News

New hotel to be built on West Washington Avenue

A new Hyatt Place hotel is on its way to Madison after the City Council met last night to approve the new downtown addition.

The new hotel, which will be located at 333 W. Washington Ave., will contain 151 rooms, and if all goes according to plan, the applicant says construction should begin in the spring and will take approximately one year.

"I think the neighborhood looks very favorably on the use of this site for a hotel," said Jonathon Cooper, chair of the Capitol West Steering Committee.

However, Cooper added many residents did have some concerns. First, residents are worried about the construction of a pedestrian bridge over Washington Place that would connect the hotel to the nearby parking structure.

A proposed drop-off area, which would include an 18-foot driveway that encroaches on the public right of way and obstructs the grass terraces that line West Washington Avenue on its way to the Capitol, concerns residents as well.

Cooper cited the Madison Neighborhood Master Plan, which addresses the need to preserve and enhance the grass terraces along West Washington.

Rosemary Lee, a Madison resident, however, voiced her support of the Hyatt.

"When one chooses to live downtown, one must adapt," Lee said.

She listed the many advantages of a hotel to the downtown area, such as the economic vitality brought to the neighborhood by guests at the Hyatt.

"Beautiful terraces are absolutely special," said City Council President Mike Verveer, District 4, who represents the area in which the hotel would be built. "I'm willing to concede that the public right of way needs to and should be used for this purpose."

Verveer proposed an amendment to the plan made at Monday night's Plan Commission meeting. The amendment would cut two clauses from the plan, allowing them to be decided on during the Specific Implications Process at a later date. One of these clauses indicates the building must leave a minimum of 11 feet, 3 inches of terrace, and the other allows for an 18-foot driveway that would be used as a pick-up and drop-off location.

However, Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, and Ald. Robbie Webber, District 5, motioned to leave the minimum area of terrace in the plan, saying it is the part of the plan that preserves the terrace.

Verveer responded, saying, "By adopting this tonight, [company planners] can leave here and have certainty of a building footprint."

In the end, the motion to eliminate both of the clauses was passed.

Verveer said he plans to hold neighborhood meetings in the near future to discuss the use of the public right of way that will be decided upon at the SIP meeting later in the hotel's development.