big gap.

That's a big big problem to have.

I mean, uh, I'm looking to bring in investors.

Uh, as a developer, there are two parts that you're looking at.

You're looking at a project five years pre-construction, and you've got to look into project five years post-construction, especially a large part of that.

That's what it costs more exactly.

And the reason I say that is because if you're not looking, you have to bring investors in.

They want to take the property, you want to get to buff.

I have a good example of it.

I don't know if I should mention it or not.

Sure.

Axel tree, which we all know where it's located, right up the street.

Uh they built it, it was done.

The investors wanted out, they put it on a market for 44 million dollars.

They had an offer for 42.

This is because the interest rates went up.

They just sold it a month ago for 20 years.

Really?

Well, so they lost a lot.

So I'm sitting in front of you in the transparency, I'm telling you, I'm not just looking at that.

I'm also looking, so what if I bring investors in?

What's gonna happen in the next five years after project's the project's gonna be too happy?

So we are about nine months away from getting permitted.

Six months of finishing the design, but at 50% BD, we're gonna list six months to finish the design.

But that is another probably three million dollar investment.

At this point, I'll be honest with you, I don't feel comfortable.

Okay, so I've looked at I also hooked up with a group of people, a couple of uh local guys, and all they do is affordable housing.

Uh we're talking about uh converting the entire coal project to 100% affordable housing.

The problem with that is you're not gonna get your game.

It's affordable housing, you're gonna go to step one.

Scratch, you've got to start all the design changes.

The design changes what 100% because for instance a good example right now.

You're looking at 195 unit, and I believe 91 studios, we have top of my head, I want to say 75 one bedrooms, 30 some two bedrooms, and I think two or three 30 bedroom units.

If we go to affordable housing, there's no need.

I've looked at it, I've actually done my due diligence.

I know a lot more than I did the year ago.

There is no need for studios and one bedrooms.

You need two bedrooms and three bedrooms because people who are truly needing affordable housing are families, small children, they're not gonna be able to put in a studio.

I mean I toward one of these guys' projects on Northeast 99.

They just finished it, and they made the same mistake that too many studios, they couldn't rent the studios.

So, but yes, we have to go to start and start from scratch.

That's another 12 to 18 months to get it to where we are today.

Because I'm sure we gotta go through all the studies that we had done before we have neighborhoods, uh, association meetings, which we had a few of those.

Um so what am I asking?

I'm asking for an extension.

Well, am I asking for an extension?

I think I am.

My goal is I want to finish this project, and I don't want to add it to somebody else.

Okay, I mean Julie, it's not because of the equity I put into it.

You know, that's put aside.

You know, you you win some and you lose some.

Um I've got enough right here to understand, but it is something that when you put what seven years of your time into it, and I can visualize it, I can see it, and I can feel it.

I just want it, I just can't do it right now.

It's just because of the whole situation with you know, interest rates.

I mean, I have a couple of things that I you know thought would be really important.

Is I'm old enough to see the market change, and it will change.

The feds are gonna meet on the 28th and 29th of months.

The rumor has it uh that by mid or 10 of next year, the feds are gonna have their prime at 3%.

Uh that's what we're looking for.

The cost is gonna come down.

Well, the cost is gonna come down because there are no developments, nobody's building homes, nobody's building apartments, they will be a shortage.

And frankly, the subs will go out of business on the stage drop their process.

I mean, that's how it goes.

You know, if you're not buying those Toyotas out of the dealership, what is the dealership gonna do?

They're gonna give you an incentive of $3,000 cash back or something like that.

Same thing is gonna happen in development.

Can I give you a time?

Not really, I don't really know.

But we were talking about it.

I think it'll be another 12 to 18 months for the cycle to go around.

We can go back to um that's pretty much what I have for you.

Uh so the council knows currently we've uh been in due diligence period for a couple years now.

The latest extension goes through January of next year.

So the last day of January, and then uh and so another decision point will be made.

So this is actually a good time hearing from Free, giving you an update, and then also just gonna think of council is hearing the project is hearing where Farita.

Um it's time for a good discussion and questions.

I appreciate the situation here.

Um I guess I'm uncomfortable that we're asking for uh an indefinite extra extension without a uh some sort of due day.

Can you put an end date on extension?

I can give you an end date on an extension, but that's arbitrary, really.

I mean uh whether I get an extension or not, and I like your feedback.

I mean, you know, what are what are our options?

Bring another developer.

I've tried.

I've talked to a couple guys, you know.

And they all have the same same problem.

When you do your pro forma, and you put your revenue from after construction, and you put in the financing cost and servicing the loan, you gotta feed it every time.

I have one of those right now.

Well that I just finished in COVID because the prior the cost went up, the interest rate went up from 3.7% right on 10%.

I feed it because it doesn't generate enough income.

Now, the only reason I defeated is because I haven't that's pretty successful with this.

But if I were Axel Tree and I couldn't feed it, I sell the project for 28 million and take a 20 million dollar loss.

So when you ask me to give you a date, and I'm trying to be really honest with you, I don't know.

Having said that, there's not a day that I don't look at different items.

So the guys who approach me for affordable housing.

I get an email every other day.

I better perform on this, they love it because it's a good location.

Of course they love it.

They get all the money from HUD and everything else.

And I can just say, here you go, walk away, and they'll be thrilled.

But then we're not gonna get what we've been planning on, especially in that order, especially with the way the C government walk into downtown is quite over.

I don't want to say it's gonna be an ugly project, but it's not gonna be pretty, you know, because when you're doing affordable housing, you know, it's not like you're fighting on you're not doing the same quality.

The exterior of the building is not gonna be brick flat, it's not gonna be you know solar panels on top like we've been talking about.

So I'm working on it, that's how I've been telling you.

Maybe a rephrase your your question, Councilman is uh what is reasonable?

Well, that's it either way.

I think I think 12 18 months is reasonable.

I hope the the cycle changes and it will be sooner, because to be honest with you, the longer this project drives on, the more it's gonna cost uh cost right now.

I still have architects and engineers of the payroll.

I mean, that's not much right now because I can't tell them don't do anything.

They want to do something too.

Everybody's gotta make a living.

So that would basically be either a January 27 or uh June would probably um roughly yes.

That doesn't mean it had to be completed.

No, I mean I've been asked that question before.

Do you want to no?

It's it's not gonna be indefinite like uh you know I'll get it done when I feel like it.

That's not an announcing.

I understand.

I understand you know there's gotta be some sort of a you know, kind of a hard date on it or soft date on it, how you want to look at it, but no, I'm not asking indefinite that you know, just environment.

So I was surprised by the 88% occupancy rate in Portland, and I was curious as to what you know about occupancy rates and uh the rents in Portland actually the last two years went down.

Not a lot, one percent.

But when you look at the gap rather than going up three percent, going down one percent, that's a four percent difference.

Apartment residential uh rental apartments, you don't have a huge problem.

You know, I mean, I've had people ask me, oh Jesus, did you make millions of dollars?

In the long run, they and I've been square with you guys.

You have 45% return.

But what happens is you have an upside, and that's the upside that's important.

You know, like axle trees upside was build it for 29 million, that's how much it costs to build it.

And they were asking 44, they didn't take a 42 million offer, they sold for 28 million.

So the upside is what you do.

Uh so the rents have it's crime.

I have two properties uh in St.

John's.

Last winter, they actually had the wood signing on the side of the building on fire.

They put fluid on the wood sign to say what the smoke went inside at 2 30 in the morning.

I did a call.

The fire department vacated 110 units.

300 people signing on the sidebar.

Not a problem.

That's why the occupancy is low.

You know, you have tents, you have people in.

I mean, every day you got to clean URM and PCs off the front door.

It's it's tough.

We can give you those numbers, uh Mayor using coastal, but that anecdotally I can say that it's I think there's a similar cross street, both different stories that came online at the time.

Uh the market has changed to frequently.

That one has taken quite a bit, and I believe they're in the high 80s now.

Okay.

Yeah.

Maybe it's in those areas are moving up much better because people are seeing.

Well, we know from the fact that Polish did not move forward upon the catrow site.

We know that the problem you're talking about with financing is real.

And I'm just trying to get an understanding of how much it's interest rates, how much it's occupancy rates, you know, how much it's tariffs or construction, you know, what are all the well tariffs?

I mean, it would make a difference.

I mean, you're not here.

Tarif or Canada, maybe it's another one.

You know, all the trees we have in Oregon, I don't know why we can't get our own in Canada.

That's where it costs from so you know if there's another 25-30% terrap on goods coming from Canada, but us uh to answer the questions, you know.

All of these things combine that.

You know, there's no one single item that you can save that one specific like interest rates drop all of a sudden, boom.

We got we got a no sign.

It's all a matter of small percentages.

Interest rates need to come to drop down a little bit, the cost needs to come down a little bit, the occupancy needs to go up a little bit, the rents need to go up.

Having said that, the rents, I mean, I was talking to my own day.

We're charging five bucks a month in Seattle.

In the last five, six years, we're charging, I think, for like a two-bedroom, it's two sixty, two seven, unless you live in pro district, it's three something.

But the rents really haven't gone up as much as the cost.

You know, I'll give you a good example.

COVID hit.

And all of a sudden now we have no high genes.

You know, we can't find them.

Before COVID, we paid our high jets 45 bucks an hour.

Now they get paid seven.

And you cannot hire one.

Because they come to each, so they interview you, they go to the next one, but you say, hey, they're giving me 70, are you gonna make me 75?

So that's how the market is.

I I just want to jump in there with one clarification question and one sort of procedural note.

The clarification question is just when we were talking buried about the 12 to 18 months.

Can you clarify would that be 12 to 18 months longer you need for due diligence?

Yes.

Okay.

And then the just the procedural question is just what are we clarify for council?

You don't need to make a decision tonight.

So this is a chance to ask questions, you know, here from three, but it's don't feel pressure to uh actually please don't.

There will need to be subsequent conversations.

Um so eight let's say 18 months, and that takes us to June or July of 27.

Does that mean you're not doing these uh getting to 100% design until that is over?

Until you I'm asking for time to come up with a solution and direction that we want to.

I think that's why it's important.

I mean, I love you guys as feedback.

I think it's important.

Why is it important because we start on Milwaukee?

I don't want to put a product over there that is gonna be every time buying uh so I want it to be a good project.

What I'm trying to figure out is the direction that we need to go.

And the direction is is the market put a change so I can build this.

Do I go to affordable housing?

I mean, if the market is not so I think I don't want to do this anymore because it's it's really stressful.

So I my goal is to have a decision before the end of the night and come to you and you tell you listen.

Cash source, I couldn't pull this off.

I bought a new developer, bigger pockets, he's gonna bring it shit, or we're gonna go affordable house.

I think in your discussions, I think it'll be really helpful for me to decide what's your practice.

I mean, affordable housing is always great.

There's a lot of affordable housing coming to the market because that's the only thing that's wrong.

HUD comes in, I mean I mean put it on a platter, HUD offering 50 million dollars for this product to keep all affordable, and then the metro is gonna put in money, then from what I understand, you can you can sell your uh rebates to another company to be put so they can they can go, but they're gonna go back and they're gonna cut the whole project, and I don't know what's gonna hold them.

So is that what we want to do?

Tell me.

Yeah, I when you got approached about the affordable housing part, did they tell you like roughly how many units they can get there?

Uh they are thinking about 178, but your units are gonna be smaller than what we have.

So your two bedrooms like what you have right now, two bedrooms or not just ours, but under a market rate of apartments, the two bedrooms are somewhere between 875 to like 950 square.

So their two bedrooms is going to be like seven out of ten.

So that's that's what happens.

You squeeze them, and then there'll be all two bedroom, one bath.

It will not be like the two bedroom, two bath market requires.

But if there, if if there will if all this money is there, then how come they could be built nicer?

If it's all free money, because I mean that across the street is affordable housing that looks pretty nice.

I mean, there's some the the affordable housing across from the high school looks good.

If HUD's willing to throw 50 million, I mean you can make that a pretty nice affordable housing unit.

But you're not gonna get as many units as that's also what they're looking for.

But it would be more units than how many units would not be.

And it's taking it off.

Yeah, but I mean that off our tax rolls.

Affordable housing is just it's very complicated.

It is and I have to say, I mean, I think we probably don't want to go too far down that line tonight, like Emma said, but um it's there's a question in my mind of even whether you can't, I mean whether under our DDA you can sell for a different design, right?

If not the design you presented, can you do that?

Yes.

You know, I think we would need to look at that.

If there was a new design, what does that do to the global really?

The Clomar is specific to the design.

I kind of thought you were gonna say that.

I wish you wouldn't, but that's fine.

I was gonna get on the benefits.

I don't know.

I don't know the answer to that question.

I think well there's probably some part of it, but you know, but I'm sure that there's a there's a delta as well.

The reason I bring that up is is we obviously want to get what we can in that location and for if if you know doing a hundred I mean 195 was how many of those were gonna be affordable, like 10 to 10 percent.

We can't make that work.

I mean right, something has to be figured out.

And the reason I the reason I bring that and we and the taking it off our tax role, they took they took Axel Tree off our tax role, or the council voted for that, right?

And Axel tree is nothing, not one part of Axel Tree's affordable.

So I'm I'm okay with well Axl Tree's back on the tax roll.

Yeah, no, but it got it was given a 10 year tax abatement by the council.

Yeah.

Nothing.

Vertical housing.

It wasn't well, it shouldn't have been nothing.

It should have been like a 70 or 80 percent abate.

Last year it was but they didn't there's no affordable, there's nothing affordable in Axel Tree.

They're they're their their studio as of last year was like 1650 studio.

They are getting um voucher tenants in there, probably because they can't fill the thing, right?

So what I'm saying is if if if anybody's gonna get that get taken off a tax role, you would want it to be something that's gonna be like an affordable housing.

Now I'm not saying that's like I'm an affordable housing guy.

I I I was on the planning commission and voted yes on this project.

I remember this project because and and one of the things my stuff by the what was that?

Curtis my staff.

What was that?

No, no, it was this pro the cohort of your project.

Yeah, you came, Rob uh Councillor Massie and I were on planning commission that time, and I remember commenting on your project saying that this is exactly something that we need because of the affordable component, because Milwaukee already is is is getting priced out as it is.

So I'm not saying sure, my preference, I'd love to have 175 units of affordable housing.

Um but I know that there's other components in here and other interests as a part of this.

Uh but I I I don't see that as as a negative is what I'm saying, I guess.

Um but uh I'm I'm not necessarily opposed to an extension because I do understand that predicament here at this junk.

The reason I'm asking for extension is not because I'm gonna just sit back and you know, sit down and of course yeah.

Uh more different companies.

Right.

Like I said, you know, I also have to calculate what's you know, I bring in investors, what's gonna happen once it's made and stabilized.

That's gonna be so those are the top.

Is that uh car not the future is gonna hold if we don't provide any, I mean like like you were saying, what is our options?

Like what else?

Yeah, I mean um that's more of a like just myself kind of digging in the DDA and what conditions are in there.

That so it's not like a clear cut.

It's not necessarily clear, there's an assignment uh language, there's conditions of what the city wanted we negotiated with um so it has um several things, you know.

But there's there's a path, it just depends on where we're at as a in the city and what what we're willing to lean away from or lead into, and then also what uh referees have to, but like those are more of those terms.

But there's there are ways there are conditions that need to stick if there's an assignment and there's there's potential for um it not looking at it at all, right?

So right back to the the whole right now.

New or yeah, yeah, exactly.

Definitely has to go for a new one, right?

Yeah, not at all.

And that's the thing, kind of where we are, it's you know, an extension might be better, might be in our interest considering that Clumar to go through that's why I have any gray hair with this project.

I was gonna say I was gonna say you look different.

Or despite all of the uh the uh challenges here, I do want to tell you that I will want thank you for wanting to invest in the city.

No matter what happens.

Well, I love I'm not saying that, but only a good living being in city of Milwaukee.

Listen law ninety seven, ninety-eight when they had the housing.

Johnson the economic was you know part of the group.

And the conversation was the last 25 years, population of Milwaukee had gone up by one.

And one, in 25 years, the population of Milwaukee went from like 280.

And we were all sitting there.

And so it's good to see.

I mean it's good to see all the media buffets.

It's good.

I mean, I grew up by the old city hall.

I'm not school.

Oh yeah, you need to go to lunch there.

Since I moved to Milwaukee marketplace, I just go to see the place it's turned around.

Yeah.

So it's good to see the city alive.

It's good.

It's fun.

So no, I have all the interest.

I want to get it done.

Could I clarify it?

If you did just affordable housing, would you still have commercial space?

And as you're talking about them scaling down the units.

I know you can talk about redesigning it, but is there the potential to keep the current design just units more cramped?

Well, if I go that direction.

And also city, city requires like right now the city coast is you have to go out.

Retail is dead.

Except recently code.

Well, if you avoid them, we should do a variance too.

So if you have retail that's not renting and sponsored, I think they have a three to four year minimum on it.

You can convert it into an apartment, but don't call it a unit, call it live little report.

But it's basically the apartment on the street level.

Because retail is not moving right now.

So that, yeah.

Well, at least still see that in the exit tree.

Yeah.

Yeah, yeah.

Well, I use that various couple of nine projects that work.

I mean, people it's better than space.

So we only have about three minutes left.

I just want to make sure you all have your questions asked and answered and also free.

You have said what you wanted to say before council.

So I believe so.

I think we're coming in.

Thank you so much.

Alright.

So with that, we are adjourned from our work session and we will convene at 6 30.

Thanks, great.

Thank you.