Vital Re/Development Issues

by Dan Knauss

"If a sterile metal like gold measures the worth of men and women, are the people who wear chains of gold not indeed prisoners of illusion? And is it possible, in a zero sum world where my gain is another's loss, that the people who sport such finery are not in fact condemning legions of poor to roam the great highways as beggars--or else to be herded together in the slums like cattle to be slaughtered in our great cities? If we measure worth by possession, are we not driven by a peculiar and implacable logic to put people to death for theft? Or if we do not kill them, are we not bound to make psychological war on them, to scorn them, and to be sure that they suffer for everything we give them? I believe that the answer to these questions in More's own mind was not that we should create a communist society. But I do believe that part of the response that More intended was to make us at least ask the questions, for to question society is to see it, and we must see it before we can do anything to reform it." -Richard Marius on St. Thomas More's Utopia as a Mirror for a Life and Times.

In the past, Vital Source has published commentary on some of the different views surrounding urban redevelopment and "gentrification," a complicated topic the Riverwest Currents and many Riverwest residents have been thinking about for quite a while.

That's why I was somewhat disappointed with the Developing City Special in last month's Vital, which covered the projects of Tandem Developers and New Land Enterprises in the Third Ward and Brewers Hill. The article was entitled "Moving Back In - Urban Living Strengthens Milwaukee."

As the subtitle suggests, "Moving Back In" took a wholly positive view of "young professionals and empty nesters" who are attracted to urban apartments, lofts or townhouses with rents of $835/month and $149,000 price tags for one bedroom units. Some of the images that accompanied "Moving Back In" also appear on the promotional website of Tandem Developers.

These kinds of redevelopment projects are icons of urban "gentrification" and are consequently fraught with many ethically-charged political controversies. For instance, last month Vince Bushell wrote about Tandem's Brewers Hill project. He noted that the site includes duplexes built not long ago "to house low to moderate-income residents. Now in private hands, these homes are not subject to income guidelines."

There are other reasons for locals to be wary of developers. How welcoming would you be with a new neighbor who, like New Land's co-founder, has been indicted with 13 of his associates "on 62 counts of health care fraud and defrauding the Medicaid system of more than $10 million." (Milwaukee Business Journal)

In light of these facts and concerns, I wondered why the Vital article didn't take at least a "on the one hand...but on the other..." approach to the development story. I was also curious about the source of the article since no author was named.

The editor of Vital Source, Jon Anne Willow, told me the byline was accidentally omitted, and the author is Milwaukee native Matt Czarnik.

Willow also asked me what I thought about the article. I explained to her and Czarnik that since the Currents, the Journal Sentinel and (long ago) the Shepherd Express have reported on concerns about "gentrification" in Riverwest and elsewhere in Milwaukee, I was disappointed that "Moving Back In" did not acknowledge this side of the story. Even if one believes that concerns about "gentrification" are largely unfounded, they are nevertheless an important part of ongoing discussion about redevelopment.

Willow and Czarnik politely indulged my criticism, which I've made before in the Currents regarding the Journal Sentinel's coverage of Commerce St. and Brewers Hill developments. Willow said she is "still honing the voice and style of" Vital Source and is working on a mission statement for it. She also said that she felt my concerns about the March "Developing City" piece were valid: "It should have included coverage of the concerns surrounding the development of high-end residential property, even if it was not the centerpiece of the story."

This was a heartening response. It's not the kind of interaction you are likely to have with most local media sources.

At the risk of sounding obsessed and heavy-handed, I think it is worth saying again and again that many "small" but important voices in Milwaukee's neighborhoods need to be heard as leaders and residents throughout the county are envisioning the kind of city they want Milwaukee to become. Most city residents are boosters for Milwaukee, but they also offer the clearest view of the costs of progress that others tend to overlook or minimize.

It is easy for journalists, politicians and suburbanites to miss the nuances of city residents' views on development, since much discussion about it happens at the smallest, lowest levels of politics. But here is where we see the great American system in action, as in this extract from the minutes of the last Riverwest neighborhood Association meeting:

Jerry Patzwald presented the RNA Policy on Gentrification to the group for final approval. This statement has been out there for awhile being fine-tuned and discussed. It was on RNA Mail and in the Currents. Gentrification was defined as when the residents of a neighborhood become displaced by new residents of a higher socio-economic group. The policy statement is designed to let developers know that neighbors would like to have input into the development of the area. There was some discussion on the statement. Dan Burzynski said he felt the statement said we want diversity, but only on our terms. It seemed like higher income groups weren't welcome. Others felt that the statement was not aimed at the individual who comes in and fixes up a house, but at developers. Sonya explained that the issue wasn't who was moving in, but making sure that people who are already here don't get pushed out because of rising taxes. Jan mentioned that the zoning committee also needs to see the policy as it makes decisions that affect the tax base. It was finally agreed to approve the statement. It will be sent to The City Development Committee, the alderperson, supervisors, and the mayor.