COMMENTARY: BREWERS SHOULD CONSIDER DEVELOPMENT NEAR BALLPARK

GLANCE AT YESTERYEAR

Greenwood Brothers drug store in the 1890s

This 1890s Milwaukee Journal photo shows four men standing in front of the Greenwood Brothers drug store at what is now the northeast corner of North 12th and West State streets. By the late 1950s, the building was home to a number of other businesses, including OlsenScott Pharmacy, Doc’s Camera and Coin Mart, State Resale Shops, Consolidated Hat Works, as well as apartments. Today, the property is part of the Aurora Sinai Medical Center campus. — Photo courtesy Milwaukee Public Library/Historic Photo Collection

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COMMENTARY

Brewers should consider development near ballpark

IT’S INTERESTING TO SEE Milwaukee County Board Supervisor Peter Burgelis call for the district that oversees American Family Field to work with the city of Milwaukee and village of West Milwaukee to study the idea of creating a mixed-use entertainment district on 82 acres of surface parking lots east of the stadium.

The idea clearly caught the Milwaukee Brewers by surprise as Burgelis had not discussed it with them.

But for a lot of reasons, the timing is right to consider this idea, and it’s about time somebody starts pushing for this.

Built in 2001, American Family Field was funded by a five-county sales tax instituted from 1996 to 2020. During that time, the tax collected about $605 million to pay for the stadium’s construction and operations.

The Brewers have spent more than $100 million on upgrades to the stadium. But now the team has commissioned a study of future needed improvements. The stadium district has $87 million in a reserve fund for future projects, but needed stadium improvements will likely exceed that at some point.

Eventually the Brewers could seek more tax money for the stadium. The Brewers’ lease runs through 2030 and the team has two five-year options to extend it to 2040. It wouldn’t be surprising if negotiations to extend the lease further include a request from the Brewers for more tax money to pay for improvements needed at the stadium, which will only increase as the facility ages.

The value of the Brewers has increased exponentially since a group led by Mark Attanasio bought the team in 2005 for about $223 million. Forbes estimates the Brewers are now worth $1.28 billion. Considering that astonishing return on the ownership group’s investment, why do taxpayers need to provide more money for the stadium?

If the Brewers are seeking public money to upgrade the stadium, they are going to have to consider developing some of the land around it, which could generate new property tax revenue that could be used to fund stadium improvements.

Several professional sports teams have developed the land around their stadiums or arenas to generate additional revenues, including the Atlanta Braves with The Battery Atlanta, the Bucks with the Deer District and the Packers with Titletown District.

The Brewers could create a significant development district on parking lots between the Stadium Freeway and the Menomonee River and would still have a massive amount of parking for fans on game days.

That development could also complement plans to redevelop Komatsu’s 45-acre site northeast of Brewers Boulevard and National Avenue, which will be vacated by the company as it makes its move to Milwaukee’s Harbor District.

WisDOT is working on plans to rebuild the Stadium Interchange, which could include changes to the Stadium Freeway that would help connect a development district east of American Family Field to its surroundings.

For all of these reasons, the Brewers need to give this idea some serious thought. n

ANDREW WEILAND

EDITOR

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PAY IT FORWARD

Patricia Lane

Partner Foley & Lardner LLP – Milwaukee office

Foley’s Patricia Lane helps small businesses get free legal advice through State Bar-Marquette Law collaboration

WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT and lockdowns went into effect, business lawyers became somewhat of a crisis helpline for small business owners navigating the complicated legality of government-mandated closures, mask ordinances, business interruption insurance and health and safety protocols.

Patricia Lane, a partner in Foley & Lardner’s Milwaukee office, was among those lawyers who’d get stopped in the grocery store or around town by business owners looking for answers. So, in the summer of 2020, Lane worked with the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Business Law Section and the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinics to create a program that pairs volunteer attorneys and Marquette University law students with Wisconsin-based small business owners seeking legal advice – free of charge.

“We realized there was this real groundswell need from a lot of small business owners for guidance,” said Lane. “It came to our attention that there were other issues as well that business owners were struggling with.”

When the Small Business Assistance project launched in February 2021, many business owners who signed up for the hour-long Zoom or phone consultations came with questions directly related to COVID-19 and subsequent government mandates. But as time has passed and businesses face new and chronic challenges, the program has expanded to advise on everything from corporate formalities and contract language to starting a second line of business.

Lane said the service has been met with steady demand from both sides – small businesses that can’t afford to incur the steep cost of non-litigation legal services, and attorneys who want to give back.

“Business lawyers don’t have as much opportunity to participate in pro-bono activities because a lot of (that work) is related to litigation and criminal disputes,” said Lane. “So, there’s a lot of pent-up demand where you’ve got lawyers who want to donate their services, who want to participate and help out. … It’s been a really rewarding experience for all of us who have participated.”

To date, 25 volunteer attorneys and 20 volunteer law students have served 144 clients through the assistance program, totaling approximately 226 hours.

The way Lane sees it, the program is designed to have a ripple effect on the greater community, starting with local small businesses.

“Those are the businesses that make these communities what they are,” she said. “So, to the extent that we can give back and make the community better for everybody by nurturing these small businesses and doing what we can to make sure they’ve got the resources they need without paying a lot for them, then they can thrive and better the community for all of us.”

It may come as a surprise that Wisconsin is one of the first states to offer a pro bono program for business law issues, but that could soon change. Lane said the program has garnered interest from other state bar associations across the U.S. n

MAREDITHE MEYER

Associate Editor

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