Plans for Rawson and 27th street

Given all the news (and curious lack of news) about troubled commercial sites like Fountains of Franklin and Shops at Wyndham Village, the 27th Street Plan has slipped under the radar of late.

With much gratitude to Aaron Johnson (creator of a cartoon about photography called What the Duck) - - who braved the freak snowstorm to attend the 27th Street open house last Wednesday - - here are some proposed ideas for the intersection of 27th Street and Rawson.

From "Sprawled Out" correspondent Aaron Johnson:

• It appears that Butch’s Big Mouth Frog Bar & Char Grill will have to go no matter which of these three current plans is picked.
• It's a state project, so things can obviously change, but if things stay on schedule, the project will start 2010. And the state would begin buying properties (or portions of?) in 2008.
• The engineers agreed that the roundabout plan would be the safest plan but probably the least likely. (I think we'd sooner see a public bath house installed in that intersection than a roundabout! - JM)
• There weren't a lot of people there (weather related).
• Sidewalks are shown on the plans and supposedly both cities (Oak Creek and Franklin) asked for them to be in the plans, but it is still up to each city to fund them. Basically, the state will build the intersection and secure the right-of-way for the land were sidewalks would go. But the state will not necessary put the sidewalks in. The state has a policy (because of liability) that they cannot put in sidewalks that end or go nowhere.
• Last I heard, the traffic count on W. Rawson is over 20,000 vehicles per day. The traffic is only expected to increase with the Sendik's, hoping to be open by the end of the year, and NML's campus expansion.

More rumor than fact:

• 35th Street (Franklin) will be extended, as a thru street, between Drexel and Rawson. The future YMCA may sell off some of their land to the West for other development(s).

• As part of the State Eminent Domain policy, the state can not "force" you off or out of your property, but must have to relocate you to a "comparable" location. This creates a problem for the Cupid's Toy Store situation. They refuse to sell out for under $2 million  (last heard) and there really isn't any place to "relocate" them. Oak Creek passed ordinances strictly restricting "adult establishments" 2 years ago and no one wants a porn store in their neighborhood.

• Dr. Gonis, who has had plans for a dental clinic on the N.E. corner of Rawson and 27th for the last 6 years, has been contacting neural surgeons and other medical specialties to be a part of a massive medical clinic, not limited to dental. Note: there's been a partially empty medical clinic right across the street from that land for several years.

Once again, thanks to Aaron for the insights and the pictures.

PLAN 1

PLAN 2

PLAN 3

Comments

[Pat]

I do not understand option 3 at all especially looking toward the intersection on Rawson facing Franklin. Why does traffic cross over to the left side if you want to turn left. Option one would be cool. It would probably be the most known round-about in the state possibly.