POLL: Shorewood or Bay, Which Village Has It Right on Business Recruitment?
Shorewood has spent a lot of money for its growth on Oakland Avenue, while Whitefish Bay chooses a more conservative approach that only recently seems to be paying off. Which one community has it right?
While there are certainly cultural and geographical differences between the neighboring villages of Shorewood and Whitefish Bay, the two communities’ philosophical difference in business development is just as stark.
Shorewood has been very aggressive in spending money to recruit new businesses, while Whitefish Bay has decided to be more conservative with its expenses and more modest in its growth.
But, Shorewood has added nearly 30 new businesses while losing just two over two years. Over that time span, Whitefish Bay has seen a lot of turnover with nine businesses leaving and another 14 opening their doors.
John Stuhlmacher, chairman of the Whitefish Bay Business Improvement District, said in an article on Patch, "you have to let the free market work."
"Shorewood spends a lot more money to do a lot more projects. Could Whitefish Bay do that? Yes, it could, but we're not really doing that right now. I don't think that's necessarily the best way," he said.
While Shorewood Village Manager Chris Swartz said, yes, Shorewood has spent money to encourage growth in Shorewood's business district, but officials are now able to ease back from loans and grants and let things happen, because they have greased the "economic engine."
“You’ve oiled it and now people are going to want to invest there. We call it oiling the wheels of the economic engine," he said.
So, which village has it right when it comes to recruiting businesses? Let us know in the poll.
Absolutelyfabulous
7:42 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
Really, Mr. Schwartz...
Once again, the Village of Shorewood recommended that a $10,000,000 TIF be created for Pick N Save's re-development of their property into a Metro Market.
No word on what this "greasing" consists of along w/ any grants and why on earth would Roundy's, a $3.8 BILLION DOLLAR Company as of 2011, would need any type of financial assistance to begin with from a village w/ only a population ~12,000.
BTW..What would be nice is for Patch to go a little deeper and maybe put together a nice chart/numbers on all the Monies via TIF's/Grants and when actual payback occurs and what costs are incurred for borrowing/loaning/giving away all these monies per development.
What has the return been?
You give Barry Mandel over $9 million in assistance and the village starts seeing tax dollars from this development in 20-27 years? Better yet, Apartments are the hottest sector in the housing market w/ demand outstripping supply and still so much greasing of the wheels necessary for the biggest developer in the city and most likely the wealthiest.
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This January 15, 2013 article is from the WSJ, but anyone who does not have a subscription will not be able to read it, so I have found it via a different source.
Moving On Up: Stage Set for Rents to Go Higher
http://blog.josephbernard.net/?p=1091
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Roundy's Info.
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/21/private-companies-11_Roundys-Supermarkets_5CLE.html
Absolutelyfabulous
7:54 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
BTW..Thought this was an interesting little series from the NY Times
UNITED STATES OF SUBSIDIES
A series examining business incentives and their impact on jobs and local economies
Part 1
How Taxpayers Bankroll Business
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/us/how-local-taxpayers-bankroll-corporations.html?_r=0
Part 2
Winners and Losers in Texas
Part 3
When Hollywood Comes to Town
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"A Times investigation has examined and tallied thousands of local incentives granted nationwide and has found that states, counties and cities are giving up more than $80 billion each year to companies. The beneficiaries come from virtually every corner of the corporate world, encompassing oil and coal conglomerates, technology and entertainment companies, banks and big-box retail chains.
The cost of the awards is certainly far higher. A full accounting, The Times discovered, is not possible because the incentives are granted by thousands of government agencies and officials, and many do not know the value of all their awards. Nor do they know if the money was worth it because they rarely track how many jobs are created...."
Bob McBride
8:24 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
I'd think there's a happy medium somewhere. Maybe the recent decision to go along with the Mandel project in the Bay is an indication we're moving in that direction. I think it's worth noting that at least some of the most recent announcements regarding restaurants opening in the Bay come on the heels of that project moving forward.
Valerie Kaye
9:29 am on Thursday, February 7, 2013
I agree with Bob, there needs to be a happy medium however WFB is getting left behind. I admire the business's who have been able to survive but feel so sorry for the many who have been and gone. WFH needs activity, it needs to let go of some of the past and get with the times. It cannot continue in the same vein of opposing so much. Look what happened with the mall, Glendale reeps the benefit.
Absolutelyfabulous
6:32 am on Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Boutique B'lu Closing Shorewood Location
http://shorewood.patch.com/articles/boutique-b-lu-closing-shorewood-location
wfb51
7:15 am on Friday, May 3, 2013
I'm a little bored with these Shorewood VS. WFB articles - comparing schools and business districts, etc. Once and for all we are NOT similar communities! Why not compare WFB to Germantown? How about to River Hills or Bayside? Why the constant Oakland vs. Silver Spring theme? Our politics, our housing, our location vis a vis a mall, sharing a border with Fox Point and NOT the city of Milwaukee, less multi-family housing...
You keep harping on a theme that, naturally, we ALL want to be just like Shorewood. That is flat out wrong. Frankly, I like to eat in Shorewood and then go back to my own nice, quiet "Mayberry".
Very tiresome!