Downtown community members voiced their opinions regarding the construction of a five-story complex on West Washington Avenue at a Bassett Neighborhood Meeting Thursday night.

Community members at the forum expressed a general appreciation for the construction.

“I came into the room pretty undecided and concerned about the [building’s] height and mass,” said Melissa Berger, Bassett neighborhood resident. “I think I feel pretty happy about it. I think I would welcome it to the neighborhood and its uses would be very beneficial.”

If it is given the green light, the West Washington site will house two levels of underground parking, 500 square feet of commercial retail and business offices, a fitness center with a public lap pool and 32 apartment units, said Daniel Ferch of Ferch Architects, who is working on the project.

Ferch said the design is not overwhelming, although it is not in compliance with the Bassett Neighborhood plan.

The Bassett Neighborhood plan puts a cap on the height of buildings in the Bassett vicinity, limiting them to stand no more than four stories tall.

“I’m trying to keep it somewhat residential and not to make it look too commercial,” Ferch said. “I’m sensitive about that. I’m thinking this is a sort of residential neighborhood.”

Jonathan Cooper, chair of Bassett Neighborhood Committee for the proposal, said Ferch worked to make a good building an even better building, adding the committee is pleased with the structure’s many offerings. Cooper said the main question on the table is whether the building is right for the neighborhood.

Dr. John Bonsett-Veal, a long-term Madison optometrist, agreed, saying the only controversy is what the neighborhood thinks of the height and size of the project.

He added the benefits of the project outweigh the height violation.

If approved, Bonsett-Veal will move his optometry practice to the first floor of the new building. In the initial stages of the project, there was concern about demolishing Bonsett-Veal’s practice, which has been in the Bassett neighborhood for approximately 29 years.

Bob Keller of Keller Co. Realtors has his company next to the proposed site and said he plans to practice the rest of his career at that location.

Keller added the building would be a great stimulus in the neighborhood.

“The land is 10 times as valuable as the building,” Keller said. “It is a tremendously underutilized piece of land, and [the building is] going to create enough tax revenue to bring in one or two more policemen. I really think that’s important.”

According to Keller, retail in the area is struggling, and he said the project will create many jobs in the vicinity.

The Madison Plan Commission will further discuss the construction of the 425 W. Washington Ave. building Monday at 6 p.m.