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James Kruser signals a crane operator as they position pilings on the east bank of the Root River near Cedar Bend Park on June 19, 2002, as construction of a bridge for the Root River Pathway was underway.

Racine has a soil problem. And a land problem. Together, they make problems for development.

Most of the City of Racine’s 15.5 square miles of land are already built upon: homes, buildings, current and former industrial sites, etc. There’s no room to expand since there are no towns or vacant land to be annexed to the north, south or west; villages, such as Mount Pleasant and Caledonia, have secure borders and cannot be annexed. To the east, there’s one of the largest lakes on the planet.

“We’re landlocked,” said Shannon Powell, chief of staff to Mayor Cory Mason.

As for the remaining few areas not already built upon, they’re not shovel- ready. They often need months of geotechnical work before you can even think about pouring concrete for a foundation.

There are two main primary reasons for that: First, there’s the former industrial sites known as brownfields. They often require thousands, or millions, of dollars in remediation before any new building can start.

“It is not the same as plotting out development in an old farm field that doesn’t have legacy costs in the soil and water,” Mason said earlier this month, when discussing how the city is pursuing federal funds to help pay for brownfield cleanup.

In other spots, such as where a convention center/hotel is proposed near Festival Hall, millions of dollars in groundwork needs to be done.

“Not all soil is created equal,” said Department of City Development interim Director Matthew Rejc. The problems “are not insurmountable,” he said, but they’re not cheap to deal with.

When the city talks about a project being “complicated,” Powell said, “you’re talking to the tune of millions and millions of dollars.”

That’s the reasoning city leaders cite as to why virtually no significant project gets off the ground without some public financing.

In this December 1993 photo, Don Lovrine guides hoses and a huge, 7,000-pound hydraulic hammer as it is lifted to pound 45-foot pilings that were being used to construct a retaining wall below Water Street.

If there’s weaker soil, you need to put in pilings. The denser the above-ground project is going to be, or the taller (and thus heavier) a building is going to be, the more engineering work you need done first, often in the form of sending pilings deeper into the ground.

“That adds to costs of projects,” Rejc said.

“When you think of soil, you think of dirt,” Rejc continued, almost with a laugh. But it isn’t that simple, he said: “There’s so many types of soil.”

A 1970 soil survey of the Racine and Kenosha areas conducted by the University of Wisconsin listed more than 60 distinct types of soil, each with subtypes, taking the number of soils in the area well into the hundreds.

There are loams, which are generally the best to build on. “Many shopping centers, storage warehouses, and industrial sites, in or near the cities of Kenosha and Racine, are located on this land type,” states the 1970 report.

But then there’s also Ashkum soils, which can be found in different veins running from north to south throughout Racine County. Ashkum is considered highly corrosive to metal, meaning any piling you put in would likely be damaged. It’s also too compressible to be good for building upon.

Franki Piles, depicted here, also known as "cast in-situ piles," are cast-in-place elements constructed using a drop weight (hammer) and temporary casing.

“It’s real simple: When you have soils that are not stable enough for a traditional footing, it’s like putting a knife in butter … The more weight you press, the more you’re going to go into the ground,” said Chris Wilson, who’s spent his career spanning more than three decades dealing with dirt; he’s owner of Waukesha-based The Mudjackers LLC and president of the Wisconsin Association of Foundation Repair Professionals.

“The soils are a significant issue in the City of Racine,” said Mason.

Racine’s most desirable properties are likely along Lake Michigan. You get beautiful lake views, but also the problems that come along with the accompanying moisture, not to mention erosion.

“That’s the complexity of what the City of Racine brings,” said city Finance Director Kathleen Fischer. “Of course I want to build a high-rise on Lake Michigan,” she said, while also well aware that putting pilings in could cost $5 million.

But doing nothing and keeping the status quo also pose problems. Since 2013, under a law that imposed what are known as levy limits, the state’s municipalities were effectively banned from raising taxes if they didn’t have new construction. If nothing is built, the tax rate can’t go up.

The imposition of levy limits was championed by then-Gov. Scott Walker and approved by the Legislature’s Republican majority. Its intent was to limit unnecessary local taxation. The nonpartisan League of Wisconsin Municipalities argues that while it was effective at that, many municipalities are reaching breaking points.

The costs of necessities like public safety and road maintenance are increasing faster than property values are appreciating. That’s squeezing communities from Waupaca and Oostburg to Racine and Caledonia, since they are being forced to reduce services or make other cuts unless their municipality sees new development.

Mason cited levy limits as one of the causes of health care costs for current and retired city employees being raised in 2019, a decision that wounded the mayor’s relationship with the city’s unions.

The LWM, which counts Mount Pleasant Village Administrator Maureen Murphy among its leaders, says municipalities are being “strangled by levy limits.”

According to a 2019 bulletin from LWN: “Years of levy limits that don’t come close to even the rate of inflation have left the majority of Wisconsin cities and villages with two poor choices: Cut services or push today’s problems into the future by borrowing money or deferring maintenance. The League believes it time for a new way of looking at municipal finance; a way that is balanced and sustainable.”

The Sixth Street Bridge over the Root River in Racine has been reduced to rubble as the city replaces the concrete structure originally built in 1928. The design firm picked to lead the project is Waukesha-based Ayres Associates, which has vowed to retain the original design in the reconstructed bridge: including by planning to preserve and reaffix a gargoyle panel among other preservationist ideas incorporated in the design. This photo was taken Thursday afternoon.

In this Dec. 2 photo, the Sixth Street Bridge over the Root River in Racine has been reduced to rubble as the city replaces the concrete structure originally built in 1928. 

The Sixth Street Bridge was built in 1928 and is known for its art deco features, including terra cotta reliefs representing gargoyles, ships, bison, and agricultural symbols. This photo was taken in late 2020.

The Sixth Street Bridge over the Root River in Racine has been reduced to rubble as the city replaces the concrete structure originally built in 1928. The design firm picked to lead the project is Waukesha-based Ayres Associates, which has vowed to retain the original design in the reconstructed bridge: including by planning to preserve and reaffix a gargoyle panel among other preservationist ideas incorporated in the design.

The Sixth Street Bridge over the Root River in Racine has been reduced to rubble as the city replaces the concrete structure originally built in 1928. The design firm picked to lead the project is Waukesha-based Ayres Associates, which has vowed to retain the original design in the reconstructed bridge: including by planning to preserve and reaffix a gargoyle panel among other preservationist ideas incorporated in the design. This photo was taken Thursday afternoon.

In this Dec. 2 photo, the Sixth Street Bridge over the Root River in Racine has been reduced to rubble as the city replaces the concrete structure originally built in 1928. 

The Sixth Street Bridge was built in 1928 and is known for its art deco features, including terra cotta reliefs representing gargoyles, ships, bison, and agricultural symbols. This photo was taken in late 2020.

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Adam does a little bit of everything with the JT, from everyday news to localizing state & national politics. He grew up in Racine County, believes in the Oxford comma and loves digital subscribers: journaltimes.com/subscribenow | @Could_Be_Rogan

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MOUNT PLEASANT — A 21-year-old man was accused of making threats to "kill everyone" at the Meli Café Friday afternoon.

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James Kruser signals a crane operator as they position pilings on the east bank of the Root River near Cedar Bend Park on June 19, 2002, as construction of a bridge for the Root River Pathway was underway.

Franki Piles, depicted here, also known as "cast in-situ piles," are cast-in-place elements constructed using a drop weight (hammer) and temporary casing.

In this December 1993 photo, Don Lovrine guides hoses and a huge, 7,000-pound hydraulic hammer as it is lifted to pound 45-foot pilings that were being used to construct a retaining wall below Water Street.

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