Community members gathered Thursday night to hear from developers and discuss their concerns about the construction of the Hub II.
At a neighborhood meeting hosted by Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, developers Brian Munson and Jeffrey Zelisko described the Hub II as a building aimed at providing middle-range housing for both students and non-students.
Unofficially called The Hub II for now, it will feature both furnished and unfurnished apartments as well as two separate lobbies to market to the two distinct audiences, Zelisko said.
Representatives look toward a second ‘Hub;’ expect full city support
The Hub II would be located between University Avenue and Gilman Street where there is currently a parking lot. It plans to incorporate a historical building on Gilman Street which the Landmarks Commission has previously forbidden to be demolished.
According to Zelisko, the Gilman side of the building will feature three townhouses with five rooms each and direct street access.
“The townhouses will look out onto Gilman to maintain a sense of community,” Zelisko said.
The project is already well into the city review process. In February, Zelisko and Munson appeared before Madison’s Urban Design Commission to get initial feedback on the project.
Hub Madison II receives feedback at Urban Design Commission meeting
A few dozen people, made of mostly residents and landowners, used the meeting as an opportunity to voice their concerns about the potential impacts of the new building.
Most of these concerns dealt with the potential loss of parking and increased traffic in an already congested area. Developers disagreed, saying there were many parking options in the State Street area.
Munson, however, assured residents they will do all they can to decrease such impacts.
“We acknowledge the impact construction will have and we will work to minimize it,” Munson said.
The building will not require City Council approval because it fits all zoning and city planning requirements, but it does need to be approved by the city’s Urban Design Committee, Planning Committee and Landmarks Committee.
