Posted: June 24, 2009

Two communities, one goal: create a focal point that unifies the two northern most communities on the North Shore.

For the past six years, village of Thiensville officials have been methodically working toward developing their portion of the Town Center, the much-buzzed about mixed-use development that falls within portions of the village and the city of Mequon.

Thiensville Village President Karl Hertz and Village Administrator Dianne Robertson attended a special Mequon Common Council meeting Tuesday and gave Mequon leaders an update on Town Center work that has or is about to be completed in the village.

The redevelopment area, slated for completion by the end of 2010, includes plans for a mixture of residential, retail and office buildings and green space improvements. It includes areas within Cedarburg and Mequon roads in Mequon and Main Street and Green Bay Road in Thiensville.

So far, the village has spent more than $5.5 million on the project since 2003. Some of the larger projects undertaken in past years included reconstructing portions of Elm Street, razing a dilapidated home near Village Hall and improving public access to the Milwaukee River at Molyneux Park.

Last year alone, the village doled out $305,900 for improvements related to the Town Center. Work included improvements near Freistadt Road, purchasing land from We Energies on Buntrock Avenue and creating a parking lot and razing a defunct gas station at 120 N. Main St.

This summer, portions of Freistadt are being reconstructed at a cost of $671,651. The work, expected to begin next month, will include the addition of a left-hand turn lane near the Post Office and the installation of new traffic signals.

One of the largest Town Center projects in the village is the Pigeon Creek restoration project along Main Street that carries a price tag of just under $3.13 million. Work is taking place this summer and into the fall.

"It's going to help with flooding issues and will get water into the Milwaukee River when there are heavy rains," Hertz said.

In Mequon, Town Center work has been a different story. Improvements are slated to take place all at once.

Efforts within the city are beginning to take shape this year. Plans call for the first phase of Mequon's plans to be completed by the end of the year.

Additional work, including pedestrian-friendly green space enhancements and streetscaping improvements, is slated for next year. Those plans include a proposal to shift Cedarburg Road near City Hall by about 10 feet in an effort to create more parkland along the Milwaukee River.

The Common Council praised Thiensville officials for the work completed to date. But 4th District Alderman John Wirth said he was disappointed that the two sides have not been working more collaboratively on the Town Center.

"I anticipated that this would be more of a coordinated effort between the communities," Wirth said. "Although I think at the end of the day, both will be very good."