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Decision on new dorms likely to come this week
UWM Real Estate Foundation to choose one of three sites
By Kevin Lessmiller
After the UWM Real Estate Foundation decides on one of three finalists, they will submit the proposal to the City of Milwaukee, seeking a final approval.
A decision on a new University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee residence hall location, chosen by the UWM Real Estate Foundation, is likely to be made this week.
David Gilbert, UWM Foundation President, said last Friday that a selection of the UWM Real Estate Foundation’s preferred location probably wouldn’t happen until the end of the week. The UWM Foundation oversees both the school’s Research Foundations and its real estate operations.
3rd District Alderman Nik Kovac held three public meetings, Sept. 2-4, for area residents to hear proposals from the three final bidders – Boulder Venture, Mandel Group, and Phelan Development and Towne Investment.
Boulder Venture’s proposed development would be constructed in the Prospect Mall parking lot, between Ivanhoe Pl. and Kenilworth Pl. Similar to the other two bids, the parking lot is roughly a mile and a half from the central UWM campus.
The Sept. 3 public meeting saw the Mandel Group’s pitch for its “Hometown” site location. The site, on North Ave. between Cambridge Ave. and the Milwaukee River, is currently home to a defunct Hometown gas station.
The Mandel Group’s proposed design is also directly across from and would face UWM’s Riverview residence hall. Concerns were raised at the meeting about pollution to the river because of more than 1,000 UWM students, between Riverview and the Hometown site, potentially living on its banks.
Finally, Phelan Development and Towne Investment presented their proposal at the Sept. 4 meeting, held in Holy Rosary Hall at 2011 N. Oakland Ave. If the UWM Real Estate Foundation chooses their plan, the new residence hall would be built on the southeast corner of Farwell Ave. and Royall Pl. Kovac read requirements for the new building, laid out by the UWM Real Estate Foundation, at each of the meetings. The constraints included, among several other criteria, an innovative, sustainable design.
J. Gerard Capell, Murray Hill Neighborhood Association President, explained the feelings of many residents living in and around the UWM community.
“I think it is more of a ‘lesser of three evils’,” he said, when asked if area neighbors prefer one specific proposal over the other two.
Capell also said he supports UWM building new facilities away from the east side, like a talked-about School of Public Health in the downtown area. He added he’d like to see downtown expansion rather than, for example, the proposed Innovation Park in Wauwatosa.
After the UWM Real Estate Foundation decides on one of three finalists, they will submit the proposal to the City of Milwaukee, seeking a final approval. The plan, said Kovac at one meeting, is to break ground for construction by early 2009.
The new residence hall structure would be open for student housing by Fall 2010 and will be home to nearly 700 UWM freshmen and sophomores.
Kristin Kern contributed to this report.
> Comments
Anynomous on Sep 16, 2008 at 03:41 PM:
Residence Halls...not dorms. The residence halls here have so much more to offer than living quarters for students attending school here at UWM. Residence Halls provide students with a place to actively learn outside of the classroom walls, create new friendships, and discover oneself. Dorms do not offer an abundance of life, but Residence Halls do.
Esteemed, Highly Regarded Former University Housing Involvee on Sep 16, 2008 at 08:22 PM:
Anonymous,
You are ridiculous. The department of residence life is full of silly titles and dumb jargon/ over political correct bull. News flash: Nobody outside of your sheltered world cares what the difference between a res hall and dorm is!
Rob, shut up. on Sep 17, 2008 at 07:44 AM:
You're not a student, and you misappropriated nearly $10,000 without senate approval. You're no better than what the hippies think of Russ you stupid fuck.
ConsolerOfTheLonely on Sep 17, 2008 at 03:03 PM:
RESIDENCE HALL noun a college or university building containing living quarters for students [syn: dormitory]
DORMITORY noun a building, as at a college, containing a number of private or semiprivate rooms for residents, usually along with common bathroom facilities and recreation areas.
"Residence Halls provide students with a place to actively learn outside of the classroom walls, create new friendships, and discover oneself. Dorms do not offer an abundance of life, but Residence Halls do."
I'd like to see some facts that support that.
Dave Reid on Sep 18, 2008 at 10:17 AM:
We did some pretty extensive coverage of the dorm meetings... check it out: http://urbanmilwaukee.com/category/neighborhoods/east-side/uwm/