The City of Madison is hosting a neighborhood meeting today to assess community response to issues regarding a mid-State Street parking ramp construction and utility.
The ramp would be constructed in place of the present Buckeye surface parking lot on the block between Gilman St. and Gorham St., next to Pizzeria Uno’s, 222 W. Gorham St. The structure would have two levels above ground and two below, allowing for 300-350 parking spaces.
Susan Schmitz, president of Downtown Madison Inc., said she sees a need for a mid-State Street ramp for short-term parking, specifically for access to State Street businesses.
“There has been tremendous demand for a mid-State Street ramp for over ten years,” Schmitz said. “The Buckeye lot is always busy with cars waiting for spaces.”
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the community has many issues to debate that would affect the residential area surrounding the ramp.
“The ramp could have both positive and negative impacts on students,” Verveer said. “The ramp would relieve the parking demand, but it could increase traffic congestion in the residential area.”
One issue of debate is how large to make the ramp. The city could allocate only the space presently occupied by the Buckeye lot for a narrow ramp, or the city could demolish three nearby houses to create a larger ramp.
Verveer said students are concerned about losing the century-old houses, one of which was relocated to its present lot to avoid previous demolition.
“Based on feedback I’ve received, the demolition of those houses is by no means a no-brainer,” Verveer said.
Another City Council member said the city could create housing by selling the ramp’s top level to a private developer or create ground-floor retail space.
“I’d like to see the ramp used for housing or other multi-uses downtown,” Ald. Todd Jarrell, Dist. 8, said.
Verveer said he plans to make sure the ramp will not be an eyesore.
“Whatever we build, every effort will be made to incorporate the ramp into the city’s facade,” Verveer said.
He said two key downtown business associations have gone on record backing the ramp’s location. The support is largely because the city owns most of the property for the ramp and has reserved money to purchase the needed property.
If a consensus can be reached, the resolution would need to be passed by three city committees and the City Council. The next steps would involve hiring architects and engineers to settle the issues related to the ramp. Construction is not expected until late 2003 or 2004.
“The bottom line is that most support the ramp, but there are still countless issues that need to be discussed, and I’m very much looking forward to hearing the valuable neighborhood input — especially from students,” Verveer said.
The meeting will be held at 211 State Street in the Civic Center’s Marquee Room at 7 p.m.
