News

High-rise on horizon for downtown

This article is the 10th in a feature series examining the changing face of downtown Madison.

Urban development remains an object on the city of Madison’s to-do list.

In a Capital Neighborhood Association meeting Monday night, citizens and architects met to discuss the possibility of adding a 12-story apartment building to West Gorham Street.

The current unnamed project would require the destruction of five housing lots located next to LaVille and across the street from 420 W. Gorham St.

The 22,000-square-foot area designed by Bruce and Knothe Architects will continue to undergo changes throughout the planning process.

According to architect Randy Bruce, the architect team studied student-oriented buildings like the Embassy and the Palisades, as well as housing in Milwaukee and Chicago.

The project features street improvements, with a driveway large enough for drop-off and delivery, a back patio area and wider sidewalks. Bruce noted the building also features an 1,800-square-foot commercial space on the ground floor for either a small business, a student center or a combination of both.

Outside of the commercial-space area is an outdoor patio for students with tables and landscaping. There will be 80 to 85 spots for underground parking in the estimated 100-to-115-unit building, with room for bike and moped parking as well.

The proposed 12-story building features brick as well as metal and glasswork on the upper two floors and throughout the building structure along the traditional vertical windows.

“The city’s plan for this area is higher-density housing and to look at [the issue] as a density issue,” Bruce said. “In this area, [the building] is at an appropriate scale with its neighbors.”

Members expressed concern over the “canon effect” of the high-rise apartment buildings currently built on Gorham Street and University Avenue, including LaVille, The Embassy, 420 W. Gorham and the Aberdeen.

To battle with affordability and student costs, the building will be subject to the city-wide inclusionary zoning ordinance. Under this ordinance, 15 percent of the building must have a level of affordability to low-income tenants such as students. All tenants in the occupied unit must fall under inclusionary zoning to qualify.

“This project is a guinea pig for students interested in inclusionary zoning,” Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said.

Under inclusionary ordinances, a studio will cost approximately $616 per month, and a four-bedroom will cost approximately $1,244 a month. At the market rates a studio will run approximately $790 and a four-bedroom up to $2500.

Apartment spaces range from 480 to 1,200 square feet, including studios and one- to four-bedroom apartments, all of which will be furnished.

“We’re actively looking to move sites and to donate materials to Habitat for Humanity or go through ways to recycle as much of buildings as possible,” Bruce said.

UW senior Ali Pesche said she has lived on Langdon in previous years and dealt with problems of run-down buildings. She said high-rise buildings may be the future of downtown housing for students.

“People think of Madison as a city, and maybe the old idea of the city’s traditional houses isn’t what it’s like anymore,” Pesche said.

Rob Podell, a citizen who plans to go back to school, said there should be some way to make the units cheaper since there are already so many expensive buildings throughout the city.

“If you put up all these new buildings … it has to be for students and it has to be affordable,” Podell said. “[T]hese new buildings aren’t affordable.”