In response to the growing desire to foster collaborations between UW-Whitewater and the business community in Whitewater, and to further build the local supply of sustainable jobs, the Whitewater Community Development Authority circulated a Request for Proposals to the top planning and engineering firms in Wisconsin. Consultants Northstar Economics, Inc. and MSA Professional Services, Inc. were selected to evaluate the feasibility of a University-affiliated business or technology park, to determine the viability of a proposed site in the southeast corner of the City, and to recommend an approach to creating such a park, if deemed feasible.
MSA and Northstar Economics are working with the City to assess the feasibility of a new business park that would be affiliated with UW-Whitewater and oriented toward technology-based businesses. The proposed location of this park is a 200-acre triangle of land just south of the new Hwy 12 bypass. The site is currently accessible from Walworth Avenue via Indian Mound Parkway (often referred to as the "road to nowhere").
The study includes some analysis and planning for the physical design of the park, but it is primarily focused on the economic and organizational feasibility of creating such a park. Covered by the study are the following components:
- Competitive Environment Analysis (a review of other business parks in the area)
- Technology Park Case Studies (a review of parks in Wisconsin similar to what is envisioned here)
- Target Industries (our preliminary suggestions for appropriate business types to attract)
- UWW Partnership Opportunities (an exploration of the potential ties between UWW and a new park)
- Technology Transfer (a summary of the mechanisms that get new ideas from the university to the market)
- Capital Resources & Financing Options (a summary of funding sources for all aspects of this project)
- Site Suitability (a review of the suitability of this parcel for business park use)
- Site Plan Alternatives (street and lot design ideas)
- Costs (a preliminary assessment of site development costs)
- Operations and Business Plan (Ideas for how the park should be developed and operated)
- Marketing Plan (Preliminary suggestions for promoting and filling the park)