The Mifflin Neighborhood Association met Thursday to review safety concerns on the Mifflin Street Block Party and begin plans to collaborate with students, along with reviewing several development projects in the Mifflin area.

Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said the association is interested in collaborating with students as conversations about the future of the block party begin.

Verveer said the Associated Students of Madison will combine with Capitol Neighborhoods, Inc. and the Mifflin West District to hold a series of meetings that will be open to the public.

The first meeting, Verveer said, will be held sometime between Thanksgiving and University of Wisconsin final exams.

A tentative date has been set for Dec. 8, Verveer said. The meeting’s location is currently undetermined.

Madison Mayor Paul Soglin had scheduled a discussion with city officials to kick off the Mifflin discussion, Verveer said, but the meeting was cancelled because of budget proceedings. It will be rescheduled for sometime within the next two weeks.

The neighborhood association also discussed plans for the possible relocation of the Mercury Caf?. The restaurant’s proposed new venue is on the 200 block of North Frances Street.

Mercury Caf? owner Vasili Kallias said the caf?’s location on East Mifflin Street was severely damaged by the June fire in the neighboring Capitol Apartments building.

Verveer said if the proposal created by Kallias and his partner Ed Tallard, owner of Tallard Apartments, goes through, two adjacent old houses on the 200 block would be converted.

The front house, facing North Frances Street, would become the restaurant’s new location, while the house in back would be rented out to tenants, Verveer said.

Kallias said he and Tallard would consider the possibility of tearing down the houses and rebuilding in the future, but did not have current plans to do any demolition.

The project has become controversial because it would require adjustment of current zoning, Verveer said.

“It’s not a slam dunk because the entire block, with the exception of the Nitty Gritty, is zoned residential,” he said. “They want to zone it commercial.”

Kallias said he wants to get the project moving “as soon as I can”.

The association also reviewed the plan for a 12-story student high rise on West Johnson Street, adjacent to the Double Tree Hotel and a three- to six-story apartment building on West Dayton Street.

Association members raised questions about the buildings’ respective developers choosing to collaborate despite their different project timelines.

Scott Faust, the developer of the three- to six-story building on West Dayton Street, hopes to break ground as early as this August.

In contrast, Ron Fedler, developer of the 12-story building on West Johnson Street, will not begin construction for “at least a couple of years.” Fedler is just embarking on the city review process.

West Mifflin District Chair Larry Warman said he disagreed with the developers’ decision to collaborate on the projects.

“If they’re doing it at separate time frames, why are they doing it together”? he asked.

The developers of the 12-story building will begin the review process when they go before the city’s Urban Design Commission on Nov. 23.