CARW

The Commercial Association of REALTORS Wisconsin

Working with the Community – CARW / GMAR Bring Opportunity Zone Discussion to the City

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Through a grant from the National Association of REALTORS, CARW and GMAR partnered to bring national Opportunity Zone expert, Steve Glickman to Milwaukee.  On Tuesday, December 3, Steve Glickman of Develop LLC joined us for a full day of programs and meetings on The Opportunity Zone program. We started the day with a joint program with the Milwaukee Rotary Club where business leaders who had not been familiarized with the program, were exposed to the mechanics and applications of the program.  The session was followed by a question and answer with Business Journal Editor, Mark Kass.  Nearly 200 people were in attendance.  We then traveled to Zimmerman Design Studios in the Menomonee Valley to meet with stakeholders from the Valley.  Investors, owners and other interested real estate and City officials were in attendance.  The 90-minute session addressed questions about specific uses for the program and how to leverage the OZ for not only community benefit, but profitable investment.  Following the session with the MVP group, Mr. Glickman visited the Near West Side Partners group at the Ambassador Hotel.  We began with a tour of the Near West Side with organization Executive Director, Keith Stanley.  The exercise allowed Mr. Glickman, from Washington DC, a glimpse of the tremendous potential for the neighborhood.  Understanding the background and history of the area gave greater context to the subsequent dialogue with corporate leaders within the Near West Side including Potawatomi Development Corporation, Marquette University and others.

Take aways from the day included;

  • success for the program will be tied not only to private sector interest, but local government leadership;
  • Milwaukee has several very ripe areas for opportunity zone projects including Menomonee Valley and Near West Side – primarily because of the two areas’ previous development planning activities and vision for the future;
  • momentum will continue – the program, just in its first few years, is still relatively new – funds and investments made at any time during the program will yield significant benefit for investors and the community;
  • there is still a lot to learn – with national and local expertise in our own back yard, Milwaukee has many resources for people on all sides of the program who care to invest.  

Please contact us for the program slides: tracy@carw.com