By Molly Snyder Senior Writer Published Apr 08, 2007 at 5:22 AM

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.


Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.

Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.