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The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Vermillion project proposed for JDS is better for Madison needs

Time to end six years of roadblocks, develop this area
Vermillion+project+proposed+for+JDS+is+better+for+Madison+needs

Judge Doyle Square is Madison’s favorite boondoggle. Since 2009, more than a half-dozen different visions have been put forward and pursued in varying degrees until ultimately stumbling over an unforeseen roadblock. I’m hopeful that one of the two current proposals in front of the city can break the trend.

Two developers are in competition for the rights to develop the location based on a set of criteria the city put forth as necessary components of any development plan. Broadly, the two requirements that get the most attention are increased hotel capacity and increased parking availability since the development will replace the shambling remains of the Government East parking structure.

After the most recent round of revisions based on feedback from the city planning staff, Beitler Real Estate Services, one of the developers, put forward a modern looking design with above ground parking, a hotel, apartments and retail space for about $170 million.

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Vermillion Development, the other developer, proposed a larger design overall with more parking spaces — mostly underground — a larger hotel, fewer apartments, similar retail space and increased office space for around $180 million. While the proposals were initially nearly $80 million apart, scale backs by Vermillion — achieved mostly by bringing some underground parking above ground — and additions by Beitler bring the projects substantially closer together.

Personally, I hope to see the Vermillion project move forward as the chosen development. Aesthetically, I think Vermillion’s mix of “historic and modern” — seen here in the initial proposal — is a better fit with the downtown and the design is better suited to the city’s needs of increasing hotel capacity and increased parking.

A large, full-service hotel like Renaissance by Marriott offers more amenities and services to guests than the EVEN Hotel put forth by Beitler’s proposal. Additionally, the skywalk from the Renaissance Hotel across East Wilson Street to the Hilton Hotel will connect the two large downtown hotels directly to Monona Terrace without requiring guests to go outside if it happens to be the half of the year where it’s pretty cold. As a fan of the Minneapolis skyway system, anything we can do to add skywalk capacity is a fine idea.

But, fewer apartments from the Vermillion project is concerning. Housing availability in the downtown is low, rents are high and this probably won’t change in the near future. But Vermillion’s original proposed development offered nearly 100 extra apartment units in a downtown area that will continue to see large demand. After the round of revisions to lower the final cost, the apartment count was reduced again to 86 units. This is troubling and could offset the benefits of having a slightly larger hotel and more parking spaces by further contributing to Madison’s housing problems.

Vermillion, to their credit, did seem to offer a potential solution at an earlier phase. According to David Cocagne, Vermillion president, portions of the development, namely the large office space, could be added on at a later time or scaled down with demand to reduce costs. They also suggested that some of this space could be built as apartment space instead, which could increase capacity. I think the city would be wise to press them on that issue a bit more to fix some of the housing concerns.

With the costs of the two projects approaching each other, I think the city has to make a decision by prioritizing what they want out of the Judge Doyle Square location. Though I have concerns over the availability of housing in Vermillion development, I prefer the hotel, parking and aesthetic appeal more. I hope that when the Board of Estimates meets on April 11, we can move one step closer to actually breaking ground on something.

Adam Johnson ([email protected]) is a master’s candidate at the La Follette School of Public Affairs.

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