City of Wauwatosa Comprehensive Plan (July 2008 Draft)
Volume Two: Policies and Recommendations

Focusing on North Avenue: Tosa’s Main Street

Running east-west through the City, North Avenue functions as one of Wauwatosa’s most important neighborhood-oriented commercial corridors. In addition to providing convenient and accessible goods, services, and community facilities to the surrounding neighborhoods, North Avenue has the potential to better unify east and west town Tosa. To maintain and enhance the character of North Avenue, the City intends to work in collaboration with ETBMA, WEDC, business owners, and nearby residents to develop a corridor plan for North Avenue. Such a plan should address the following:

• Enhancing pedestrian friendliness and safety along the corridor. This may involve the installation of public improvements to more clearly define and regulate pedestrian and traffic zones, including the installation of medians, modified on-street parking regulations, alternative pavement types (e.g. brick) and additional traffic lights.
• Define a unified streetscaping and signage theme that helps to connect the area west of Mayfair Road with the area east of Mayfair Road and East Town Tosa but that also helps to signal transitions between unique segments of the corridor such as East Town Tosa, Mid-Town Tosa, and West Town Tosa.
• Promote and support the establishment of business associations in areas like Mid-Town and West Town Tosa.
• Address strategies for shared public parking in key locations to encourage people to get out of their cars and walk between destinations.
• Ensure the long-term viability and visual appearance of buildings along the corridor.
• Advance the redevelopment of key sites and the rehabilitation of certain buildings to preserve and enhance the character of the corridor.
• Consider ideas for programmed events along the corridor.
• Develop an implementation strategy that defines opportunities for the City, RDA, and WEDC to actively assist in the redevelopment and revitalization process (e.g. land acquisition, establishment of public parking, land assembly).
• Promote the establishment of more commercial block watch efforts, especially along North Avenue and potentially Bluemound Road. Coordinate these efforts with the Community Support Division of the Wauwatosa Police Department.

Excerpt from pages 123 – 124

To download a complete plan and associated maps click here.

For those interested in discussing the plan and providing feedback jointly, please meet on Saturday, September 6, 9am at Cranky Al’s. Please review the plan in advance and be prepared to provide your input at the meeting. We will compile the notes and send them to Megan as well as make sure there is a representative at the September 17th meeting at City Hall.