Brookfield/Elm Grove Monthly
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/139929
JULY 2013 Freeman Brookfield & Elm Grove • Page 3A Using open space in Waukesha County Municipalities striving to grow tax base with smart development development. Ertl said the airport is privately owned and the owner has said he BROOKFIELD – The past doesn't intend to sell the property. few decades have seen sigThe undeveloped 65 acres nificant changes to the bordered by Bluemound landscape of Waukesha and Calhoun roads are County. Cornfields have been transformed into sub- right in the thick of Brookfield commercial developdivisions, old manufacturing facilities redeveloped ment. Ertl said the longinto shopping centers and range plans for the former office buildings and comfarm is for mixed use, with mercial centers border residential and office develInterstate 94. opments and possibly a conMuch of the growth has vention and visitors center. been in the eastern part of Mark Irgens, CEO/presithe county, and Brookfield dent and manager of Irgens especially has seen most of in Milwaukee, has a conits available land built tract to purchase the land. upon. There are two large He had said his initial idea undeveloped areas that is to construct retail-orienremain in Brookfield: about tated buildings on the front 120 acres near the Capitol third of the property along Drive Airport and another Bluemound Road. The porapproximately 65 acres on tion along I-94 on the Calthe former Ruby Farms. houn side would be for corThe latter has a developer porate land uses. planning to purchase the Ertl said under the curland for development. rent state budgetary controls, a community can only Brookfield focuses increase its tax levy equal on last open spaces to the value of new construction. Brookfield Community "So communities that are Development Director Dan built out, such as BrookErtl said the Gumina Road/Capitol Drive Airport field, Elm Grove, to a lesser extent Waukesha and Butarea is an "underutilized area" of the city, for which ler, it's challenging to continue to provide a premium the city's long-term plans level of city services when call for light industrial of the city along Meadowbrook Road and Summit Avenue or the south side around Saylesville and Lawnsdale roads. "I will think it will take several years to build out," Andrews said. She said the city relies on market forces for how quickly residential parcels are developed. Undeveloped areas that are zoned commercial or residential are marketed more by city staff because those types of business increase the tax base more significantly and add jobs. "We don't want to sprawl, so we're very conscious about how development lays out and that it's compact and that it's urbanized," Andrews said. "We're focused on smart development." By Katherine Michalets Special to The Freeman Charles Auer/Freeman Staff A former cornfield sits fallow on the south side of Bluemound Road.This is part of one of the last undeveloped areas in Brookfield, the other being next to the Capitol Airport on Gumina Road. New Berlin identifies key area for development The city of New Berlin has identified a key area along Moorland Road for you are faced with the cost- would be taking an old keep taxes low and keep ser- development and recently vices for your residents," he extended city water and building and demolishing of-living increases that are and building new," Griffiths said. "We want to have out of our control," Ertl sewer to the approximately smart growth; we don't said. said. 640 acres there to help lure want development for devel- developers. About eighty percent of opment's sake." Elm Grove looks to Elm Grove is residential, Greg Kessler, director of said Griffiths. There are community development, redevelopment, Waukesha: Still growing some vacant properties said Area 35 south of the high-end residential within Elm Grove, which Waukesha has about 800 Ridge Cinema has been tarCasey Griffiths, zoning Griffiths estimated to be to 1,000 acres of land avail- geted as an area for developand planning administrator about seven to 10 acres. able for development, but ment. Utilities have been for the village, said the Griffiths said he believes the amount continues to extended there and the city majority of the land in Elm most of the vacant lots will grow as the city annexes is promoting it with realGrove has been developed, be developed eventually. Town of Waukesha land, tors and brokers. except for some residential "Even we try to foster said City Planner Jennifer "We want sensible, smart lots. development. You want to Andrews. growth and things that "Most of the development continue to grow your tax The undeveloped areas don't overburden our public are mostly on the west side infrastructure," he said. is kind of redevelopment. It base. There is pressure to Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza to bring assembly line pizza to Brookfield ty Group, LLC, according to a company statement. The 60-seat, 2,650-square-foot Blaze Pizza restaurant will feature a "casually hip" design along with its signature assembly-line format and open-hearth oven, according to the statement. The Brookfield restaurant is one of six Blaze Pizzas planned for the Milwaukee and Madison areas by 2015. It is the first location to be opened by the Walch Hospitality Group, LLC. "We're thrilled by the positive response our concept has received, and are excited to be opening our first restaurant," said John Walch, president of Walch Hospitality Group. "We're looking forward to bringing fast-casual pizza to the market and showing Milwaukee what it has been missing." Customers help to create their pizzas in an assemblyline format and then it takes only two minutes to cook each one. All 12-inch pizzas, whether made with customer ingredients or with one of Blaze Pizza's signature recipes, cost $7.45, according to company information. – Katherine Michalets, Special to The Freeman 232975004 230341001 BROOKFIELD – A new franchise with a different approach to making pizza will soon be opening in Brookfield, along with several other locations in southeastern Wisconsin. Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, a fast-casual build-your-own pizza company, will open this fall in The Brownstones, 17500 W. Bluemound Road. It will be operated by franchisee Walch Hospitali- 229758004 Submitted photo Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza, a fast-casual build-your-own pizza company, will open this fall in The Brownstones, 17500 W. Bluemound Road, Brookfield. Pictured is Blaze Pizza's signature red vine pizza made with Ovalini mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan, basil, red sauce and olive oil drizzle.