Madison residents have offered both praise and criticism for a $109 million proposal to redevelop the Edgewater Hotel at two recent public meetings.
The project entails renovations of the existing structure and a new 17-story structure — 11 stories of which are above grade — raising the number of hotel rooms to about 230. The redevelopment also boasts a public plaza lined with restaurants and other retail stores, and would include a public terrace and staircase to the waterfront.
The tallies of registered attendees from the neighborhood of the meetings reflect the public division regarding the project. Approximately 275 people attended the neighborhood meeting and 97 people chose to register their opinion on paper. Of those people, 44 people registered in support, 39 in opposition, 13 were undecided and one person’s opinion was unclear.
Residents in opposition to the project focused on some key concerns regarding the expansion, such as preserving the aesthetics of a historical neighborhood, protecting the view of the lake and concern of increased traffic in the area.
The hotel falls within the Mansion Hill Historic District, thereby evoking city ordinances restricting the types of developments allowed to be built in the neighborhood.
For example, zoning codes for part of the project dictates a 50-foot height limit and the proposed new structure rises well above this limit.
“The proposed hotel is not of a mass and scale that’s in harmony with the visually related area of the neighborhood as required by the historic district ordinance,” said Ledell Zellers, member of the Mansion Hill Steering Committee and Capitol Neighborhoods Inc..
The Hammes Company, in charge of developing the project, has said it will seek a Planned Unit Development, which gives a developer greater leeway in bypassing construction constraints at a particular site.
Bob Dunn, president of Hammes Company Sports and Entertainment, said he thinks the project addresses many of the concerns residents have raised.
Dunn said the project design gives a fuller view of the lake and activates the waterfront, while traffic will be redirected to the east side of the building, preventing cars from choking the plaza area.
Other residents lauded the project, saying it will bolster the city’s economy, afford more access to the lake and provide hundreds of jobs, both in construction and in the operation of the hotel.
“I felt myself absolutely inspired throughout this presentation and dreaming of what this place could be,” Madison resident Erik Minton said.
The proposal was reviewed Aug. 24 by the Landmark Commission and shortly after, Ald. Bridget Maniaci, District 2, and Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, organized the Mansion Hill Neighborhood meeting which took place Aug. 25.
Groups opposed to the project include the Mansion Hill Steering Committee, the Madison Trust for Historical Preservation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Groups in support of the project include the Wisconsin Alumni Association, Downtown Madison Inc., the Madison Chamber of Commerce, First Web Realtors, IronWorkers 383 and the State-Langdon Neighborhood Association.
The project is due back to the Urban Design Commission Sept. 2, where the committee will review the project, either approving it or sending it back to the Hammes Company for more redesigning.
