Reposted from Wauwatosa Patch February 4 article, Auto Parts Chain Leases Former Blockbuster Building.

O’Reilly Auto Parts has signed a 15-year lease for the former Blockbuster building at 6102 W. North Ave., city officials and neighborhood representatives learned Friday.

A group including several Common Council members, the city administrator, the economic development director and members of the East Tosa Alliance met with the property’s owner and representatives Friday morning to discuss the future of the site, according to two aldermen who were present.

But after a conversation about fitting any potential use into the city’s comprehensive plan, they said, owner Dan Cohen of Mid-America Real Estate announced that the lease with O’Reilly had already been signed.

Ald. Linda Nikcevich said in an e-mail that Cohen told the group he had been working on alternate plans for the Blockbuster site since 2007 and that O’Reilly was the only business that had wanted it.

When Blockbuster vacated the premises in December without notice, Nikcevich said, Cohen and O’Reilly were already prepared to move ahead with a lease.

Nikcevich and Ald. Bobby Pantuso, who also attended the meeting, were concerned, though, that the fast turnaround of the property did not take into account the city’s vision for the area.

Between 2007 and the present, she said, the city had adopted the North Avenue Plan to implement a $5.4 million, 15-year vision for an enlivened business district. However, she said, Cohen told the group he was not even aware of the existence of the redevelopment plan.

“This is a conditional use that could be approved for the space with restrictions, but not a preferred use of the property,” Nikcevich wrote.

Pantuso concurred, saying in an interview that while any solid, long-term tenant was better than a long-term vacancy, an auto parts business was not what East Tosa had hoped for on the Blockbuster site.

Neighborhood organizers who did the groundwork in developing the North Avenue Plan have long looked at the Blockbuster location as a potential anchor for the east end of the district in Wauwatosa.

It had always been hoped, he said, that attracting a destination dining establishment or up-scale mixed-use development there could be the impetus for a revival of sorts along the avenue.

“I think we could have done better than an auto parts store,” Pantuso said.

Cohen could not be reached for comment.

By Bobby Pantuso, alderman

Recently, you may have noticed that the Blockbuster building on 61^st Street and North Avenue became vacant. Many people wondered what might be coming next.

As it turns out, it is an auto parts store.

Everyone living in East Tosa has their own vision of what they would like North Avenue to look like, to be like, to feel like. My own vision for North Avenue starts with… well, North Avenue.

Not the one of today but the one from 30 years ago, when I was a kid growing up in East Tosa and hanging out on and frequenting the shops on North Avenue.

The second infusion to my vision of North Avenue is Brady Street on the East Side of Milwaukee; a walkable stretch of urban street filled with eclectic shops. Merge those together and you get a taste of MY vision.

Putting everyone’s vision together and producing a common vision was no small task. Through the efforts of many, over a period of a few years, a great document was formed.

That document sits in my home office, and I commonly refer to it as “The Game Plan.” I refer to it frequently. I’ve printed copies and mailed them to people. I’ve linked to it in emails more times than you can imagine. I have shared it.

As I look through the game plan I see myself walking down North Avenue, stopping, shopping, talking, people watching. It is where I want to be and I want to share it. We share because we are proud. “Here try this cake I made… Try this coffee I bought… walk down this street I helped create.

North Avenue needs to be not just a street but a place and a destination. There needs to be a look, a feel, a sense, a place we share.

Many East Tosans wondered what “the plan” called for. It quickly became known that the next occupant of the Blockbuser site might be a national chain auto parts store…sigh. Really? That’s the best you could do?… sigh.

Then as we REALLY thought about it we envisioned the auto parts store we already have just two blocks away. The parking lot is covered in oil and usually trash. People are there at all hours with the hood up, filling fluids, changing sparkplugs, batteries. They try starting their cars, they rev the engine, they play their music loud while they do so. They loiter…..sigh.

It has become apparent that we are getting this auto parts store, the lease has been signed and there is no turning back. It is up to us now to stop the parking lot from becoming an outdoor auto shop, an eyesore.

What if this becomes a place we avoid? What if we start to avoid the places nearby? What if we are no longer proud and we don’t want to share?

This was never in my vision. It wasn’t in anybody’s.

East Tosa residents assumed it was a matter of time before Blockbuster closed up shop in their neighborhood.

But the speed of the movie-rental store’s departure at 6102 W. North Ave. last month, and the reports that an auto-parts store might fill the space, have neighbors concerned.

Blockbuster has fallen on hard times, shuttering most of its stores in the Milwaukee area and across the country. Still, an employee assured Alderman Bobby Pantuso last spring that the local store would likely remain open for some time. Then in mid-December, business-closing signs went up and the building was quickly emptied.

“I was a little thrown off because it always seemed busy to me,” Pantuso said. “We always thought there was going to be more time.”

The site has been identified as a key redevelopment hotspot in the East Tosa master plan that was adopted by the city last summer. Pantuso said that while the plan sounded a bit “pie in the sky” – it calls for a neighborhood commons feel with two-story mixed residential/office and commercial use as well and even a splash pad for urban recreation/open space – it makes full use of the site.

“That’s such a beautiful spot and there’s not a lot of mixed use on North Avenue,” he said.

The 32,400-square-foot property, which takes up nearly an entire commercial block, is mostly asphalt parking lot surrounding a 6,800 square-foot building.

Blockbuster’s closing left members of the East Tosa Alliance, a group of residents, business and property owners, scrambling to find out if they could influence what was next for site.

“It’s an anchor in that area,” said Meg Miller, alliance board chairwoman. “We want to work with anyone that comes in. We want this to be collaborative.”

Initial talks with a broker from Mid-America Real Estate Group led Miller to believe a new tenant had been lined up for the building. After some digging, she learned the real-estate firm had secured a long-term lease from O’Reilly Auto Parts.

The broker couldn’t be immediately reached for comment but he did send Miller an e-mail Tuesday, saying he’s willing to talk.

Neighbors haven’t welcomed news of a national auto parts retailer.

“Bringing this type of business into this space does not add to the neighborhood feel the North Avenue East Tosa Plan is attempting to accomplish,” said Angela Quigley, a resident who joined the alliance. “My husband and I moved to East Tosa a few years ago from Downtown Milwaukee because of all the locally owned, unique businesses that were within walking distance of our house. There is a lot of momentum going on in this neighborhood of bringing in new, fresh businesses and I just don’t feel that O’Reilly Auto Parts will add to this momentum.”

Alliance members cite an auto parts dealer at 58th Street and North Avenue, albeit in Milwaukee, that serves the area. A market study included in the master plan cites a need for locally provided auto-related retail. However, that shouldn’t be misconstrued as a need for additional stores, but rather a desire to protect the existing businesses like Voline and O’Gorman’s that the alliance doesn’t want to see pushed out, Miller said.

National auto parts franchises tend to locate in strip malls on busy main streets, not next to a happening restaurant and gathering place like Juniper 61, she said. Imagine sitting on the patio enjoying a meal overlooking a person changing their oil in the neighboring parking lot, she said.

The residents don’t want to see an empty building and understand that a property owner needs to collect rent, Miller said. A look at the companies that Mid-America represents shows some more fitting options – such as a Chipotle, which would be consistent with a survey that showed neighbors want a Mexican restaurant in the district.

East Tosa resident Maureen Badding sent a letter to the broker pointing out a desire by residents for garden center, Mexican restaurant, Hallmark-type store, specialty food store or retail boutiques of any type.

“With a relatively new building and ample parking, your property is a goldmine,” she said.

Please join the Friends of Hart Park Foundation for their Fall 2011 Weed Out and Menomonee River Clean-Up. The Friends of Hart Park is a non-profit organization whose goal is to promote the preservation of Hart Park. Please visit our web site at www.ihartpark.com for further information about The Friends of Hart Park. The event will take place Saturday, October 29th, 2011 from 9am- noon. We are looking for volunteers to help with pulling weeds and cleaning up along the Menomonee River at Hart Park. We will be meeting outside the Park Office at Hart Park at 9am. We will be supplying bags. Please bring gloves, sheers and any supplies that you think will be beneficial for the clean-up. Please email Patrick.mcnally82@gmail.com if you plan on attending

Save the date - Juniper 61 is hosting East Town Get Down featuring food, drink and live music on August 18, 2012

Save the date!  Chili’n 2012 is scheduled for July 21, so start honing in on your chili cooking skills to see if you can unseat our current chili champions!

Will Trial by Fire be judged a winner? Will Dos Sombreros give out black eyes rather than sport them?  Will Leapin’ Cheeseheads take the top price for showmanship?

These questions and many more will be answered at Chili’n 2012, so mark your calendars!

Resident architect draws on his interest in urban planning to promote investment in North Avenue district.

By Laura J. Merisalo |  May 9, 2011

A $5.4 million plan to redesign a 16-block stretch of North Avenue known as East Tosa will go before two city committees this week, capping a year-long process to create a strategic plan to redevelop the area.

The East Tosa North Avenue Plan calls for incremental public project improvements, from 2011-12 through 2025-26, to help make East Tosa a destination business district that focuses on niche markets and complements the adjacent neighborhoods.

The plan plots public investment of nearly $2.5 million within the first five years, and estimates private investment could near $8.5 million during that same period.

The plan, developed by RDG Planning and Design of Omaha, Neb., incorporates four subdistricts within East Tosa, each with its own center, at 62nd, 65th, 69th and 72nd streets. The subdistrict divisions correspond with changes in residential architecture.

“It is neighborhood driven, with small commercial districts, which are their glue,” said Meg Miller, founder of the North Avenue Neighborhood Alliance that spearheaded the drive for the city to develop a strategic plan for the East Tosa area. “It is creating a community space (on North Avenue) where people can visit, and that is an extension of their home.”

A priority in the plan: eliminating the “chicane” street design – the protected left-turn lanes that have been controversial since they first were created about a dozen years ago. Miller said chicane removal is targeted for the first year under the plan.

Although the chicane design accomplished its goals, to slow and divert traffic, it did so to a fault, Miller said. The chicane design also made it difficult for motorists to spy businesses while driving in the area, as navigating the curious jags make it so “you don’t want to take your eyes off the road for a second…. You are on your own Mario Andretti race course.”

And when motorists must concentrate on navigating North Avenue, that leaves little opportunity to spy opportunities to stop and shop, dine or stroll the street to discover local businesses.

Eliminating the chicane and restriping the road to delineate street parking and bicycle lanes, she said, will immediately make North Avenue safer and easier to navigate, for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Those projects are among the $952,000 in public improvements identified for the first year under the proposed plan.

The first-year improvements also call for four-way stops at 64th and 72nd streets, where there are no traffic controls, for at least a three- to six-month evaluation period. The stop signs are an inexpensive way to create gaps in traffic that will ease pedestrian crossing. The early plans also call for a $50,000 investment in a wayfinding system – signage that directs motorists to public parking and district features.

The first steps to create a cleaner throughway will be a key benefit for businesses, with more on-street parking and easier pedestrian, bicycle and motorist access, according to Miller. This access is essential so businesses can capture dollars that a market study in the plan shows are “walking out the door,” Miller said.

The market study shows a reinvigorated East Tosa could capitalize on millions of dollars that currently are spent outside the district. The study shows that residents in the North Avenue trade area spend nearly $75 million a year outside the district, and the model for new and reoccupied retail space in the district could capture 7.6 percent of those dollars – or more than $5.7 million.

Although area residents indicated in surveys that a full-service grocery store for the area is highly desired, the market study shows East Tosa is better poised to deliver specialty retail, including specialty foods. The retail sales potential under the plan model for new and reoccupied retail space in the district includes:

Full-service restaurants: North Avenue trade area residents spend nearly $20 million a year dining outside the district. With only 18 eating and drinking establishments in East Tosa, the plan estimates growth of these businesses within the district have the potential to generate an additional $2.5 million in annual sales.

Specialty clothing: East Tosa boutiques, specialty apparel and children’s clothing shops could capture up to $1.25 million in additional annual sales.

Specialty foods; hobby, toys and games; automative parts; and home-related “arts” items: Growth in these areas combined hold the potential to generate another $1.8 million in annual sales.

Creating a vibrant commercial district not only benefits businesses, but residential property owners as well, by bolstering property values, Miller said. Adopting a strategic plan for East Tosa, she added, allows those interested in expanding or bringing new business to the area to invest in businesses identified as a good fit for the district, and so have the greatest potential for success.

As example, she said, “if you are interested in starting a toy store, you know right away there is a market for that here. If you follow what this (plan) shows, you will succeed. It is very clear how much money is spent.”

Under the plan’s timeline, the first-year East Tosa improvements would include:

Removing the chicane design and other street modifications, at a cost of $260,000.
Creating wayfinding and a touchpoint matrix, a digital barcode system displayed in business windows that would allow smartphone and iPad users to scan the matrix code to link to internet connections about district businesses, at a combined cost of $100,000.
Creating a 69th Street Center, at the heart of East Tosa, to include expanded parking, a sidewalk pavilion and public square space with a stage for community events, at a cost of $592,000.

Three additional subcenters would be created one at a time over a period of five to six years, at 62nd, 65th and 72nd streets. The 62nd Street Center carries the highest price tag of the four subcenters, at $950,000, and would include a neighborhood commons and children’s interactive water fountain feature just north of North Avenue on 62nd Street.

The East Tosa plan incorporates ideas from residents and business owners who “believe in living here and in this lifestyle” of close-knit neighborhoods served by their own distinct commercial area, according to Miller.

The plan was paid for through a Community Development Block Grant, that allowed the city to contract with RDG Planning and Design for $39,934 to develop the East Tosa plan, according to Nancy Welch, the city’s community development director.

Welch notes that the plan provides the city with a vision, although implementing it is subject to other considerations, including available funding. The East Tosa plan allows for the redevelopment to occur in phases, and public infrastructure improvements – such as street redesign – would need to be incorporated into the city’s capital expenditure budget. The costs for other improvements, such as streetscaping and other amenities, may be borne by the city, or by private, non-profit groups, Welch said, noting that “the city is not going to come in and just do everything.”

Juniper 61 is hosting the East Town Get Down featuring food, drink and live music on August 20 from 1pm-8pm.

Juniper 61 | 6030 W. North Avenue| Wauwatosa

Register today for Kids Yoga (ages 7-12) w/ Beckie (NEW!)
Sundays, August 7th, 14th, 21st & 28th
11:00 AM – 11:45 AM

Tosa Yoga | 6428 W. North Avenue | Wauwatosa, WI 53213 | 414-828-7555