MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee’s Brady Street Business Improvement District (BID), has a new Executive Director. Michael Sander took over the role in January, and is already looking at how he wants to improve the area.

Brady Street has long been known across Wisconsin and beyond as a popular destination for tourists and locals to take in nightlife. As he approaches the new role, Sander said he wants to continue to promote the areas nightlife scene while also working to grow daytime retail.

“We do have a few open spots and my job right now is to try and seek out daytime business and seek out stores that can move here. We just got a new retail store about three months ago and we are proving Brady Street used to be a big retail district. It still can be a great retail district,” said Sander.

Sander said he believes growing retail in the area will allow all businesses to thrive throughout the day.

Pedestrian safety is another issue, Sander said is a key priority. Brady Street has seen several pedestrians hit in the last two years. A study put out last summer suggested closing the street to cars could be a solution. Sander worries about the impact that could have on businesses. Instead, he is pushing to try several options first, including improving lighting along the street and at crosswalks.

“We need to make sure everybody on this street realizes we are sharing this street with pedestrians and sharing this with cars,” said Sander.

Sander advocates for additional police patrols and even says the BID may invest in added security along the Brady Street Corridor.

Sander and the Brady Street BID are also making some adjustments to the city’s well-known Brady Street Festival. The fest is usually held on the last Saturday of July, but this year it will move up a week to July 20. The change is being made so that it is not competing with other big summer events happening around the same time, including German Fest, Milwaukee Air and Water Show and the Harley Davidson Homecoming.