[media-credit name=’Ben Smidt’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]This is the fourth part of a feature series examining the changing face of downtown Madison.

Extensive planning for the Capitol West neighborhood is underway to give the downtown area a new sense of urban sprawl.

The Alexander Company will develop the area along West Washington and West Main streets for the block between North Broom and North Henry streets.

Natalie Bock, development manager of Alexander Company, said the goals of the project are to accommodate the diverse housing and neighborhood needs of the downtown area while offering a unique, urban refuge for current and future downtown residents.

"We're trying to bring a full range of product to a full range of people," Bock said in a meeting Tuesday night with residents from the area.

The company hopes to create a community between the new urban population and the existing neighborhood, she added.

Aesthetics are also a high priority in the project.

"We're really emphasizing an active feel that we find appropriate to the neighborhood," Bock said. "Light and air can really activate a site."

The development also hopes to provide a large amount of open space in apartments, which is often lacking in modern urban developments, Bock said.

"People often miss open spaces when they move downtown. The development will include an open haven for residents," she said.

The Alexander Company has sought award-winning architects from around the country to facilitate their goals and style for the neighborhood.

Tom Miller, architect for the project, discussed appropriate scaling and building sizes to complement the surroundings.

The project would create a higher density of housing along the corner of West Washington and North Henry streets, while scaling down to fewer housing units near the corner of West Main and North Broom streets.

"The Main Street townhomes will be high quality, low density, interesting architecture to suit the area," Miller said.

The buildings in the development would also include four-to-five story buildings with a courtyard in between and a 14-story tower of townhomes behind it.

The Alexander Company has hired arborists to maintain the surrounding nature setting.

Tree canopies over North Broom Street are important for facilitating water circulation throughout root systems to reduce heat buildup over the street. The Alexander Company has been advised to protect area trees for these purposes, as well as to humanize the hard, urban setting and to soften the aesthetics of the development.

Though significant project planning and architecture has been underway, local residents expressed concerns at the meeting over the height of the proposed buildings.

Planners will collect neighborhood input to refine their plan before presenting a proposal to the Urban Design Commission.

After receiving input from the commission, the group will present further plans to City Council members over the next couple months.