From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Posted: Nov. 12, 2006
Oconomowoc Mayor Maury Sullivan is exactly right. The city should be asking questions about what kind of retailers will be going into the Pabst Farms development just north of I-94 and east of Highway 67. No community should ever give carte blanche to any developer. The size and type of stores help set the tone for a development and become a part of the culture of a community.
So the mayor was on target when he said recently he had questions about what kind of big-box developments developers envision for a 50-acre addition to the previously announced 110-acre Pabst Farms Town Center. Representatives of developer General Growth Properties Inc. unveiled plans for the addition at a meeting of the Plan Commission, chaired by Sullivan.
What should not be in doubt is the advantage to the city and the surrounding communities that will come with the development of the town center and the interest of retailers in placing stores there. Right now, the semi-developed Pabst Farms has a lonely feel. There are lovely homes surrounded by lovely fields and a preserved wetland. There's a great new YMCA. And there's a shopping center with nice new stores.
It's just doesn't seem very busy - at least not yet. Stand at one end and you get the feeling you'll hear an echo if you shout toward the other.
But all that is changing, and the change will bring increased economic activity, new jobs and more families to the area. Done right, Pabst Farms could become an engine of economic development in the region.
"Retailers want to be here. It's going to be a retail node for the region," said Louis Bucksbaum, senior vice president of General Growth Properties. That's exciting news, especially at a time when other businesses are talking about leaving Wisconsin.
Granted, the stores at Pabst Farms won't be the next incarnation of Silicon Valley. But they will provide jobs and another reason to travel to western Waukesha County - and perhaps they'll help attract families to live there. That in turn, can help attract new employers who are looking for a quality work force.
No, Pabst Farms isn't a magic wand. But it could be a useful tool.
Of course, tools change things. And the Oconomowoc area, including the nearby Town of Summit, will change as a result of Pabst Farms. It may not be the quaint community it once was. And not everyone will like that.
Which is why officials such as Sullivan are right to be on their guard against changes that would do serious harm to the identity of Oconomowoc, one of the loveliest communities in southeastern Wisconsin.
The trick will be to manage that change in a way that retains what has always been best about the area. But it would be a mistake to stand in the way of change - and of the economic progress it can bring.
From the Nov. 13, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Link: JS Online:.
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