Maple & Main

I am unsure if this is already old news.

Rumors of what is going into the new Target development on Sunset Drive are swirling.

While it seems everyone knows of the 133,753 square foot Target retail store planned for the development, questions still loom about the other stores on the property, especially the 139,100 square foot “home improvement center” that has gone unnamed… until now.

During a review of the plans for signage at the last plan commission meeting, a certain design caught my eye…

Looks like Waukesha is finally going to get a Lowe’s.

The development includes a total of 20 retail spaces, some designed with the opportunity to be split in two. Seven of these 20 spaces are listed as retail/restaurant. The third largest of the spaces is slated for a grocery store.

While speaking with the developers after the meeting, the names of several popular restaurants, coffee shops, and a certain craft store, all made it into the discussion.

Nothing is set in stone however. They are still actively searching for leasers.

I told them about some of the stores that have left downtown recently and may be looking for new space… Diamonds and Blue Jeans, Twisted (the old head shop on Broadway), and the mattress store that used to be on Main Street, but they didn’t seem interested.

I just wanted to share the love.

On a final note, the landscape plan for this project is very substantial. It includes a heavy tree and plant berm along Sunset Drive, well landscaped entrances, a “pocket park” in the center of the plan, and a nature park on the corner of the development adjacent to the Fox River Parkway.

Another bit of information that caught my eye referred to the site maintenance schedule. It incorporates daily street sweeping of the property and weekly power washing of the sidewalks.

Nice.

All it needs now is a clock tower.

The second annual Otto's Fine Art Academy Christmas Card Contest was held last week. The contest gives our students the opportunity to design our company Christmas card.

Twenty designs were submitted, and these are the top four.

 This year's winning design was submitted by Emily Kassens, age 9.

 A close second was created by Abby Watson, age 9.

 Third place comes from Hannah Hakami, age 7.

 An honorable mention was awarded to Megan Christensen, age 11.

We want to thank all the students who submitted entries this year. Each entry was outstanding and choosing a winner was very challenging.

Special thanks go out to our esteem panel of judges who had the difficult task of choosing this year's winners.

Here it is… your first look (maybe) at the new public art piece that will be installed downtown in the next few weeks.

It’s a striking piece; perhaps a cross between a guitar and...umm... well... some metal and…uhh, did I mention that art is meant to be interpreted differently by everyone?

I leave the interpretation of this piece up to you.

It will be located just east of the corner of West Main Street and Barstow, across from Ace Hardware, on the property of the River’s Edge Apartments.

At 13’ high and 4’ wide, this piece will stand proudly among the many other works of public art that can be found all over downtown Waukesha.

Soon a map will be available that details the locations all of the public art available for viewing downtown.

A stroll through downtown on a beautiful evening, touring art galleries, eating Italian ice cream, drinking a warm latte, and viewing exquisite works of art can be quite enriching.

You should consider giving it try.