The City of Madison Plan Commission approved a 12-story apartment building to be added to the group of high-rise student housing, including the Aberdeen and LaCiel, at the corner of West Gorham and Broom in a 5-3 vote.
Five homes must be destroyed or moved to a new location for the construction of the Great Dane Development’s apartment building, set to begin in June, according to Ald. Paul Van Rooy, District 18.
Van Rooy said there was some concern at the meeting about whether the five homes, which charge students lower rent than a high-end apartment building, were even worth saving.
“The high rise will have affordable housing units. Fifteen percent will be affordable,” Van Rooy said. “There probably should be an equivalent number of units [to those] that will be removed at a comparable rent.”
Commission member Ald. Jean McCubbin, District 11, said before the end of the meeting she initiated a condition to move at least two of the houses to a new location.
Ald. Brenda Konkel, District 2, said she voted against the proposal for technical reasons.
“In order to demolish a home, they have to prove it’s not structurally sound and prove it can’t be repaired,” Konkel said. “There was testimony at the meeting that [the houses] were still in pretty good shape.”
According to Konkel, Madison’s Inclusionary Zoning law limits buildings to 10 stories, but a contractor can be granted an additional two stories for an “exceptional” design. Although she does not believe this building design was special, it was granted the two bonus stories by the Urban Design Commission.
The apartment building has features including retail space on the first level, balconies on the corners and a 10-foot setback in the middle of the building to counteract the height of the building, according to Van Rooy. The top three stories will be a combination of glass and metal to separate it from the rest of the brick building, he added.
“I agree with Urban Design’s opinion that it’s a fairly attractive building,” Van Rooy said. “It’s probably the most attractive building in this group.”
Architect Lou Host-Jablonski, a member of the Urban Design Commission, said he agrees this building will be architecturally superior. The commission made a recommendation to turn the free-flow left-turn lane in front of the Aberdeen into a conventional intersection with a stoplight for the safety of future pedestrians.
Host-Jablonski said the building will have a small courtyard in front for potential landscaping, unlike other buildings in the area. There will also be a driveway area for pizza delivery or moving days.
Konkel said although Dane County and Madison have been growing very rapidly and there may be a need for more student housing close to campus, she questions how many more high-end apartment buildings can be built and filled with students.
“There needs to be more housing that students can afford or their parents can afford,” Konkel said. “Sure, there are many that can afford it, but there are many that can’t. They are being forced to move off campus.”
