LETTER: Blues Factory out of step with needs of Port marina district

To Ozaukee Press:

Now that the Blues Factory’s second developer (remember the original Blues developer backed out for lack of financing) has indicated that the current economy is not right to go ahead with that project, perhaps the Port Washington Common Council should consider completing a downtown/marina district master plan.

Currently there are three residential/mixed use projects planned for the area, which will bring additional people and vehicles. From a community perspective, here are the basic needs: pedestrian safety; efficient traffic flow patterns and adequate parking; open space for young families; views and trees. The downtown and marina district promote tourism, which requires all of the aforementioned needs.

Council members, please rethink land use and more specifically the use of land for the Blues Factory, which targets Baby Boomers.

Rethink what other generations will want to see and experience.

I see millennials wanting to experience views, walkways and open space.  

Please buy back the north slip property earmarked for the Blues Factory since the developer now has a new hotel venture, and then develop that area into a nice open space park with plenty of parking. 

Land use decisions involve decades of permanence, and we certainly do not need a music attraction in a building that looks like a warehouse on a parcel of land that can enhance and contribute to healthy living for generations to come.   

Happy new year, Ozaukee Press—great stories and expert journalism!

Diane Buckshnis
Port Washington