While downtown residents’ reactions to the proposed final stage of the State Street redevelopment plan have been mixed, businesses occupying the 100 block could be evicted without compensation as a result of the plan.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the businesses housed in the buildings on the block of State Street slated for demolition will be left in “a tight spot.”

When Jerome Frautschi, one of the philanthropists behind the project, purchased the buildings over a period of several years, he obtained not only the buildings, but also the leases of the businesses housed on the properties, Verveer said. This makes eminent domain proceedings unnecessary.

If the plans for the State Street 100 block proceed as they are currently proposed, the businesses serving as current tenants would find themselves homeless and be forced to relocate, he said.

Verveer added it also remains unknown whether business owners would receive some form of compensation from Frautschi in the event they are evicted on short notice.

Although many citizens have decried the need to preserve historical properties, Fred Mohs, a Madison lawyer, said the debate about how the property in the 100 block of State Street should be used is just beginning.

“This is the start, not the end,” Mohs said.

Verveer said as the year continues, the open discussion between citizens and developers is necessary and should be encouraged.

To further accomplish this dialogue, he said a committee of residents has been formed to foster more widespread discussion with the developers and members of the community.

Meetings with the developers and city officials are scheduled to span the coming months, with the majority taking place over the holiday season, a detail Verveer said he was concerned with, potentially drawing the citizens’ attention away from proving adequate feedback on the proposal.

Verveer said he believes the reception of the proposal during a recent public meeting was, for the most part, a warm one.

George Austin, the manager for the redevelopment project, expressed confidence the project will move forward on schedule.

Austin said he and his party continue to act in consultation with the Capitol Neighborhood Association in their attempts to gain approval for the necessary work.

While Austin acknowledged the historical interests of the area should be protected, he also said the reinvestment would prove beneficial to the area.
“The value added will outweigh what is removed,” he said.

Austin said the project would break ground by April 2012, with the goal of completing the project by the summer of 2013.

Verveer said he believes this timeline could be overly optimistic.

“While we have no desire to drag our feet over this, we want to give it the full consideration that it deserves,” he said.

Sandy Torkildson, a co-owner of A Room of One’s Own bookstore, said she thought the developers are trying to be considerate in their attempts to reach out to the public.

Her main concern about the project was that construction could impede the flow of customers to her own store, but said the project could be a positive step for the area.

“The historical people are over the top. … This could be a very positive thing for State Street,” she said. “[Buildings] with more usable space could be a good investment.”