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Commission reviews "Operation Storefront" inventory of vacant sites, asks staff for more detail
Summary
The commission reviewed an Operation Storefront slide deck cataloging vacant retail and industrial spaces on County Line Road, Mequon Road and Main Street; members asked staff to provide missing square footage, listing-agent contacts and building-age data and to invite a commercial realtor for market context.
Commission Chair (unnamed) presented an inventory of vacant retail sites and industrial class-A availability under the Operation Storefront initiative, covering properties on County Line Road, Mequon Road and Main Street as well as several large industrial buildings. Commissioners disagreed on whether the market "has plenty" of industrial space, with several noting that while large warehouses exist, small flex spaces (10,000–20,000 square feet) that local small manufacturers or start-ups prefer are scarce.
Trustee Bob and other commissioners described cases where smaller buildings backfilled quickly when they became available, but commissioners agreed the slide set lacked several key pieces of information: square footage for many listings, the identity and contact information of listing agents, and building age or design details that affect subleasing or division into smaller spaces. Commissioner (speaker 9) suggested inviting a commercial realtor to brief the commission on current market dynamics and to clarify whether large shells can be subdivided into smaller tenancy units.
Action: Chair asked staff to follow up with Steve Krekelow (administrative contact referenced in the packet) to fill in missing property details and said staff could pull GIS and community-development data to supplement the list. Commissioners noted that more complete data will be necessary to create targeted recruitment or development strategies for small businesses.
Why it matters: Availability and configuration of retail and industrial space shapes the village's ability to attract and retain small businesses and to convert vacant storefronts into active tenants. Commissioners said more precise vacancy data will guide outreach and development efforts.
Next steps: Staff will be asked to provide additional property details, and the commission will consider inviting a commercial realtor to a future meeting to discuss market conditions and building-divisibility constraints.
