Controversial triangle land struck from TID plan

A new Grafton tax incremental district that would help fund the redevelopment of the dilapidated Goldberg Foundry and other blighted properties no longer includes the controversial triangle property that stymied the proposal earlier this year, according to a plan endorsed by the village’s Community Development Authority last week.  

The district, which would encompass 92 properties on the village’s north side, would also fund street work and other renovations.

But most notably, the revised district would not include the so-called triangle property formed by Grafton Avenue, 17th Avenue and Highway 60, which is owned by Three Leaf Partners.

The development firm has proposed several plans for the property that have been rejected by the village, including one in September that called for 63 apartments and 30 townhomes on the relatively small parcel.

Although neither officials nor residents liked the Three Leaf proposals, the Triangle property was included in the initial TID plan with a street proposal that could facilitate some sort of development. That plan called for Grafton Avenue to be vacated, a roundabout to be constructed at Sunset Court, Grafton Avenue and 17th Avenue and traffic signals to be upgraded at 17th Avenue and Highway 60.

But opposition to that part of the TID plan forced officials to cancel Joint Review Board and Plan Commission reviews earlier this year and rework the proposed district.

The new plan replaces the triangle property with the Mobile gas station and several other properties south of Washington Street, Community Development Director Jessica Wolff said.

In a TID, revenue generated by increased taxes from properties in the district is reinvested into infrastructure for a fixed period of time.

The TID’s focus would be the demolition and redevelopment of the long-vacant Goldberg property, which would cost about $700,000, Wolff said.

“(The foundry) is no longer a viable structure,” she said.

The plan would also include home improvement and business facade grants, along with development incentives which would be given on a case-by-case basis by the village, according to the TID plan.

Additionally, the TID could finance proposed village projects such as improvements to Third Avenue Park and road projects, including:

n A $725,000 reconstruction of Beech Street from Second to 11th avenues.

n A $600,000 reconstruction of Hickory Street from Ninth Avenue to Green Bay Road.

n $550,000 in village costs associated with Wisconsin Department of Transportation reconstruction.

n More than $1 million in other road work.

The total proposed project cost is $6 million, plans say.

CDA member Jim Miller, who was the only member to vote against the plan, said that even with the Triangle property removed he was not happy with the plan.

“I am not sold on the TID in general,” he said.

He said many of the proposed uses for TID funds could be covered by the existing village budget.

Miller suggested stripping the district down to only the properties necessary to fund the foundry project.

The inclusion of other projects in the plans gives the village leeway in making decisions, Village President Dan Delorit said.

“These are potential things that could be funded,” he said, adding that including more than the bare minimum number of properties gives the village those options.

“To have that ability, we need to have a large enough district,” Delorit said.

Member Al Richards said if the village were to demolish the dilapidated foundry, it would make sense to do other enhancement projects as well.

“You can’t have a shack next to a mansion,” he said.

Several of the properties in the proposed district are in an existing TID that will close in three years, plans said. Village officials said the overlap would not create an issue.

As of Jan. 1, 2023, the district’s value is estimated at about $14 million, according to plans. The TID would generate an estimated $18 million.

The TID would be for a “blighted” area, which allows a 27 year lifespan with 22 years of spending on projects.

The district, roughly stretching from Washington Street (Highway 60) north to Shoreland Lane and 13th Avenue west to Ninth Avenue, includes the former Clark gas station.

There will be a public hearing on the plan at the Joint Review Board meeting on Tuesday, June 25.