A downtown park introduced Tuesday, Sept. 15, to the City Council would provide much needed green space, but might require drastic government measures to acquire the land.
The proposed park will be about an acre in size and sit on the corner of Bassett and Mifflin. This placement is a response to a concern that Madison’s downtown is a park-deficient area, a concern that has been on the minds of local officials for a while, Ald. Mark Clear, District 19, said.
The City Council had previously given unanimous support for the creation of this park, Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said. A resolution passed earlier this year directed city staff to start searching for property.
The corner of Bassett and Mifflin is the third location to be considered, after the first two locations were stymied by apartment building propositions. The current proposed location contains rental homes, as well as the Ambassador West apartment building, Verveer said.
City staff performed an inventory of buildings in the downtown area to determine which buildings would be best to sacrifice for the park. The Ambassador West building is being considered as a potential spot for the park because of its age and condition, Verveer said.
Though city officials have been seeking property owners in this area willing to sell, this has proved to be difficult, Verveer said. Some council members are concerned about the possibility of gaining the proposed park land through condemnation.
Clear said he supports adding a new park to the downtown area, but has reservations about creating it through condemnation.
“If we decide this is a good idea and can acquire the property at a decent cost in some way that is fair — that is a good idea,” Clear said. “I am not excited at all about the idea of taking it by force.”
If the city were to use condemnation to attain the land for the proposed park, it would be as a last resort, Verveer said.
He noted current residents will not be affected, and all of the future residents who impacted through relocation would be compensated by the city.
All of the properties in the area are owned as investment, making potential sellers unlikely, Verveer said. Verveer said he anticipates some “painful meetings” in the next few months, since these property owners will likely secure attorneys to fight the condemnation process.
“Most current owners don’t seem to have any interest whatsoever in selling,” Veveer said. “That’s why we feel like we have to go this route. We don’t have any other options for serving the most park-deprived area of the city.”
