Posted inCommentary & Opinion

The Community Benefits Agreement Tries to Fix What Isn’t Broken

by Michael D. Holloway

We all have our special interests; that is human nature. But our special interests will be of no interest if we do not address the city’s largest interest — continued development and investment momentum in the City of Milwaukee. The ordinance commonly referred to as the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), approved by the Common Council’s Steering and Rules Committee January 8 and sent back to the committee by the Council on January 21, is attempting to fix what isn’t broken — development in the city.

Posted inCommentary & Opinion

City Residents Deserve a Community Benefits Agreement

by Kathleen Mulligan-Hansel

For over a year, a coalition of Milwaukee organizations — including labor unions, faith-based organizations, research and advocacy groups, and community organizations — has been organizing to include a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) in the redevelopment of the former Park East corridor. Influenced by similar agreements negotiated by coalitions in Los Angeles, the Good Jobs and Livable Neighborhoods coalition wants to ensure that the considerable investment poised to flow into downtown development creates tangible improvements in other parts of the city. The proposed CBA would require developers that receive public subsidies or build on public land to invest in the human side of development.

Posted inNeighborhood News

Community Benefits Agreement: An Overview

It sounds simple, doesn’t it? Either you are for or against benefits to the community. While it isn’t quite that simple, an ordinance that’s been shuttled around City Hall for a few months is based on a relatively simple premise: that when the city sells public land or uses public money to subsidize a development, there should be some kind of public benefit.

Posted inBusiness Briefs

February 2004

Mario Costantini, owner of La Lune on Burleigh Street, received a Lincoln Gaines Award from the YMCA at its 7th Annual Martin Luther King Breakfast on January 19. Costantini won an award in the Strong Kids division for his commitment to strengthening the lives of children in Milwaukee’s central city. For over 14 years he […]