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Plans aired for Mifflin complex

Derek Montgomery

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Also by Aubre Andrus:

UW prepares for Halloween (October 20, 2005)
City prepares for Halloween (October 20, 2005)
In-Depth: State Street's balancing act (September 1, 2005)
In-Depth: Destination: class (November 3, 2005)

by Aubre Andrus

Friday, October 15, 2004

This is the fifth part of a feature series examining the changing face of downtown Madison.

University of Wisconsin students living on Mifflin Street may find a different atmosphere in coming years. At a neighborhood meeting Thursday night, community and city members discussed an upcoming proposal to replace two aging homes on the historic street with apartment complexes.

Madison Development Corporation plans to demolish two 19th-century houses on the 400 block of W. Mifflin Street and build a 23-apartment building in its place.

According to the president of MDC, Frank Staniszewski, the two houses, 437 and 443 W. Mifflin, are currently vacant.

"We believe [the houses] have outlived their useful lives," Staniszewski said. "We see a keen issue being the need for affordable housing in downtown Madison."

The proposed 23-apartment building, consisting of one- and two-bedroom apartments, will target the non-student working population of Madison. One-fifth of the workforce in Wisconsin works below poverty level, according to Staniszewski, and these workers have trouble finding quality, affordable housing in Madison, he added.

Staniszewski said the mission of MDC is to provide affordable rent to people with lower incomes. The one-bedroom apartments will range from $500 to $850 a month, and the two-bedroom apartments range from $750 to $1,100 a month.

"It would provide a much higher and better use of the two properties," Staniszewski said. "If more people live downtown there will be less commuting, less cars, less traffic, and less pollution."

The four-story apartment building plans include an underground parking garage with 20 parking spaces. Porches will also be added in an effort to blend the new building in with traditional Mifflin Street houses.

Residents of the Mifflin Street area expressed concern during the meeting. One resident described the possible construction as a slippery slope: beginning with one apartment building and then continuing with the rest of the street, similar to the gradual reconstruction of Main Street.

"I think it's adding tension to the street to ask working people who are not students to live in the area," said community member Rosemary Lee. "It's going to foster an adversarial relationship among neighbors."

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he believes there are still many concerns surrounding the Mifflin Street proposal.

"In my opinion, many Mifflin-area residents do have a concern about houses being demolished and [the construction of] apartment buildings that are too large for the neighborhood context," Verveer said. The one group that was not well represented at the neighborhood meeting was students, he added.

Staniszewski, however, said he understands the importance of historical buildings in Madison. MDC backed out of a proposal on the corner of Doty Street and Broom Street to preserve a Victorian home, he added.

The proposal will most likely be approved by the city, according to Verveer.

"There is a sense of community there, and I'm afraid it could be lost with that proposal, but that's not to say I'm against it, [because] it's got a lot of good things going for it," Verveer added.

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Anonymous (October 15, 2004 @ 10:56am):

I was at this meeting last night. The reporter has done a very good job of reporting what was said and what the issues are.

At the last neighborhood meeting that discussed this project, a woman student spoke very eloquently about Mifflin Street and what its environment meant to her. Unfortunately, nobody was present last night to speek for the students that live in the area.

If you are concerned about development that may change the neighborhood, then you should contact Mike Verveer. He understands the important issues involved, but he can't go to bat for the neighborhood unless neighborhood residents let him know what is important to them. As is stands, the development will probably go through, because the only people speaking are the condo owners that are in favor of it.

The people a and committees that make the decisions will listen to he alderperson and the neighborhood. But if you don't speak up, you have nobody to blame but yourselves.

Anonymous (October 18, 2004 @ 1:34am):

I never lived on Mifflin, but graduating last year, I spent plenty of time there and it is different from everywhere else on campus, with the old houses and big porches creating a friendly neighborhood atmosphere not found in big apts. To start knocking down houses there would be terrible and lead to the end of a unique and irreplacable neighborhood. There are plenty of other underused areas to build in. Also, why start cutting students out of this area?