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 | By Molly Snyder Edler   OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writer E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Molly Snyder Edler |
| Published April 8, 2007 at 5:22 a.m. |
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Welcome to the new and improved OnMilwaukee.com Sunday Sound-off, now featuring a question, two different perspectives -- then opening up the topic to our readers' responses. Please use the talkback feature below to contribute your thoughts on the issue.
It's an age-old question for Milwaukeeans, but one that deserves revisiting. Should Milwaukee's lakefront remain pristine, with very few buildings and businesses, or should the shoreline feature more restaurants, bars, hotels and galleries?
In other cities, the waterfront property is prime real estate, where people enjoy a meal or a cocktail overlooking the splendor of the lake or ocean. In Milwaukee, we have very few options to do this, but does that really matter? Also, if you think it does matter, and there should be more development on the lake, how do we control the development? Do we really want a Navy Pier, like Chicago's? And, how do we deal with Lake Michigan's occassional odor? Would this affect business?
Keep it like it is. The lakefront is perfect the way it is, and it's an ideal destination spot for runners, walkers and roller-bladers. The businesses that are already there, like Pieces of Eight and Alterra on the Lake, are enough. Mother nature and Milwaukeeans want it this way: natural, beautiful and accessible.
Bring on the hotels, shopping and bars. The lakefront should be a place to stay, live and party, and not just during Summerfest. Living next to the lake is one of the best aspects of Milwaukee, yet most of us rarely get to enjoy it. Adding more businesses would bring more people to the area, which is good for the entire city. Let's clean up and improve Bradford Beach, too, while we're at it.
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18 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by billstocks8 on April 20, 2007 at 4:17 p.m. (report)
If they could clean up Bradford Beach it would be helpful.
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Posted by mikemiller34 on April 14, 2007 at 2:15 p.m. (report)
When Alterra on the Lake opened, I talked to someone who wondered if they would make it, for the very same reasons. Well, as we all know, they do just fine in the winter--and this time of year, there is a line out the door on nice days. There's definitely room for a shrewd private-sector entity (if they were smart, the County would do it on their land) to grab some of that cafe business along the lakefront/Oak Leaf Trail.
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Posted by elyk on April 11, 2007 at 9:03 p.m. (report)
Since I was a kid goin to the beach on Lake Michigan was a treat. Walking with my family, skipping stones, swimming. Now as a grown up with kids of my own, taking my kids down there is embarrassing. My young daughters know first hand how bad it does get. In my opinion Milwaukee needs to stop polluting the lake first. Eradicate the seaweed stink and fix the zebra mussel problem. The longer the city waits the more $$$ it will cost to fix. When they re-did the roads down there parking became a problem. You have to park a ways away from the beach if you can get a space and then put up with loud music and bad attitudes. An angled parking lot and boardwalk along the length of the beach with steps leading down could bring function to a picturesque setting. An overhang could provide shade for those that would like stay out of the sun. Make it well lit at night so when it is hot you can enjoy a cool breeze or romantic walk. Perfect for permitted street businesses that dissappear at night. Maybe continue the artistic vision of the Calatrava and employ local artists to beautify the space. As for business development like restaurants and such, it would most likely end up being too upscale, commercial and pricey for most of Milwaukee to enjoy. If any development was to happen, they should do it on the existing sites. (Bradford Pavillion and the building in the parking lot) Create more clean spaces with viewing decks, upwards to enjoy the views year round. I think the key is to find a way bring people from all over the country to spend more time on OUR lake shore drive like I did when I was a child.
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Posted by EastSlider on April 11, 2007 at 12:17 p.m. (report)
The lakefront is more developed than it ever has been and there are fewer people at the lakefront. When I worked for the park system back in the 70s, we had two shifts of people at Bradford and McKinley beaches, since both were full of people from early in the morning until well past dark. On a visit to Bradford Beach last summer, there were about 10 people on the beach - on a beautiful day. Why? The seaweed was so thick you could walk on it, and it stunk to high heaven. I know people are working on that problem, but I believe far greater resources need to be applied to fix it. Aside from that, it would be good to see some development of the beautiful but rapidly deteriorating Bradford Beach bathhouse. The Northpoint concession stand should be rebuilt, too. Allowing that place to continue in its present condition is shameful. If we're going to have a "concession stand" there, let's make it a good one and an attractive one. But NO to any more big public or private developments. We have a lakefront that, once the seaweed is cleaned up, is the envy of many communities. Let's not destroy it.
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Posted by thewaz on April 11, 2007 at 12:01 p.m. (report)
We should focus on cleaning up the lake first, its disgusting and smelly. The view from the lakefront Alterra is close enough to the lake, and everytime i go there i take a walk out on the pier to look at the poop floating in the water that gets trapped on the breakwater.
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