Just ask City or State yappers, and they'll tell you that a ChooChooTrain station in the village of Brookfield will generate all kinds of money.
"The new station could generate approximately $30 million in additional real estate value. What that equates to is about a half-million dollars in additional tax revenue a year. Obviously, that money won't be there immediately," Ertl said, noting that development would require a transformation of the Village Area.
Lemmeeesee, heah, Gomer.
The "village area" would gain......exactly......what sorts of businesses to add $30 million in real-estate values? A restaurant? Milwaukee's Amtrak station doesn't have one, and there are a helluvalot more commuters there than EVER will be standing around in Brookfield, so who would build one at a whistle-stop?
A bar? There are two of them within 1 block at this time. Both, by the way, have kitchen facilities.
Want to get your car fixed up while you're in Madistan? There are 2 garages and 1 body shop within 6 blocks already. There's a gasoline station/convenience store at Capitol Drive, and since Mayor-ette Bloomie's jihad against gas stations, it's questionable whether another could be added in the village area.
Of course, there's the "swamp problem", too. Most of the vacant land near that location is subject to annual flooding. The Wilson Arts Center required a huge amount of fill for the building and its access road. And, by the way, River Road is often completely closed due to water problems. That's not real good for retail businesses. And, of course, swamps are protected by Fed and State regulations.
Thirty million? Nope.
(By the way, the reporter resolved the "mystery speaker" question: 9 of the 13 speakers opposed the project.)
A diner now exists at the Intermodal. It's financially struggling but still there.
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