"You can walk to get some coffee or walk to the river or walk to a restaurant. You don't always need your car anymore."

A rather unexpected boon for small- and medium-sized downtowns previously depleted by suburban migration.

From the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

New projects helping attract seniors to walkable downtown

By BRANDON LORENZ
Special to the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Aug. 25, 2007

Grafton - Jim and Julie Bednarczyk like condo living.

So when they were looking to escape the traffic congestion around their Mequon condo, the retired couple were among the first to move to Grafton Square, a condo project aimed at residents 55 and older on Grafton's south side.

The location seemed ideal. A five-minute walk away is a Sendik's grocery store. Ample sidewalks make it easy and safe for Julie Bednarczyk to walk Oscar, her 14-year-old dog.

"It was really hard in our old neighborhood. I had to watch the traffic closely," says Julie Bednarczyk.

Finished in 2004, Grafton Square was one of the last condo projects to be approved before trustees decided to restrict condominium projects to the village's downtown, concerned that too many of them would dilute Grafton's single-family character.

By limiting multi-family housing to downtown, village officials hoped to create a mix of commercial and residential uses that would enable residents to frequent nearby local businesses, an uncommon but sophisticated approach for a village of about 12,000 people.

"We've tried to be smart by locating condos in areas that we feel fit our redevelopment goals," says Darrell Hofland, village administrator.

"There has been demand for condos by the interstate, but we would only be competing against ourselves," Hofland said. "Resisting that demand has increased interest in the downtown."

The Bednarczyks moved from Mequon, one of the few couples in their building to move from outside the village.

Fueled by demand from older residents who want to maintain social connections with friends and church groups but who no longer want to own single-family homes, two recent projects have added dozens of units to Grafton's downtown.

The projects - Heritage Condominiums and Berkshire Senior Housing - have added more than $10 million to the village's tax base.

Developer Peter Sheperd said he initially expected that his new downtown project, the BridgeWater Condominiums, would cater to older residents.

When constructing the model, Sheperd decided to put an elevator in the three-story unit to entice seniors.

Situated on the Milwaukee River, the three-bedroom units range from 2,500 to 3,100 square feet.

Decks overlook the river and amenities include cathedral ceilings, granite and marble counters, security systems, surround sound and fireplaces.

But Sheperd says the units, which start at $449,000, are attracting younger buyers who want to be within walking distance of downtown restaurants and coffee shops.

Four of the nine units in the project have sold.

"What this really is, is a rural-urban downtown. You can walk to get some coffee or walk to the river or walk to a restaurant. You don't always need your car anymore," Sheperd says.

The downtown condominium projects have spurred village officials to allow multi-family housing units on the site of the Manchester Mall, not far from the Bednarczyks' condo on the village's south side.

If successful, the plan could revitalize the site, which has lost two national retailers.

Bednarczyk would welcome the change.

"We're city kids from Milwaukee. We want conveniences," Bednarczyk says. "I don't want acres and acres."

Comments

[Greg Kowalski]

It should be noted that whenever there seems to be a situation in Franklin, Franklin leaders will almost ALWAYS point their fingers over to Grafton and say, "Well, what do you think of THEIR development?"

In this case, I'd love to have a City official come up to me and ask that question again. Apparently Grafton knows the right way in building its city center - and it knows strip malls aren't the answer.

Does Grafton have any $4 million homes being proposed?

[John Michlig]

Compare this to where some Franklin senior housing is located - isolated from any community amenities. The condos on 51st street are pretty bleak in terms of any sort of access to ANYTHING.

Imagine, for instance, senior housing behind the "Shoppes" Target, with suitable screening from the loading docks. The residents would have relatively easy access to public space, rather than being banished to the hinterlands.

[Greg Kowalski]

Also imagine walkways connecting The Shoppes, the Aurora medical center, and possible senior apartments - even Brenwood Park.

Unfortunately the City is very against walk-bridges. They use the walk-bridge in Greendale as an example. Yes, it might be a tacky looking item, but that's not the only option the City has for constructing such a thing.

This can be all part of how terribly the City is failing its residents on creating a worthwhile, downtown Franklin atmosphere and instead creating a bunch of non-cohesive projects hodge-podged together.

Franklin residents need to send out an SOS...