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Update: The city of Wisconsin Rapids announced Aug. 28 that its planning commission on Sept. 16 will hold a hearing and make a recommendation to the city council on the request for a conditional use permit for the proposed data center. 

Editor’s note: A breach-of-contract lawsuit in Pennsylvania against Andrey Sharkov remains pending, but a claim of fraud in the case was dismissed. This story has been updated to note the claim’s dismissal.

No matter where in the U.S. an artificial intelligence data center is proposed, communities express the same worries.

Water scarcity and contamination, electricity rates and reliability, air pollution, noise.

Residents are voicing those same concerns 100 miles north of Madison in Wisconsin Rapids, where developers want to replace a former paper mill with a 210-acre data center.

But there’s another worry in Rapids that makes the situation different from other Wisconsin communities where data centers have been proposed:

Russians...

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RSK: Another heated debate over a data center proposal in Wisconsin Rapids....seems like a good use for an old papermill if the worries can be addressed.

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NEW GLARUS — Matt Streiff’s ancestors would likely be proud of his recent investment.

Streiff is one of 25 investors — a majority of them local residents — in the 173-year-old New Glarus Hotel, which is undergoing a facelift in the Green County village about 30 miles from Madison. The hotel was established before the town was officially founded, and many of the contributors have fond memories of the longtime building.

“I’ve had 16 ancestors who immigrated to New Glarus from Switzerland,” Streiff said. “I think about those ancestors of mine coming into town, and I wonder how many of them spent their first nights in the New Glarus Hotel when they arrived.”...

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RSK: I have personally sat down with Dan and Leah to discuss the hotel etc. If anyone can make a go of it it is them. They are driven and seek outside knowledge to fill in what they do not know. Can't wait until it opens up this fall. A lot is going on in New Glarus.

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We offer the experience, quality and service you deserve, but with the personal attention and dedication that only a family business can provide. We’re not just your landlord, we’re partners in your success.

Commercial real estate isn’t simply where companies work anymore. Whether it’s housing, office, retail, life science or industrial, these spaces are redefining the city.

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RSK: An overview of the state of commercial real estate in greater Madison by several of our peers.

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The Madison Office Lifestyle Portfolio consists of 13 Class A, amenity-rich office properties ranging in size from approximately 25,000 square feet to over 300,000 square feet and is home to more than 130 tenants. The portfolio is located on the west side of Madison and Middleton, with the majority of properties situated in the Far West submarket.

The prevailing story about AI and the workplace has been one of contraction. Automation eliminates roles, headcount falls, and companies need less space to house a smaller workforce. It is a tidy narrative, it fits the anxiety of the moment, and it has shaped a great deal of commentary about where office demand is headed. It also does not match what the executives actually making these decisions say they are planning for.

JLL’s Future of Work Survey 2026, which gathered responses from more than 2,200 C-suite executives and corporate real estate leaders across 21 countries, found that most organizations expect to grow rather than shrink. “There were a lot of findings that are counter to the headlines we are seeing,” said Peter Miscovich, Executive Managing Director of Consulting at JLL. “Over 60 percent of companies we talked to expect to grow headcount.”....   ...Full Story Here

RSK: A contrarian viewpoint on AI and office space needs.

Ken Notes: The key will be knowing how to talk to AI, asking the right questions, reviewing and rewriting the output, adding non internet based material and context, checking all the sources. It is more art than science, but it can do in seconds what might take you weeks...

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“At Investors Associated, we make it easy for brokers to match clients with well managed, high quality spaces. Our team prioritizes clear communication, quick turnaround times, and a seamless leasing experience. Partner with us to provide your clients with properties backed by dependable service and long term value.”

Contract manufacturer and power products company EK has purchased a former trucking company's real estate in Fall River, Wis., adding three buildings that total about 230,000 sq. ft. on 15 acres of land.

The company plans significant upgrades to all three facilities, including new break rooms, bathrooms, locker rooms, and offices, as part of a total investment in buildings, equipment, and facility upgrades of $22 million.

Each of the newly acquired facilities will serve a distinct role in EK's manufacturing operations. Plant 5 will be set up as a manufacturing facility, equipped with fabrication equipment and a powder coat paint line. Plant 6 will operate as a central warehouse, feeding inventoried components to the manufacturing plants as they are needed. And Plant 7 will serve as a maintenance facility for the company’s fleet of vehicles...

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RSK: Just an FYI!

Breakfast Meeting and CE-5 at First American Title

    September 30, 2026
    7:15 AM
    First American Title

Breakfast Meeting & CE6, hosted at Lerdahl

    November 12, 2026
    7:15 AM
    Lerdahl


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This year is shaping up to be a relatively active one for office sales, according to a September report from Colliers.

Office was one of just two traditional asset classes to post sales growth in July, according to Colliers. That month, the office sector saw $7.6B in sales nationwide. Office was the only one of the traditional property sectors to see gains in pricing in the month, though its gains were a modest 4% over the same period in 2025.

Standout July sales include the $300M sale of Houston's Williams Tower, the city's largest office deal since 2019, and the $151M that Hines paid to buy an Austin office tower from Brandywine.

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RSK: A majority of the Downtown Core sales could be properties being purchased for rehab into apartments....but still, there is overall growth in sales.

CARW Deal of the Year Awards and Annual Meeting

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With over 350 experienced real estate professionals, Knight Barry provides exceptional support and service. Visit our website for more information about our 50+ commercial and residential offices throughout Wisconsin, Michigan, and Minnesota.

MADISON: 2450 Rimrock Road, Suite 204, 608-255-2700
CAP SQUARE: 44 E. Mifflin Street, Suite 101, 608-255-2700

MADISON, Wis. — A new apartment building has opened on Mifflin Street in downtown Madison, adding 40 homes, including 30 designated for lower-income residents.

SSM Health, Lake Ridge Bank and the Madison Development Corp. partnered to make the project possible.

“A neighborhood and an area of the city can’t be entirely student housing and student life,” said Stu Levitan, emeritus director of the Madison Development Corp. “You have to have a mix of professionals. You have to have workforce housing for nurses, teachers, police officers and people who work in the state Capitol.”

The Madison Development Corp. was founded in 1977. The organization develops, owns and finances affordable housing...

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RSK: I think Stu hit it on the head.

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With the largest Real Estate Practice of any law firm in Wisconsin, Reinhart offers clients custom-tailored real estate insight.

Higher yields threaten CRE refinancing economics

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RSK: Agreed. But, I still do not see the Feds raising rates.

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Since 1971, St. John Properties has designed, developed, and managed spaces that fit every type of business. Our team anticipates and serves the needs of over 2,700 clients, including small, mid-sized, and large companies, nationwide.

Wisconsin’s Buc-ee’s story has taken another turn. After one Wisconsin project moved forward while another remained stuck, construction activity has finally started at the state’s first location—and the city has now locked the company into a firm schedule.

The travel center is being built in Oak Creek, just south of Milwaukee, in the southwest quadrant of the Interstate 94 and Elm Road interchange. Plans call for a 74,000-square-foot store, 120 fueling positions and electric-vehicle charging stations. The city describes it as a private investment of at least $65 million that should create about 200 full-time jobs.

Buc-ee’s originally targeted an early 2027 opening. The latest timeline points to early 2028 instead.

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RSK: A notable line from the story...is this a double negative? " City officials have emphasized what the agreement does not contain: no tax breaks and no tax increment financing."...

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Park Towne is a family run Madison-based real estate company serving southern Wisconsin for over 50 years. Led by second generation brothers Mike, Jim and Joe Ring, Park Towne has a portfolio of for-lease commercial properties and offers development, management and brokerage services.

Governors are turning to community benefit agreements as they scramble to address data center blowback without alienating tech giants.

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RSK: Like I have been saying....there is money in data centers....spread some around.

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RSK: And as the article claims, it is spilling into smaller markets as well.

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The Trump administration is reportedly working on a deal that would cede a quarter mile of Yosemite National Park for private development. 

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RSK: Even though a Democrat is spearheading this I am sure there will be opposition to just pose opposition during this presidential term.

Ken Notes: One of my favorite mentors once said, "trust but verify", and then went on to suggest that you needed to actually verify ALL the components before you even got to the meeting where you held out your hand. She was a smart lady!

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A New York state judge questioned whether landlords can prove Mayor Zohran Mamdani improperly influenced the city’s Rent Guidelines Board to approve a rent freeze on stabilized apartments. Landlords, represented by attorney Randy Mastro, argue the board—packed with Mamdani appointees—cherry-picked data to deliver the mayor’s campaign promise rather than independently weighing tenant affordability against landlord costs. Justice Brendan Lantry pressed Mastro to substantiate claims that the board ignored landlords’ debt payments and was “spoon-fed” a presentation on the true cost of living by the mayor’s office. Lantry noted that mayors are legally permitted to appoint board members and that the city’s housing agency can communicate with the board...   ...Full Story Here

RSK: Welcome to socialism NYC!

	The Gialamas Company, Inc.	RFA Asset Management Madison, WI	Key Commercial Real Estate, LLC
Madison Commercial Real Estate LLC	St. John Properties	IA Management, LLC	Wisconsin Commercial Real Estate
Park Towne Realty LLC	Mullins Group, LLC	Crown Commercial	Flad Development & Investment Corp.
Evans Properties, LLC	Keller Real Estate Group		MIG Commercial Real Estate, LLC
First Weber Group, Inc - West Towne	Opitz Realty, Inc.	First Weber Group, Inc - Prairie Du Sac	Peterson Management Company Inc.
The Lenhart Company, Inc	Scott Faust & Associates	Shamrock Real Estate Services, LLC	Targa, Inc
Executive Management, Inc	Stark Commercial - East	Urban Land Interests	Slinde Realty Company
Assist-2-Sell/Pohlkamp & Associates	Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Matson Real Estate	Artisan Graham Real Estate

Hovde & Hovde, Inc

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