Alderman hopes to see La Estacion train car repairs in Williams Street placemaking plan | Waukesha Co. Business News

WAUKESHA — Located in the southwest corner of downtown Waukesha, Williams Street is an iconic and historic commercial corridor. Whether you’re grabbing a burger at Sobelman’s, a cocktail at Club 400, or Mexican cuisine at La Estacion, there’s plenty to enjoy. During Tuesday evening’s meeting, the Common Council unanimously approved a contract with civil engineering firm Ayres Associates to develop a placemaking plan for the unique section of the city.

Having received seven proposals from planning and engineering firms across Wisconsin, Illinois, and Minnesota, the city was looking for a firm that could “provide a plan to include streetscaping, branding, ideas to create a visually inviting destination, while honoring the local heritage and history of Williams Street,” a memo submitted by City of Waukesha Associate Planner Robin Grams explained.

The council-approved Central City Master Plan includes the revitalization of the area bounded by Williams Street, Maple Avenue, and Grand Avenue.

Out of the several firms who threw their hat in the ring, “Ayres outlined the goal of a placemaking plan for Williams Street to have its own unique identity, while complementing the Central City Master Plan that is in place for the greater downtown,” the memo noted.

The city will pay Ayres Associates $17,900 for the work (a sum provided for in the 2024 budget) and the firm will complete the placemaking plan — complete with streetscaping, lighting options, district branding, signage, and concepts for future street redesign — by Dec. 31.

Before ultimately issuing a vote in favor of the contract, District 2 Alderman Eric Payne expressed his distaste for a certain Williams Street landmark and inquired about a mechanism for enforcing its repair.

“Is this going to include doing anything with the train cars over at the restaurant that are a huge eyesore?” the alderman asked Community Development Director Jennifer Andrews during the meeting. “Something should be done with them.”

Payne was referring to La Estacion, a longtime Mexican restaurant which operates out of the former Chicago North Western Railroad Passenger Depot, built in 1881. The restaurant offers railroad car seating — a novelty and point of interest for many local diners.

Andrews explained that the placemaking plan will include public items that can occur right away while also providing suggestions for Williams Street property owners about how they might enhance their portion of the commercial corridor. Payne proceeded to ask if there was “any way we can force them” to make changes to their property. The Community Development director explained that the city “can’t force them to do anything right now” as it doesn’t “have a tool to do that at the moment.”

The Freeman caught up with Payne on Wednesday afternoon to learn more about his feelings on the topic.

“My problem isn’t with the train cars being there. My problem is the neglect,” he explained. “They haven’t been maintained, they haven’t been painted, nothing. They’re just sitting there, looking horrible to anybody that drives down Grand Avenue or Williams Street and looks over there. They’re just a disgrace.”

The alderman noted that he’s heard comments from area residents who have wanted to know whether the cars will be fixed or painted. Because of this, he thought the discussion about the Williams Street placemaking plan contract during Tuesday’s Common Council meeting “was the perfect time to bring it up.”

Now that the contract with Ayres Associates has been approved, Payne says he’s hoping that the city will come up with a solution to “make the owner clean them up … make them look respectable.”

Payne acknowledged that he’s not opposed to the train cars being on the property since they lend themselves to the historic nature of the former depot. However, he hopes that “somehow, some way” the city can get La Estacion to make some repairs — whether that be through a fine or other means.

La Estacion owner Tony Marquez told The Freeman that he actually understands where the alderman is coming from.

“I agree they have to be painted and they need to be painted,” he said. “But we’re trying to recover from COVID, and if there’s a way the city can help out with some of those funds, great, we can get them done tomorrow.”

Marquez noted that if La Estacion is going to have to bankroll the new paint job themselves, they’re going to “have to figure out a way how to finance that, because to say ‘paint the train cars’ is a pretty big, expensive job.”

The restaurateur said La Estacion has already looked into repainting the train cars, but in the meantime, they’ve made sure to keep the outside clean.