A city commission voted unanimously Monday to delay the controversial proposal for a 46-unit apartment building on West Mifflin Street.
After a public hearing of 15 speakers on both sides of the issue, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, encouraged the Plan Commission to refer the application to the commission’s next meeting Feb. 21.
“The proposal needed to be allowed more time to address the concerns with it,” Verveer said.
Students involved in a “Save Mifflin” organization spoke against the proposal as it stands, rallying to preserve the 400 and 500 blocks of Mifflin Street as a historically student area.
Pat McCaughey, the project’s head developer, said the building would cater to young adult professionals and graduate students.
Indy Stluka, a student at Edgewood College and co-creator of the Save Mifflin organization, said the group wants to keep a simplistic and affordable character for the historic Mifflin Street.
“What’s most important is that we as students have a vested interest in the development of our neighborhoods,” Stluka said.
Associated Students of Madison Legislative Affairs Vice Chair Hannah Somers echoed his feelings, adding that building a large apartment complex would detract from the characteristic style of Mifflin Street houses.
“Having this built could begin a standard that can lead to more buildings like it, and we worry that prices in this apartment will make surrounding houses less affordable to students,” Somers said.
During his Jan. 24 proposal, McCaughey originally said rental prices would start at $1,000. However, following meetings with the “Save Mifflin” organizers and Verveer, McCaughey agreed to lower the price range to $695 for a single room and $1,350 for a two-bedroom in an effort to make the housing more affordable for students.
McCaughey said he could not make the building affordable to students if he knocked off the fourth story of the building, as many of the project’s critics have demanded. McCaughey said eliminating rooms would make it so that individual rents would need to rise in order to make the building profitable.
“We are building a better building than previously proposed,” McCaughey said. “Contrary to what Facebook and Twitter are saying, we’re not out there to tear up the Mifflin blocks.”
