Business Improvement District Could Give Boost to 27th Street

The "Historic Highway 41" branding efforts seen on 27th Street in Greenfield and Milwaukee may make their way further south. 

Business owners are organizing an effort to form a business improvement district on the Franklin and Oak Creek sides of 27th Street by the end of this year.

In business improvement districts, property owners agree to a special tax that pays for things like marketing, streetscape improvements and special events to draw people to the area. The tax would not apply to residential properties.
 

For taxing purposes, officials want to get a BID established before the end of this year due to planned reconstruction of 27th Street between College and Drexel avenues in 2015.

A town hall meeting for affected property owners will be held in October. If a consensus is reached to moved forward, operating plans would be presented to the Franklin and Oak Creek common councils for approval, said Tara Cavazos, president of the 27th Street BID covering Milwaukee and Greenfield.

Staybridge Suites General Manager Mark Hansen, who is one of the people working to get a BID organized in Oak Creek and Franklin, said business owners seem supportive of the idea.

"We've experienced nothing but positive feedback from all the business property owners we've talked to so far," he said. "We want to have this town hall meeting to confirm that."

Mayor Steve Scaffidi also favored the BID, saying consistent branding would help create an identity for 27th Street.