Update: The project will apparently appear on the agenda at a special meeting, according to the Journal Sentinel.
A dispute between County Executive Chris Abele and South Shore Supervisor Pat Jursik means a key county committee won’t consider a high-rise proposed for the Transit Center site until September.
Here is the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on the delay. From it:
Jursik said the approval process was badly damaged when Abele decided to announce his recommendation of developer Rick Barrett’s plan. Barrett’s high-rise proposal is one of four competing ideas filed by developers for the 2.2-acre transit center site, 909 E. Michigan St.
The committee should have first reviewed all four proposals in closed session to protect their proprietary information, Jursik said. The state’s public meetings law allows such closed sessions for that purpose, but requires any votes to then be taken in open session.
That step would have given committee members a chance to evaluate the proposals and decide which one was the best, Jursik said.
Now that Abele has recommended Barrett’s proposal, Jursik said she’s hearing from opponents. She said delaying a committee vote on authorizing negotiations until the next committee meeting, which is Sept. 17 because of the board’s August recess, will allow for more public comment.
County Board Chairwoman Marina Dimitrijevic has joined Jursik in supporting the delay.
South Milwaukee Blog 