Over the next few years, Porchlight, Inc. will move to a new location and student housing will be built in its place. The plan is part of a partnership between the nonprofit and developer LZ Ventures Management — which owns and operates Grand Central and X01, two apartment buildings on the same block as Porchlight.
Porchlight offers affordable housing options and operates a men’s homeless shelter in Madison, with their biggest location located on Brooks Street. The nonprofit specializes in giving veterans and those with mental illnesses a safe place to live.
Under the partnership, a new location for Porchlight will be built on East Washington Avenue. Once built, Porchlight residents will be moved to the new location and the student housing will be built, executive director of Porchlight Karla Thennes said.
District 8 Alder MGR Govindarajan noted the project is in its early stages of development and therefore might be subject to change.
Given the location of Porchlight and its proximity to the University of Wisconsin campus, Thennes said the nonprofit regularly receives offers to buy the building and plot of land from various developers, institutions and businesses. LZ Ventures has been among the developers who have sought to purchase the plot of land in the past, according to Thennes.
But when approached with offers to purchase the lot, Thennes said her answer has always been “no.” This has primarily been because the offers Porchlight has received have not done enough to ensure Porchlight’s work can continue.
“I’m not a huge developer in town, I can’t take that [money] and then go build 75 units somewhere, a hundred units somewhere,” Thennes said. “So the answer was always just no.”
A partner at LZ Ventures proposed the new agreement this year. The proposal stood out because it went beyond simply purchasing the plot of land — also offering to build and furnish a new location for Porchlight residents, Thennes said.
The new Porchlight location is expected to replace a vacant office building with an eight story building. The facility will include 70 studios with bathrooms, kitchens, air conditioning and heat. There will also be space for administrative staff who currently work at the Brooks Street location, according to Thennes.
Porchlight’s new location will place them across the street from one of their partners — The Beacon — a day shelter and service center for the homeless in Madison located at 615 East Washington Avenue.
The move will reduce the number of units at Porchlight from 102 to 70. Govindarajan and other alders expressed concern over this. But Thennes said no housing will be lost due to the move, given the unusable conditions of existing units at Porchlight. And the improved facilities at the new location will be life-changing for the current residents of Porchlight who are in the single resident occupancy units, Thennes said.
“To be able to have their own space, to have family and friends and people over to be in their own space would be literally life changing for them,” Thennes said.
As for the new student housing being built in Porchlight’s place, there is no plan to include affordable units, a concern of Govindarajan.
“It is at the heart of campus, there will be a lot of students living there,” Govindarajan said. “It would go a long way in providing some affordability instead of just adding market rate housing.”
The project’s next steps are part of a lengthy process which will consist of meetings, letters and interactions between local organizations. Govindarajan said the project is likely to require rezoning. Because the plot is part of Govindarajan’s district, he is involved in the entire process, giving him the opportunity to negotiate and discuss aspects of the development with LZ Ventures.
