If I Run in the Next Election for Shorewood Village Board Trustee

I have run for office before in Shorewood, both the School Board and the Village Board. And I am proud of my perfect record of never having won any of those races :-)

I am not now committing to running in the next election for Village Board trustee, but if I do, I want to share what I would like to see happen/change in Shorewood.

I will share my thoughts intermittently through this blog, over the months between now and the election.

My first concern is the eyesore where the Riverbrook Restaurant was.

A vacant lot, an empty apartment building and a vacant warehouse does not exactly say welcome to Shorewood.

There has been a lot of discussion about the type of development that should be built there, and aside from it being twice considered for some type of retirement home, nothing has gained any traction.

I have thought long and hard about what would be the best use of that property, and I developed some criteria to follow in coming to my decision.

1. Shorewood needs more revenue, as does every municipality nowadays. No matter what is built there, if the only revenue derived is property taxes, due to the Uniformity Clause, it does not matter whether it is a commercial or residential development, the tax is still applied to its market value at the same rate.

Therefore I looked for something that would generate revenue for Shorewood, over and above property taxes.

As a side note, there is always talk about bringing more business to Shorewood, with the implication that businesses generate more revenue for the village. As noted above, the property tax rate is not affected (except in the case of non-profit for which there would be no tax). 

Unlike other states like Illinois, Wisconsin doe not share any of its sales tax with the local municipality. It is obvious in Illinois why municipalities there are hungry for merchants within their boundaries — they get a cut of the sales tax— but that is not so here in Wisconsin. 

Shorewood gets none of the sales tax generated in the village.

2. As the property is one of the portals to Shorewood, it would be nice to have something "dramatic" and distinctive, just as a leaded glass front door on a house is more welcoming than a plain metal door with no windows.

3. Ideally what is built on the property would be a "destination" for people from outside Shorewood. Our current businesses overwhelmingly cater to a small demographic within a close proximity to Shorewood.

4. The development there should be one that actually acts as a conduit to other businesses within Shorewood. As noted in 3 above, Shorewood could use more patrons for its existing businesses, to make them more prosperous.

Taking criteria above into consideration, I came to the conclusion that the ideal development would be a high-end hotel, complete with meeting rooms, ballroom, restaurant and perhaps a nightclub.

To satisfy the criteria in 1 above, a hotel is the only business from which Shorewood can gain additional revenue. Under Wisconsin law, a municipality can levy a "room tax" for its exclusive use. Seventy percent of the tax must be used to promote tourism and business within the municipality, which is perfect for Shorewood, as that 70 percent can replace the current Business Improvement District and lower taxes for business property owners in Shorewood, while increasing Shorewood's promotional dollars, and the other 30 percent would go the general fund.

With the right developer, design and management, criteria 2 above is a no brainer — a dramatic high-rise of 10 to 12 stories, right on the river.

Criteria 3 above is satisfied, as folks from conceivably every corner of the world may come to use the hotel. Only four miles north of downtown, and surrounded by large corporations that bring in folks continually (Northwest Mutual, Manpower, Johnson Controls, Caterpillar, Rite Hite, Badger Meter, just to name a few).

With a ballroom, Shorewood could become a destination for weddings, corporate parties, small conventions, etc.

Criteria 4 above is satisfied by folks staying at the hotel who come into town for a haircut, a meal, do some shopping, visit the library, etc...

The Riverbrook property is uniquely situated for a hotel, which would not fit into any other area of Shorewood.

Parking will not be a problem, as a parking structure would be a criterion. Traffic will not increase, as the vast majority of it would be coming from the west from the freeway, and the destination is right at the village border.

If action is not taken before hand, and if I were elected to the Village Board, I would work hard to pass the various zoning and other requirements needed legislatively to make the Shorewood hotel happen. 

In my opinion, it is the highest and best use of that property.