Plan Commission backs East Tosa business improvement district and initial operating plan after public hearing

The City of Wauwatosa Plan Commission on Sept. 8 recommended approval of a proposed Business Improvement District (BID) for North Avenue in East Wauwatosa and the district’s initial operating plan after a public hearing that drew business owners, residents and civic representatives.

The proposed East Tosa BID would cover North Avenue from roughly 60th Street to 76th Street and includes 106 parcels, according to the BID presentation. Organizers proposed an estimated operating budget for 2026 and an assessment rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed building value, with a stated minimum of $550 per year and a maximum assessment of $5,000 per year. The petitioner group asked the city to facilitate BID formation under state statute; staff said five property owners submitted the petition that initiated the process.

Anna Jarecki, a North Avenue business owner who led the BID application, told the commission a BID would provide paid staff, coordinated marketing, public‑space maintenance and safety and would complement rather than replace city services. “A bid is a defined area in which property owners collectively invest to enhance services and make improvements,” she said. She cited past volunteer efforts, neighborhood artwork created by the North Avenue Mural Arts District (NOMAD) and recent events — including a weekend romance‑author crawl that organizers said drew about 2,000 visitors — as evidence of the corridor’s potential.

Speakers in favor included former alderman and resident Bobby Pantuso, who called the district ready for a BID; tourism coordinator Beth Gleasing, who said a BID would help market the corridor to visitors; and several small business owners who described past volunteer events as successful but unsustainable. Speakers in opposition included property owners and business operators who warned a BID could raise costs and questioned whether the proposed budget and the proposed director’s salary were justified. The Lutheran Home, represented at the hearing, said a proposed $5,000 assessment would be unaffordable given its nonprofit and Medicaid‑funded residents.

City staff outlined the statutorily required process: after the Plan Commission recommendation there is a 30‑day window for property owners to file a protest petition; if owners representing more than 40% of the assessed valuation file protests, the BID would not proceed. The Common Council is scheduled to consider the BID on Oct. 28, staff said.

Commissioners discussed whether to exclude the Lutheran Home parcel from the district. After debate the commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the proposed boundary and initial operating plan — including the Lutheran Home parcel as proposed in staff materials — and to forward the matter to the Common Council. Staff noted the petition and operating plan are available in the meeting portal for review. The commission’s recommendation does not itself create the BID; council approval and the lapse of any valid protest petition are required before the BID can be established.