Community Development Department Economic Development and Revitalization Initiatives

Contacts:

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The City of Glendale has undertaken a proactive approach to advance the economic well being of the community. The City has structured the Community Development Department to provide economic development, planning and zoning administration functions to work in a complimentary manner that is designed to help accomplish the Community Development Department mission of maintaining and improving the City of Glendale as an inviting and attractive environment to live, work, conduct business, shop and recreate.

Glendale is largely a residential community, balanced with long standing commercial and industrial development areas, served by transportation, governmental, institutional, recreational and natural resource land uses. Most residents work in Glendale or adjacent neighboring communities including the City of Milwaukee. Local businesses provide employment and a retail market within the community, contributing to the local property tax base that supports the services provided by the City and the local school districts that encompass Glendale. The City provides efficient and effective police protection, administrative, public works, building inspection and community development services, and contracts with the North Shore Fire Department for fire protection services, providing one of the lowest property tax rates in Milwaukee County.

Projects such as the West Silver Spring Drive revitalization project, the Glendale Technology Center, and predecessor projects such as the Estabrook Park Corporate Park, and other individual projects have attracted new businesses to the community including Efunds (formerly Deluxe Data), the Weyco Group, Forrer Interiors, Columbia Hospital, Jewel-Osco, Animal Emergency Center, Medpoint Family Care Center, helped retain existing businesses, and relocated existing businesses within the City, including Marshall W. Nelson & Associates, Hassel Material Handling and Solly’s Coffee Shop, among others.

Glendale has successfully utilized tax incremental financing (TIF) as a mechanism to finance the necessary public improvements that attract new businesses and retain existing businesses. While the TIF mechanism allows the local taxing entities to continue to tax property within a TIF district at the existing base value, it also allows the City to utilize the increase in property value generated by new developments within the TIF boundary to pay for necessary public improvements. Necessary public improvements include items such as public infrastructure (streets, street/pedestrian lighting, storm sewers, sanitary sewers, watermain) and environmental remediation. Once the debt service for the public improvements is retired taxing entities realize the significant benefits of the increased property tax revenues generated by the new developments located within the TIF district. The Glendale property tax base is expected to grow by more than $150 million (present value) once the public improvement costs are repaid. Absent the TIF mechanism local municipalities have limited resources to accomplish important economic development and revitalization goals.
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