NEWS
Plan commission rejects West Washington proposal
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by Paul Pryse
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
In a meeting that pitted Madison residents against real estate developers, the City of Madison Plan Commission voted unanimously to reject a proposal to build an eight-story mixed-use building at 425 West Washington Avenue.
If it had passed, the building would have included four stories of apartments, a fitness center, medical offices and retail space. The Madison Urban Design Commission had already rejected the proposal in October.
Eric Minton, the real estate developer for the project, defended his proposal to an audience of mostly disapproving neighbors.
"This building is the most comprehensive mixed-use project in the last three to five years," Minton said. "This might be the greenest building ever proposed in downtown."
Minton responded to the violations of the Bassett Neighborhood Plan, developed in 1997, claiming the plan was not intended to limit density, but to preserve housing.
Ald. Mike Veveer, District 4, whose district includes the 400 block of West Washington, spoke in opposition to the proposal, adding the building might be suitable in another location.
"I've never seen a project so clearly in violation of the Bassett Neighborhood master plan," Veveer said. "I would not be here tonight urging you to reject this project if I thought there was neighborhood support for this."
Although more recent buildings in the area have exceeded the master plan's recommendations for density, none of them have as drastically exceeded those standards for the building's size, Veveer noted.
Many residents of the Bassett neighborhood, including Bob Halloway, spoke out against the proposal.
"When people move into a neighborhood, they should be able to rely on the integrity of that plan, so they don't have to worry about buildings coming in that transform the neighborhood into something other than what they expected that neighborhood to be," Halloway said.
Robert Keller, owner of the Triple A apartment building, argued his lack of vacancies is a sign of high demand for downtown apartments, and said a new building is a necessary development.
"It's sad when people call, looking for an apartment and I have to tell them that we don't have any and we'll call them back next summer," he said.
Michael May, a resident at 533 West Main, compared the proposed building to Keller's building. May mocked the Triple A building by speaking in the first person from the building's perspective.
"Look at me. I don't belong here," May said. "I'm entirely too tall. I lack architectural merit. I clash with the historical fabric of the entire lot. But, future developers will use me as a precedent for development on this lot."
The Plan Commission also unanimously approved a proposal to demolish the University Square shopping center and build a 12 story mixed-use building, including stores, offices and 430 apartments.
Shops will occupy the first and second floors, while the third floor will house a student activity center or "living room area," according to the development proposal.
