Triangle property raises TIF district concerns

The inclusion of the so-called Triangle property in a proposed tax incremental financing district is the No. 1 concern of people who have reached out to Grafton officials, Village Administrator Jesse Thyes said.

“A lot of people are concerned about that,” Thyes said, adding they are worried not just about the use of the property but also a proposal to alter traffic patterns by vacating Grafton Avenue, installing a roundabout at the intersection of Sunset Court, Grafton Avenue and 17th Avenue and upgrading the Highway 60 and 17th Avenue traffic signals.

The public input has promoted officials to take another look at the proposed TIF plan, Thyes said. They found the Triangle property isn’t essential to the TIF district, so they’ve created an alternative plan that doesn’t include the Triangle property that will also be considered as the village works to create its sixth TIF district.

Among those concerned about the TIF plan is Mary Hantak, who lives on Sunset Court and is worried about the inclusion of the Triangle land and the related street work.

She said the village has touted the proposed TIF district as revolving around improvements to the blighted Goldberg foundry, but noted that the TIF plan includes many other projects.

“I just think it needs greater thought,” she said. “I and many other residents are concerned about the lack of public awareness of these things. I think the entire village, all the residents, need to have more awareness of the things included in the TIF district.”

That’s especially true of the proposed street changes around the Triangle property, she said, which would cost far more than the improvements to the 1.87-acre Goldberg Foundry at 1019-1025 11th Ave.

And they would change traffic patterns in a way that is consequential to residents, Hantak said.

“That part of the road is used by many residents,” she said, noting it is an entrance to the heart of the community. “If you funnel all the traffic onto 17th Avenue, it’s going to cause traffic backups and it’s going to impact pedestrian safety.”

One reason people are worried, Thyes said, is that Three Leaf Partners, which owns the Triangle property, has submitted several plans for the land that have been rejected by the village. Officials decided the proposed developments, which included a mix of multifamily housing and commercial uses, were too dense and didn’t fit the character of the area.

Approval of the TIF plan, Thyes said, doesn’t mean approval of the Three Leaf Partners plans.

“The TIF is a long-range planning tool. It’s not tied to the current (Triangle property) owners or the concepts they have provided,” he said. “Any project in the TIF needs to go through a stand-alone review.

“This is a 25-year plan. What we’re saying is within the next 25 years staff has reason to believe something is going to happen there.”

And when it does, the village wants to be in a position to fund infrastructure improvements, such as changes to the roads, he said. The proposed TIF district would provide the means to fund these improvements.

The Joint Review Board and Plan Commission were expected to consider the TIF plan on Tuesday but the sessions were canceled after the village determined that not every member of the Joint Review Board, which includes representatives of all the affected taxing entities and a citizen, could attend.

“This is very important, so important we wanted to make sure we have 100% of the members here,” he said.

Because the Joint Review Board must meet before the Plan Commission, which was to hold a public hearing on the TIF plan, both meetings were canceled, he said.

A new date for the meetings has not been scheduled, Thyes added.

Both the original and the revised TIF plans will be presented to the Joint Review Board and Plan Commission, Thyes said, adding the Joint Review Board could recommend approval of both or either of the plans, which would then be considered by the Plan Commission and later the Village Board.

The plan approved by the Village Board then goes back to the Joint Review Board for a final approval.

The proposed TIF district, which contains some of the oldest parcels in the community, is sprawling, roughly stretching from Washington Street (Highway 60) north to Shoreland Lane and 17th Avenue west to Ninth Avenue. On the far east end of the district is the so-called Triangle property east of the Milwaukee River.

Properties in the district reflect a variety of residential, business, institutional and mixed uses. There is also 1.7 acres of vacant land in the district.

Officials announced their intention to create the TIF district last week, saying a majority of the 92 properties in the proposed district are blighted.

“While some parcels are actively used and well maintained, others exhibit physical conditions of economic obsolescence and deterioration that negatively impact property values,” officials said.

The TIF district will be centered around the 1.87-acre former Goldberg Foundry at 1019-1025 11th Ave., officials said, noting there have been attempts to reuse the building but it is “no longer safe for occupancy.”

The current value of the property in the proposed TIF district is $14.7 million, according to the village.

When the district closes in 2051, the valuation is expected to be $49.5 million, officials said.

To reach that would require an investment of $6.8 million to improve area streets, traffic, storm sewers, sidewalks and trails, officials said.

The redevelopment envisioned for the district includes a mix of residential, commercial and mixed-use projects.