[media-credit name=’PHILL LEE/Herald Photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]The Madison Plan Commission unanimously passed a proposal to completely demolish and renovate University Square Monday evening.

Although committee members questioned the extensive building plans, they approved the reconstruction without much debate. The plan will demolish the existing University Square and construct three separate towers for university functions, a private apartment complex and two levels for retail.

"This is probably the most significant development in the eighth district in about 20 or 30 years," Ald. Austin King, District 8, said of the upcoming project.

According to King, the expansion of University Square will allow for a "staggering" capacity of student tenants, retail workers and office employees.

"This is huge for the campus and city," he added.

Rick Gilbertson, representative for the project's design firm, Potter-Lawson, presented new, three-dimensional images of the building. General plans were presented in November 2005, and the Potter-Lawson firm has not made major changes to the development plans.

"It is essentially the same project," Gilbertson said. "We just responded to the city committees and it is a further development of the project."

Most changes, Gilbertson said, have been a result of committee suggestions, including a larger plaza area on the East Campus Mall and working with the city to create maintenance and traffic plans.

Committee member Kelly Thompson-Frater raised concern over the separate plazas for the university-function tower and the private apartment building.

But Gilbertson said the two plazas will be kept separate.

"We had a lot of discussion. … We decided at the end of the day, there will be two distinct areas for two different functions," he said, adding the project will probably discourage a connection between the two buildings.

Other committee concerns included the use of pedestrian lighting and the accessibility of Murray Mall during construction.

King said the construction of the new University Square will hopefully spur more redevelopment in the area.

"It is ideal in terms of the land use," he added. "This is a model … [and a] collaboration between private and public companies that warms my heart."