The Madison Common Council got down to business Tuesday at a productive meeting lasting less than an hour, an unusual feat.

The council put a decision for keg registration on hold, approved the demolition of Milan's on Charter Street and rejected the proposal of an eight-story multi-use facility on West Washington Avenue.

Alders referred the keg-registration ordinance to the Public Safety Review Board, which will hear the proposal again Dec. 6. Following the PSRB recommendation, the council expects to vote on the proposal for the second time Dec. 13.

According to Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, the December vote on the proposal will be close.

"It sounds like Ald. Skidmore is gung-ho about the proposal," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if a number of police officers and representatives from the PACE project testify at the next meeting like they did at the last [Alcohol License Review Committee] meeting."

Verveer said the fact that the ALRC, the PSRB and the council overwhelmingly rejected the proposal in the past does not make its rejection by the council at the next meeting a certainty.

While the keg-registration proposal makes its way through the city government, alders unanimously approved the demolition of Milan's, 202 N. Charter St.

Taking its place will be a newly constructed six-story building with 25 apartments, as well as retail space on the first floor.

Ald. Austin King, District 8, in whose district the new building will be built, said he gave his "yes" vote grudgingly.

According to King, the original plan for the structure to replace Milan's, which was rejected by council earlier this year, would have benefited the Regent Street area more than the plan approved Tuesday.

"I'm supporting this project. It's only a six story building now, which shouldn't scare anyone," King said. "The original plan was for a much larger structure, and while this plan is an improvement over the two-story Milan's with the dilapidated parking lot, it is not an improvement over the original plan."

King said he hopes the council's approval in the 2006 Executive Operating Budget for a Regent Street Master Plan will rectify the project on Charter Street.

Also on the council's agenda was the rejection of an eight-story, mixed-use facility on the 400 block of West Washington Avenue.

The developer of the project, Erik Minton, did not attend the meeting to speak on behalf of the structure. However, according to Verveer, Minton has not given up on the project.

"I've heard that the development team is still looking to build a structure in that spot," he said. "They will scale the building down so it isn't out of place on West Washington. The new plan will likely be a three- to five-story facility."

After a few late-running meetings earlier this year, Ald. Ken Golden, District 10, introduced an ordinance to be considered by the Common Council Organizational Committee.

The proposal would put a midnight cap on all council meetings, and items not heard before 12 a.m. would be pushed to a continuation of the meeting on a later date.

Such an ordinance would make smoking ban public hearings and discussion until dawn a thing of the past.

Mayor Dave Cieslewicz gently expressed his concern with the proposal to Golden.

"Be careful what you wish for," he said.