Small Towns, Wisconsin Southwest Region Winter 2014 | Page 19
After losing four expanding businesses within three years to other
communities, the Village of Brooklyn developed its first business
park, the Brooklyn Business Complex (BBC), in 2013. The BBC is
located midway between Madison and Janesville, 1 mile due
west from State Highway 14 on State Highway 92. The Economic
Development Committee (EDC) is now marketing the lots and
interest by companies has been very encouraging.
The Complex is made up of three phases, the first of which
has approximately 10 acres of buildable land. Phase II has an
additional 40 acres available, which has also been annexed
by the Village of Brooklyn and is zoned for development. A
remaining 50 acres abutting the railroad line on the south
west boundary comprises Phase III. In total the complex is
approximately 100 acres.
The history of the BBC is an example of what a small determined
group of citizens, trustees, and small business owners who make
up the Economic Development Committee can accomplish.
The EDC created the vision which the Board followed. The
procurement of a $261,000 grant from Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) funds on August 2, 2012, was the first step to
the purchase, design and construction of the Brooklyn Business
Complex.
Although the CDBG grant was a blessing, meeting all of the
qualifications for the grant award by the January 31, 2013
deadline left no room for error for a project of this size. Within five
months, the village purchased, annexed, and rezoned the land,
commissioned an environmental study, and obtained a DOT
access permit, all of which were required for an urban service
amendment by the Dane County Capital Area Regional Planning
Commission. The final task was to create a Tax Incremental
Financing District (TID). To accomplish all of these steps, the
village enlisted experts in economic development, engineering,
zoning, and legal and regional planning to facilitate the
development approval process.
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