A great wall of St. Francis
If some St. Francis city planners and officials have their way, the Lake Michigan shoreline from Bay View to Cudahy will be developed into a wall of buildings. South Lake Drive is a popular scenic throughway. Given the current proposals, people soon will not see the water, but a hodgepodge series of three- and four-story buildings obscuring one of the most unparalleled vistas on the south shore.
We have the opportunity to protect the last two remaining parcels of lakefront property from the bulldozers. The southern parcel abuts Sheridan Park and could be annexed into county land. The other parcel, formerly the site of a Wisconsin Electric Lakeside Power Plant, could become a scenic overlook of the harbor.
Neither property is suitable for development.
Significant portions of this land have characteristics of fen and seep sysare tems. These waterways are interconnected with water systems in Grant and Warnimont Parks as identified in “The 2002 Wisconsin Land Legacy Report” of the Department of Natural Resources. The shoreline is unstable because it is wetland and isn’t properly reinforced due to the landfill materials put in place 20 years ago. The former power plant site has been capped and contained due to hazardous waste.
The existing — uncompleted — lakefront developments in St. Francis are grossly out of scale with the surrounding neighborhoods, are not fully occupied, and a large percentage of condominiums have become rentals. And yet the city of St. Francis intends to allow further developments that will obscure the view of the lake for people who cannot afford to live in high-end housing, and diminish the identity of the community with the lake shore. Adding insult to injury, these projects being funded by tax incremental financing that defers tax revenues well into the future, shortchanging the education of a generation of students in the near term.
The city of St. Francis is providing TIF incentives for developers to build along the lakefront, without regard for the environment or integrated design. In actuality, maintaining open green space can enhance property values, attract more residents and result in greater revenue for the city of St. Francis.
We believe that the land should be preserved for greater public access, which is currently enjoyed by hundreds — if not thousands — of people living in and visiting the area. Retaining the visual integrity of the south shore can only enhance the quality of life in Milwaukee County. Preserving shorelines will leave a legacy for future generations. Jonnie Guernsey lives in Cudahy.