Madison Development News

[jmancuso]

continued from old thread.

[Bond James Bond]

And I get the first reply in this one, too. :)

[Jason]

...but I get to make the 1st useful post ;)

Wind turbine plan proposed in county
00:00 am 12/03/05
BARRY ADAMS badams@madison.com

Dane County could someday be home to the tallest wind turbines in the state.

Two town of Springfield farmers have proposed using their land just west of Highway 12 and north of Middleton to build two wind turbines that could each rise almost 400 feet and be visible from the Capitol about 12 miles away....
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=63817&ntpid=2

[Badgers77]

Good news. Article kind of confuses me though.

BUSINESS


Biotech-site advocates urged to look at strengths
00:00 am 12/06/05
JUDY ****** jd******@madison.com

608-252-6156If only . . . one of the giant pharmaceutical companies would build in Wisconsin. That's been the mantra of those who have tried to push the state forward as a national biotechnology center.

At a conference in the Madison area Monday, they got a glimmer of encouragement.

It all depends on what type of major drug company operation the state hopes to attract, said J. Wood "Woody" Hydrick, senior consultant with Cushman & Wakefield, Atlanta, a global real estate consultant firm.

For a research and development center, for instance, a pharmaceutical company wants a big, shiny building with lots of open space, in a city with plenty of people with doctorates in biology, Hydrick said.

"(They'll say,) where am I going to find lots of microbiologists walking around?" he said.

Hydrick spoke to about 80 people at the annual meeting of the Wisconsin Biotechnology & Medical Device Association, at the BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute in Fitchburg.

A manufacturing center, meanwhile, will need about 300,000 square feet and a work force with strong science and manufacturing backgrounds, Hydrick said, while a distribution center should have great transportation access.
Advertisement:

"My advice: look at what your strengths are, then match them up," he said.

John Neis, senior partner with Venture Investors, a Madison venture capital firm, said having divisions of big companies in the area, such as GE Healthcare, Cardinal Health and Invitrogen, is a plus.

"Once they have a presence here and understand the merits and strengths of the community, it makes it that much more attractive," Neis said.

Dan Broderick, a managing director of Mason Wells Venture Funds, Milwaukee, said companies don't want to locate in states where the Legislature passes bills that equates stem- cell researchers with criminals or that make it too hard to obtain environmental permits.

"State government has to be more, not less," Broderick said.

With the average cost to bring a drug to market at up to $1 billion and 10 years of effort, Hydrick said drug companies are looking to hold down costs. He said many of the blockbuster drugs are now made overseas - for example, Viagra is produced in Limerick, Ireland - largely because of the high federal corporate income tax in the United States.

But there's plenty of opportunity for generic drug production, Hydrick said. And with major pharmaceutical operations in the Chicago, Minneapolis and Indianapolis areas, locating in Wisconsin is "not out of the realm of possibilities," he said in an interview.

[Jason]

^ for the sake of supporting local publications, and not taking away from their own revenue streams, I suggest we stick to posting the first few paragraphs of the article, then giving a link to the rest of it. Like this:


Hospitals in a building mood
00:00 am 12/11/05
DAVID WAHLBERG dwahlberg@madison.com

To gauge how much health care is driving Madison's building boom, look up.

Of the dozen or so construction cranes towering over the western edge of the isthmus, six are at St. Mary's Hospital, Meriter Hospital and UW Hospital....
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/local/index.php?ntid=64744#

[Jason]

Nothing groundbreaking really, just more "blah blah blah"...


'Really good stuff' in city plan
00:00 am 12/12/05
DEAN MOSIMAN dmosiman@madison.com 608-252-6141

It turns suburban sprawl on its head.

After three years of preparation, the city of Madison is set to adopt a sweeping comprehensive plan that reverses the trend of sprawling growth in the last half-century.

Instead, it envisions more dense, attractive projects filling parking lots and replacing single-story strip malls - while respecting the character of older neighborhoods. And it promotes "New Urbanist" mixed-use neighborhoods on the outskirts where people can rely less on cars while preserving farmland and open spaces....
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=64784&ntpid=3

[Ben]

^ for the sake of supporting local publications, and not taking away from their own revenue streams, I suggest we stick to posting the first few paragraphs of the article, then giving a link to the rest of it. Like this:
Which is how a lot of various publicizing formats do things. Sometimes news websites, or bloggers, etc. Not only can you skim faster and fit more, but that format provides backing to your case(any established website with large bandwith ratings..to them their numbers matter, I know, I run a small one). Plus on a board it's just annoying to have 3-4 really long articles to scroll past. And it's easier to copy and paste a link instead of an article.

Damn, posting whole articles really does suck!

[milwaukeeunseen]

Nothing groundbreaking really, just more "blah blah blah"...

Unless the City of Madison starts changing the development process and makes it more developer-friendly instead of bureaucratic and committeed to death, the developers will continue to build gangbusters in Fitchrona and Sun Prairie, and this plan's vision of a dense, walkable Madison will sit on a bureaucrat's shelf collecting dust. Maybe the plan includes advice on how to streamline the process to encourage rather than discourage development. It should.

[Badgers77]

Madison needs to remain careful on what gets built, but not quite so careful. There are a lot of very nicely designed, expensive buildings that people want to plop down, but the neighborhood is like "Oh hell naw!" and it never gets off the ground

Madison needs to be more developer friendly, but it can't be as developer friendly as like Oshkosh, WI or something.

[Badgers77]

Virgin is building a spaceport in New Mexico now. I really hope that Sheboygan one works out, but it probably won't. Either way though, it was approved to launch stuff to the I.S.S. so it says...

[milwaukeeunseen]

Madison needs to remain careful on what gets built, but not quite so careful. There are a lot of very nicely designed, expensive buildings that people want to plop down, but the neighborhood is like "Oh hell naw!" and it never gets off the ground

Madison needs to be more developer friendly, but it can't be as developer friendly as like Oshkosh, WI or something.

I'm not saying that developers should be able to build whatever they want where ever they want in Madison. Of course developments should be held up to public and planning scrutiny. But what is the point of throwing up unneccessary bureaucratic roadblocks to developers?

Madison is probably the only city in Wisconsin that really gets planning. But Milwaukee is the only city in Wisconsin that really gets development.

[Badgers77]

Although this really doesn't matter for anyone here, as it won't be completed until we are out of college, UW really seems to want a new union south...

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=65781

[Jason]

Although this really doesn't matter for anyone here, as it won't be completed until we are out of college, UW really seems to want a new union south...

http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=65781

"We"? I've been out of college for a long time. Shit, I had no idea this site was for college kids only. I'm out of here. See ya, kiddos.

[Badgers77]

Yeah, I know, in fact, most people here are older than like 21 or 22. I just didn't feel like saying "I know must of us here either in college, but will be out when it gets completed, or out of college." Was awkward.

[Jason]

The idea of coushousing is bizzarre to me, personally, but I understand that this is a growing trend, and there are certainly enough prospective tenants that would benefit from it to make it plausible.

'Cohousing' project planned
MARV BALOUSEK mbalousek@madison.com
A residential project called Arboretum Cohousing is planned for the 1100 block of Erin Street and 700 block of South Orchard Street, northwest of the St. Mary's Hospital parking ramp.

The project, a mix of existing and new buildings, will feature 6,000 square feet of shared community space. Cohousing participants live in their own units but share some common space and facilities.
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/business/index.php?ntid=67751

[milwaukeeunseen]

I could see this cohousing thing really fly with the student population, especially older students.

[Badgers77]

Just wondering, Madisonians, what are your favorite restaurants around town? I recently went to La Concha, which got great reviews, and did not like it one bit.

[D-res]

^^ I thought that Husnus place on State St was good. Otherwise you can't go wrong with Pedro's and Outback.. lol. yummy chain restaurants

oh.. and Benvenuto's is a good italian place. I think theres like 2 locations in madison

[atrain5371]

The Parthenon on State Street has the best gyros and I would also recommend either J.T. Whitney's or The Great Dane (Good Wisconsin Brewpubs).

[milwaukeeunseen]

My favorite restaurants in Madison are the Great Dane and Wasabi.

[PigBoy]

Hi everyone... I know this is not on topic, but I just wanted to make an introduction in this thread since the Madison people will read it. I'm a grad student here in Madison, having arrived in August. I've been an occasional lurker on this site and decided to go ahead and register since Madison seems fairly well-represented on this sub-forum, making it a good place to learn more about the city. (Although my secondary reason--since I'm from Ohio--is to join some of my fellow Ohioans and be generally annoying in other threads. ;))

Anyway, just wanted to say hello! :hi:

[Jason]

Hi everyone... I know this is not on topic, but I just wanted to make an introduction in this thread since the Madison people will read it. I'm a grad student here in Madison, having arrived in August. I've been an occasional lurker on this site and decided to go ahead and register since Madison seems fairly well-represented on this sub-forum, making it a good place to learn more about the city. (Although my secondary reason--since I'm from Ohio--is to join some of my fellow Ohioans and be generally annoying in other threads. ;))

Anyway, just wanted to say hello! :hi:

Nice to have you. I'm the local Madison-area-know-it-all. Maybe you can straighten me out occasionally. :)

[richardsonhomebuyers]

I can't remember the name of the place. It is a french restaurant that over looks the capital. I think there have a little cafe on the first floor. Anyways it is one of the best places I have ever had the pleasure to eat at. The food was out of this world. And the view was good to. Damn I wish I could remember the name.

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

here's a positive article on Madison... a major player into the future.

sorry, im just going to post the full aritcle because you have to subscribe to get onto jsonline and read it! (so dont get mad-pun unintended)



State's biotech industry: A spot on world stage?
Publication names Wisconsin as one of five places with potential to be innovation hotbed
By KATHLEEN GALLAGHER and SUSANNE RUST
kgallagher@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 26, 2006

Gabriela Cezar left a great job at Pfizer Inc. and took a pay cut to join the
faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.


"It's not like I didn't have the opportunity to go to the coasts," said Cezar, a 33-year-old, Brazilian-born scientist who uses stem cells to test drugs and study diseases.

Cezar chose Madison because she sees so much potential for the biotech industry in Wisconsin.

She's not the only one.

FierceBiotech, an industry e-mail publication, on Thursday named Wisconsin one of the five places in the world best-positioned to be a hotbed of biotech innovation.

The other four regions FierceBiotech says have a lot of potential are California, Maryland's I-270 Tech Corridor, New Jersey and Singapore Biopolis, a research mega complex in that East Asian nation.

"What's being put together in Wisconsin is a pretty good example of what works on a state level - combining support for a center of excellence with incentives for an industry," said John D. Carroll, FierceBiotech's editor.

By any measure, the state doesn't have the level of activity to be considered a large biotech area like Boston, San Diego or San Francisco, Carroll said. And it doesn't come close to Singapore in terms of "just pulling out the checkbook," he said.

Singapore is wooing big bio-pharmaceutical companies, in particular. The country offers incentives like matching investments of as much as $300,000 and equity investments of as much as $2 million to lure companies, he said.

But Wisconsin is making a big effort to build biotech, Carroll said.

Gov. Jim Doyle has committed $750 million to the life sciences sector, including $375 million earmarked for the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, a public-private interdisciplinary research center that will occupy a full city block on UW-Madison's campus. He also has tried to jump-start the business side by initiating a business plan contest, and with networks and conferences aimed at entrepreneurs and investors in start-ups.

Not everyone agrees with FierceBiotech's finalists.

"The list is laughable," said George S. Burrows Jr., president & founder of California's Regenerative Medicine Foundation, which was established to promote stem cell research in the state.

The most interesting thing about the list is the strong biotech areas - like Israel, the United Kingdom and Switzerland - that aren't on it, Burrows said.

The Imperiale College in London is the United Kingdom's version of UW-Madison, but the U.K. also has Cambridge University and University of Edinburgh, Burrows said.

The point is that Wisconsin has all the pieces in place, said Mark Bugher, director of Madison's University Research Park.

"The stars are aligning to put Wisconsin on the biotech map, and we'd stack our science at UW-Madison up with anybody in the world," Bugher said.

Wisconsin's biotech industry is still in its infancy, but full of potential, said John Seman, a pharmaceutical industry veteran who moved here from Boston to run PhysioGenix Inc.

Stem cell scientist Cesar lived in Scotland, working at the laboratory that cloned Dolly the sheep, and in Connecticut while running Pfizer's stem cell lab. But she says she was attracted to Madison's vibrant culture and international feel.

"I just love Madison - it's definitely a city with personality," she said.

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

Start-up thinks energy process has bright future
Madison's Virent generates electricity from hydrogen
By THOMAS CONTENT
tcontent@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Jan. 26, 2006
A first-ever effort to make electricity from hydrogen is generating power in Madison, using a sophisticated chemical process with a little help from a four-cylinder Ford engine.


The renewable energy system, developed by Virent Energy Systems, a Madison-based energy start-up, began sending electricity to the power grid in late December, said Virent Chief Executive Eric Apfelbach.

Virent is a start-up firm founded by Randy Cortright after he and other scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison invented a chemical process for converting the sugar contained in corn plants into hydrogen.


madison is such an intelligient city!

[ReddAlert]

What do you guys think about Madison having the Olympics?

[Badgers77]

LMAO. One of the first posts on this board to make me laugh out loud.

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

that would be such an extreme cost barrier for madison

[i_am_hydrogen]

I can't remember the name of the place. It is a french restaurant that over looks the capital. I think there have a little cafe on the first floor. Anyways it is one of the best places I have ever had the pleasure to eat at. The food was out of this world. And the view was good to. Damn I wish I could remember the name.

L'Etoile?

[Jason]

I thought this information I put together for the nice photo thread that Pig Boy put together for us that turned into a "defend Madison from ignorant posters" thread would like a more permanent home here in the Madison thread.

These are some of Madison's private employers (non state and university related), and where they are located in relation to the center of the city (The Capital):

Company: Employees in Madison: Miles from Capital Building
MG&E: 724: 0.40
Meriter: 3,200: 1.04
St. Mary's: 2,436: 1.46
WPS: 4,030: 2.83
Oscar Mayer: 2,500: 2.87
Dean: 3,058: 3.81 & 7.84
Covance: 1,274: 4.36
Cuna: 2,600: 4.90
TDS: 1,360: 6.24 & 7.65
Alliant Energy: 902: 6.88
American Family: 3,700: 7.46

[Jason]

Overture Center sparks a spin-off
DEAN MOSIMAN 608-252-6141
It's the biggest spin-off of Overture Center so far.

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/wsj/2006/02/08/24423.jpg

Developer Martin Rifken has bought the former First Federal building at 202 State St. and property next door - across from the Overture Center - and is proposing a $5 million, two-phase redevelopment at the site.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=71850#

I'm cool with it, long as it doesn't look too fabricated (fake).

[Jason]

More good news today. I drive by this block about 3 times/week and have felt for a long time that it needs this...

More downtown projects: At West Wilson, State & Dayton
By Mike Ivey

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/tct/2006/02/08/24449.jpg

Two major downtown real estate projects will get an airing tonight before the city's Urban Design Commission.

One project is a new $10 million, 4-story headquarters building for the National Conference of Bar Examiners at 601 W. Wilson St., the same block occupied by JH Findorff Construction.

[Badgers77]

Here is a rendering of the Dayton Street Residence Hall that is being built directly next to the SouthEast Recreational Facility (SERF). It's about a hundred thousand times better than Ogg or any other dorm, but I don't like it as much as the new Smith hall which is directly behind it.

http://www.jpcullen.com/images/sce/Rendering.JPG

[Jason]

Many of you know I used to have a site that I shut down about 6 months ago due to a lack of interest. Well, now that I know a number of these developers personally, and have access to them directory to conduct short interviews, and have questions answered, I was kind of thinking about firing it back up, but with a more basic purpose... to serve as a news outlet only, dedicated to providing the latest news, and insight on development in Madison. Forget about trying to document every single building, where it is, how tall it is, blah, blah... just an occasional inside scoop. Question is... what should I call it? I can't think of a good domain name for it, and I've been trying for the last 48 hours or so.....

[Badgers77]

There was an extremely interesting two-page thing in today's Badger Herald laying the campus master plan out. It truly redoes almost the ENTIRE campus. The campus will look *completely* different in 20 years if most of this gets done. It will just look way, way, way, way different. I especially like how that really ugly block on University (on park across from the parking gross) will go down and be replaced with newer, sparkling, high rise buildings. The Humanities building will go to hell, too. I'm excited, I really hope it comes to fruition.

[Badfish301]

what happened to archipelago village project? I'm guessing it's done.. it's been almost one years since any news. It seemed like it could have actually helped make madison a destination.. not to mention how good the building looked.

http://archipelagovillage.com/wsj031205.pdf

another thought.. why not build a roundabout around the capitol.. this would make driving from east to west wash without stopping a possiblity, finally making washington a viable corridor. i drew this in paint, so it looks kind of goofy, but you get the idea.

http://www.geocities.com/badfish301/capitolroundabout.JPG

as it is currently you can't make it five feet without waiting for a stoplight that never changes.. most madisononians avoid the square because it's such a pain.

[i_am_hydrogen]

There was an extremely interesting two-page thing in today's Badger Herald laying the campus master plan out. It truly redoes almost the ENTIRE campus. The campus will look *completely* different in 20 years if most of this gets done. It will just look way, way, way, way different. I especially like how that really ugly block on University (on park across from the parking gross) will go down and be replaced with newer, sparkling, high rise buildings. The Humanities building will go to hell, too. I'm excited, I really hope it comes to fruition.

Do you have a link to the article?

[Badfish301]

it was hard to find any working links.. but here is a PDF which has a picture of the proposed mall running down east campus. picture on the 6th page.

http://www2.fpm.wisc.edu/capbudg/CampusDevelopment/TheEastCampusDevelopmentPlan.pdf

[i_am_hydrogen]

Thanks, I'll take a look. They've been tossing around the idea of a mall running through campus as far back as when I was there from 96-02. Every once in a while, it would come up and I'd get really excited about it. Then I wouldn't hear anything about it for a long time. I hope it actually comes to fruition.

* * *
As for Archipelago Village, I'm pretty sure it's dead. I liked that project as well, but, as we all know, Madison such a stubborn city when it comes to accepting new developments. It didn't stand a chance of being built.

* * *
As for your roundabout proposal, I'm not sure what I think about it yet. Would there be no stoplights along it? How would not having to stop at a light make East Washington more viable? I think it'll take a lot more than that to make East Washington viable. But I'd like to hear your perspective on it.

[Jason]

Archipelago Village...
...was a media stunt. The guy couldn't even afford it, nor find the investors.

The ped mall on campus...
...is great, for students, but of absolutely no benefit to other 200,000+ people in town, including me.

The roundabout idea...
...no thanks. "The Square" is just fine how it is for me. I don't think people "avoid" it, I just don't think they really ever have any reason to use it. I use it occasionally to go see clients, and there is really no traffic. The traffic uses the Capital Loop, which was further developed to reduce Square traffic. Why do something to add more and complicate the flow of Taste of Madison, Ironman, Concerts on the Square, etc?

[exit_320]

Virgin is building a spaceport in New Mexico now. I really hope that Sheboygan one works out, but it probably won't. Either way though, it was approved to launch stuff to the I.S.S. so it says...

Looks like the next spaceport is going to be out of the United States.. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060218/ap_on_sc/space_tourism

[Badfish301]

I agree, madison will spend 200 million dollars on an the very ugly overture center, but they won't allow private investors to set up a beautiful transport hub/commercial icon while footing the bill. Archipelago would have incorportated all the things madions claims to want: a central transport hub, an amazing retail space, an undeniable landmark... furthermore it would strengthen the downtown coare, adn reduce the sprawl seen on the far west and east sides.

***

as far as the capitol roundabout is concerned... it could work on the same general principle of european roundabouts, except it would obviously be larger than most, and would eliminate the need to reduce the number of lanes on wash around the capitol.

Currently, washington is constricted into two lanes on east wash, and west wash is also constricted to two. It takes nearly ten minutes to get five blocks. If you could drive up west wash and traffic wasn't constricted and all stoplights were eliminated around the square and replaced with yields this would become a commuter corridor. (not to mention a beautiful center for the city). The roads which currently consitute the square could be removed, demoted to service roads, or turned into a more pedestrian friendly spaces. Other feeder roads such as butler would also have increased ease of access.

the capitol loop as it is now:
http://www.corprelations.wisc.edu/images/aerial_Capitol_Square02.jpg

a (very poor) rendering of what could be done to help congestion on the isthmus:

http://www.geocities.com/badfish301/capitolroundabout.JPG

The image below gives the general idea, but does not do justice to the increased ease of use of a much larger roundabout. To a commuter entering the capitol, the thoroughfair would not even seem to be the typical scary roundabout because of it's enormity.

http://www.snapsandbytes.co.uk/roundabout.jpg

Right now the only viable east/west corridors (which are uninterupted) in madison are the ever-congested gorham, johnson and some would argue williamson streets. It makes no sense to destroy the potential of washington as a through corridor by reducing it to a stoplight nightmare two blocks out from the capitol in both directions.

This would also create a show corridor if you will complimenting the already beautiful capitol.

[PigBoy]

A roundabout with increased traffic and no lights would make it considerably more difficult for pedestrians to reach the capitol and to get around there in general. I like that the square is currently a good pedestrian space more than a convergence point of automobile traffic, and I think facilitating traffic through there would make it a lot less attractive as the city's focal point.

[Jason]

as far as the capitol roundabout is concerned... it could work on the same general principle of european roundabouts, except it would obviously be larger than most, and would eliminate the need to reduce the number of lanes on wash around the capitol.

Currently, washington is constricted into two lanes on east wash, and west wash is also constricted to two. It takes nearly ten minutes to get five blocks. If you could drive up west wash and traffic wasn't constricted and all stoplights were eliminated around the square and replaced with yields this would become a commuter corridor. (not to mention a beautiful center for the city). The roads which currently consitute the square could be removed, demoted to service roads, or turned into a more pedestrian friendly spaces. Other feeder roads such as butler would also have increased ease of access.

the capitol loop as it is now:
image removed

a (very poor) rendering of what could be done to help congestion on the isthmus:

image removed

The image below gives the general idea, but does not do justice to the increased ease of use of a much larger roundabout. To a commuter entering the capitol, the thoroughfair would not even seem to be the typical scary roundabout because of it's enormity.

image removed

Right now the only viable east/west corridors (which are uninterupted) in madison are the ever-congested gorham, johnson and some would argue williamson streets. It makes no sense to destroy the potential of washington as a through corridor by reducing it to a stoplight nightmare two blocks out from the capitol in both directions.

This would also create a show corridor if you will complimenting the already beautiful capitol.

Thanks for the lesson, but I think we all already know what a roundabout is and the benefits they serve. I live within a mile of four of them. What I think you'll find is, not a lack of knowledge about roundabouts, but just a strong disagreement against the premise that the Capital SQUARE (that IS what it's called) needs one. It's just plain inapropriate.

this would become a commuter corridor. (not to mention a beautiful center for the city)

Why would we want the Square to become a commuter corridor? The Capital Loop and John Nolen Drive already server that function (inner-city) to a satsifying degree (Madison's traffic is not that bad) of getting "around" the Capital, and the interstate, and Beltline serve the function in a roundabout (pun not intended) way. And the Square already is beautiful, one of the nicest capital campuses in the nation. Why mess with what ain't broke?

The only focus in Madison on commuter improvement right now should be addressing the route along the north side of Lake Mendota.

I've been living and driving in Madison for a long time, the Capital Square is not a traffic obstacle. It's a welcome distraction and break FROM the traffic. What you are proposing is destruction of civic events centered around the Capital... Taste, Ironman, Marathon, Art Fair, Concerts, skiing, bike races, etc.

Also, in your proposed roundabout, you're removing a lot of parking from the Square. Not a healthy alternative for the retailers in the area.

[Badfish301]

Thanks for the lesson, but I think we all already know what a roundabout is and the benefits they serve. I live within a mile of four of them. What I think you'll find is, not a lack of knowledge about roundabouts, but just a strong disagreement against the premise that the Capital SQUARE (that IS what it's called) needs one. It's just plain inapropriate.



Why would we want the Square to become a commuter corridor? The Capital Loop and John Nolen Drive already server that function (inner-city) to a satsifying degree (Madison's traffic is not that bad) of getting "around" the Capital, and the interstate, and Beltline serve the function in a roundabout (pun not intended) way. And the Square already is beautiful, one of the nicest capital campuses in the nation. Why mess with what ain't broke?

The only focus in Madison on commuter improvement right now should be addressing the route along the north side of Lake Mendota.

I've been living and driving in Madison for a long time, the Capital Square is not a traffic obstacle. It's a welcome distraction and break FROM the traffic. What you are proposing is destruction of civic events centered around the Capital... Taste, Ironman, Marathon, Art Fair, Concerts, skiing, bike races, etc.

Also, in your proposed roundabout, you're removing a lot of parking from the Square. Not a healthy alternative for the retailers in the area.

I am not promoting turning downtown into the beltline here.. this would simply be streamlining the very ineffective manner in which traffic negotiates the 5 blocks of Washington through the capitol in an east west dynamic. Traffic going around this roundabout would travel at a considerably slower speed than say the average speed when cruising down gorham (non-rush hour). There would be crosswalks provided (and because there is considerable space between street entrances safety would be increased).

It was just a thought, I think if this project were attractively done it could be a beautiful civic space. If anything it would make events such as the farmers market even better. It wouldn't be a barren concrete jungle. If you will look at my render you notice open space is actually maximized while compromising little of the current capitol grounds. (while certain statues to Norwegians might have to be slightly moved).

I understand there would be pedestrian concerns, but these could be minimized by reducing the speed limit to something like 30 mph. While this would seem slow, it is a reasonable compromise, while reducing the potential five minutes of wasted time in five blocks (which makes people avoid the area.) Stop and go traffic is the worst kind, increasing pollution while drastically increasing commute times.

The design could take clues from what has worked in other cities here in the US and in Europe. trees and attractive lanterns could enhance the overall look.

I agree that john nolen drive currently does serve an important purpose in the southern isthmus, but traffic does get quite heavy. I have lived near that intersection (310 s. broom street) and have personally witnessed numberous accidents (my friends and I use to drink when there was a bender) also lived on the 700 block of gorham, and I an tell you from my experience that the streets become extremely congested for certain hours of the day. There are some periods where residents might literally have to wait 5 minutes to cross the street decreasing livability and quality of life.

If you've got a city with the unique geography of Madison you want to make sure you have multiple viable east/wests working to your benefit.

This would not serve as a the one-and-only, it would simply supplement the current options when traveling east/west.

Forgive my lack of reverence for

just out of curiosity, do any of the 4 roundabouts you live by have an enormous space the likes of the capitol in the center? do they attempt to slow traffic, or simply act as an attractive alternative to a 4 or 5 way stop (i suspect they do).

this is entirely a different bread of roundabout here.. it really is quite enormous. (changing the dynamic and effectiveness fundamentally). Generally, the larger a roundabout gets the more effective they are.

I just don't see this city Madison surviving at a livable level unless something is done to address the traffic flow, this is the only city in the U.S. built on an Isthmus, and traffic solutions have to be creative. A commuter nightmare around the capitol may have been acceptable when the town could afford to lose 5 bocks central isthmus, and we were at 100K but it is no longer an option. the deterioration of regent street may be partially linked to poor traffic flow central isthmus.

I understand this project will NEVER come to fruition, simply due to the nature of the city and our budget.

if you feel Madison's traffic is not that bad I don't think you are being honest to yourself, or you do most of your driving at night and not during rush hour. I think the majority of madisonians (particularly residents on the isthmus) would agree traffic is getting to saturation levels and we need to open up at least one new corridor to ease stress on our main east/west arteries.

As for commuter improvement along the north side of Lake Mendota. I don't know how this applies to a discussion on the traffic flow through the central isthmus.

[i_am_hydrogen]

I am not promoting turning downtown into the beltline here.. this would simply be streamlining the very ineffective manner in which traffic negotiates the 5 blocks of Washington through the capitol in an east west dynamic. Traffic going around this roundabout would travel at a considerably slower speed than say the average speed when cruising down gorham (non-rush hour). There would be crosswalks provided (and because there is considerable space between street entrances safety would be increased).

I never really thought of East Washington and West Washington as a continuous corridor. I think the two have very little to do with each other, aside from the fact that they share the same name. Most people who access East Washington from the other side of the Capitol Square don't use West Washington and vice versa. East Wash and West Wash serve different patterns and needs of traffic. Therefore, I'm not sure I see the need to provide them with a greater degree of connectivity, especially if it meant sacrificing the pedestrian-friendly nature of the Square.

[Badgers77]

Bad News: The Don Miller project might be off.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/local/index.php?ntid=73429

[Jason]

Bad News: The Don Miller project might be off.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/local/index.php?ntid=73429

That's a bit pessimistic to say, considering the following excerpt:

On Monday afternoon, Gorman met with Mayor Dave Cieslewicz; Ald. Brenda Konkel, 2nd District; and city planners, and the sides agreed to take one more stab at somehow bridging the public financing gap.

Gorman and Co. and city staff will pursue a solution until the city's financial committee, the Board of Estimates, meets Feb. 27.

"I feel a lot more confident that we're on the same page," Gorman and Co. project manager Chris Laurent said after Monday's meeting.

and...

The project, Konkel said, will pioneer a revitalization of the East Side and the city must explore all options to save it.

[Jason]

A very small piece of news, but significant to anyone who frequents either of the popular locations... Great Dane Pub is building a third location at Hilldale, near the soon-to-be Sundance theatre.

[milwaukeeunseen]

Mayor Dave and Brenda are just going to have to pull the trigger on Don Miller deal and kick in the extra $2M to make the project happen. In all honesty I'm surprised that it's taken them this long to reach this juncture. We're talking about $4 million dollars from the TIF, a relatively small sum compared to the millions this development would generate over the long run, the millions generated from development surrounding Central Park, which needs the Don Miller project to get off the ground.

It's not an exaggeration to say the development of the entire near East Side rides on the development of this Don Miller site. There is incredible development potential in the near East Side that is just not being tapped into right now. Mayor Dave just needs to fork over the two million bucks to make this happen. Sure, it's a risk, but the potential rewards for the city of Madison make the risk well, well worth it.

[Jason]

^ I agree 100%.

[Jason]

This isn't a significantly sized project, but anything that replaces an adult video store on a main road is a good project in my book. I don't have a problem with the store, but to be wide out in the open and visible like it is, is just obnoxious.

Development snag
Todd Drive project hung up on ownership issue
By Mike Ivey

A major redevelopment of a blighted Beltline interchange has hit a minor roadblock.

The city Plan Commission Monday night delayed action on plans for "Landmark Gate," a four-story, $20 million office and retail project at the intersection of Todd Drive and the highway frontage. The project is being headed by the Mortenson Investment Group.

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/tct/2006/02/21/24846.jpg

link:
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/index.php?ntid=73501&ntpid=0#:

[PigBoy]

I have a random question, so I'm just going to post it in this thread: When was John Nolen Drive built?

[Jason]

I have a random question, so I'm just going to post it in this thread: When was John Nolen Drive built?

It's slightly complicated... where it passes by the park, and where it goes down the waterfront under the Monona Terrace, has been there for a very, very long time, but by a different name, and disconnected (two separate roads). It was connected (crossing the water) sometime in the mid-to-late-'70s and renamed to John Nolen Drive. It used to be you had to go around the lake to get downtown or vice versa.

[PigBoy]

Thanks! I suppose it's mostly the shortcut over the water that I was wondering about, although the other parts are of interest, too.

[Jason]

Thanks! I suppose it's mostly the shortcut over the water that I was wondering about, although the other parts are of interest, too.

I figured that's why you asked. It makes for easy downtown access from the Beltline, but it sure is too bad they didn't think of a way to avoid going over the water.

[Ben]

This isn't a significantly sized project, but anything that replaces an adult video store on a main road is a good project in my book. I don't have a problem with the store, but to be wide out in the open and visible like it is, is just obnoxious.
Hm, I'll have to pay attention to where Selective moves too..

[Jason]

^ They've already opened a new location on Commercial Avenue. Enjoy!

[Ben]

^ They've already opened a new location on Commercial Avenue. Enjoy!
I just found this out the other day actually. There were some commercials revealing it's East Side location. And, I won't enjoy it as much as you want to joke about. :D

[Jason]

Damnit, having grown up on the east side, I was really looking forward to this one. Maybe more than anything. As badly as East Wash needs it, this is a tragedy in my mind...

East Side project appears to be dead
DEAN MOSIMAN dmosiman@madison.com
After two years of planning, a proposed $84 million, mixed- use project seen as a key to revitalizing the near East Side appears dead.

More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=74347&ntpid=3


So, it seems East Wash is going to sit as it is for at least another decade... an eyesore.

[yakob]

what neighborhood are you from?

[Jason]

All over...

Gowing up:
Elvehjem
Eastmorland
Lake Edge
Orchard Ridge
Meadowood
Sauk Creek

As an adult:
Ridgewood
Sun Prairie (city of)

[Jason]

Awesome Pac-Man reference:

Madison negotiates with neighbors, seeks room to grow
DEAN MOSIMAN
dmosiman@madison.com
After decades of gobbling land like a ravenous Pac-Man, Madison is facing the reality of running out of real estate.

More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=74668&ntpid=1

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/wsj/2006/03/01/25180.jpg

[Jason]

I don't agree with Brenda on a lot of things, but I'm jumping on the Konkel-bandwagon for this one. Go Brenda!

Konkel tries to revive Gorman deal
By Lee Sensenbrenner

Hoping to keep alive a development that would replace a car dealership on East Washington Avenue with an $84 million collection of retail and condominium buildings, Ald. Brenda Konkel is bringing the fight to the City Council.

More:
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=74768&ntpid=1

[yakob]

i really hope this thing gets build, the east side really could use some more redevelopment

[Badgers77]

The East side NEEDS a catalyst

[Jason]

I guess I'm cool with the Council more or less soliciting for proposals. I just hope they don't spend too much money on the various "studies".



Triangle planning: Study targets south side's Wingra Creek area
By Mike Ivey

Everything is in place for a redevelopment of the vacant Bancroft Dairy - except a private developer and some public money to help make it happen.

More:
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/index.php?ntid=74772&ntpid=1

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/tct/2006/03/02/25210.jpg

[Jason]

We've had a lot of new proposals lately that I think are basically paving the way for acceptance of some taller projects.

A Fieldhouse view: Monroe-Regent plan offers condos, offices, retail
By Mike Ivey and Lynn Welch

Bob Sieger knows he's fighting an uphill battle in getting approval for a six-story condominium and sports bar development at the busy corner of Monroe and Regent streets.

More:
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/index.php?ntid=75693&ntpid=0#

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/tct/2006/03/09/25453.jpg

[honest86]

Wow, Exciting, I have always liked the wedge shaped buildings in downtown madison, I hope something substantial gets built there.

[Badgers77]

The Grainger Expansion for those interested:

http://www.bus.wisc.edu/update/december04/images/newaddition.jpg

[Jason]

More potential E. Wash Corridor type stuff...

E. Mifflin condos eyed
DEAN MOSIMAN dmosiman@madison.com, 608-252-6141
Developers are again eyeing Madison's near East Side.

Great Dane Development is proposing an 80-unit condo project on the 600 block of East Mifflin Street, a half-block off East Washington Avenue.

More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=76618&ntpid=1

[Jason]

Someone very close to me was murdered here almost 20 years ago...

Development proposed in former notorious neighborhood
DEAN MOSIMAN dmosiman@madison.com
It's the crowning jewel in a remarkable turnaround of what was Madison's most notorious neighborhood.

Developer Scott Norton is proposing a $15 million mixed- use project - including a two- story brew pub restaurant, bank and 50 upscale condos - on the biggest vacant lot on Lake Point Drive on the South Side.

more:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=77650&ntpid=1

[Jason]

I failed to post this last week. It's significant news. The 10-story tower is now out of the plan...


New Gorman plan unveiled for East Wash
DEAN MOSIMAN and RON SEELY dmosiman@madison.com
Developer Gary Gorman has downsized and made significant changes to save a major development project on the 800 block of East Washington Avenue.

Gorman, who initially proposed an $84 million development, has eliminated a 10-story condo tower and added more townhouses in a $58 million project that would need less public assistance.

More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=77705

[Badfish301]

check out the rendering for the new biotech center
http://www.news.wisc.edu/newsphotos/images/WID-updated-small.jpg
<p>
http://www.news.wisc.edu/packages/wid/images/WID-interior.jpg

[Jason]

Seen the one on top before. Never saw the bottom one until I watched the news tonight.

[Badgers77]

Yeah, a nice couple donated 50 million for it. Just what I wanted to hear. The bottom one is awesome. Very nice and futuristic. I notice the top picture has the new Union South and some other new buildings from the Campus Master Plan in it. I e-mailed the UW Building guy and he said all of those were just generically filled in with the glassy-building and were not even tentative.

[Jason]

Speaking of the new Union buildings. Saw this on the news the other night...

http://www.union.wisc.edu/fip/images/us3.jpg

[Badgers77]

If you go to the Union page, where it shows all the proposals for the Mem Union Renovation as well as Union South, you'll see a lot more pictures than just that.

[Jason]

Happy 150th Madtown...


Happy birthday to a bold vision
A Wisconsin State Journal editorial
James Doty looked at a mosquito-infested marsh and saw a capital city.

More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/opinion/index.php?ntid=79485&ntpid=1


Also see: http://madison150.org/

[Badgers77]

Wooooo! We are the champions!

[historybuffer]

I heard on the radio that Madison is the first capitol city in the nation to have a biodiesel only gas station: Prairie Fire biodiesel
They said it's right on the way to the capitol building.

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

i was thinking, has anyone ever proposed a road accross the lakes? i understand the contreversy it would propose...but it would help the city alot in terms of transportation

[i_am_hydrogen]

i was thinking, has anyone ever proposed a road accross the lakes? i understand the contreversy it would propose...but it would help the city alot in terms of transportation

That isn't a good idea. I can't imagine sitting at Memorial Union on a nice summer day looking out at a lake perverted by a highway crossing over it. And it simply isn't necessary. One can go from the isthmus to the opposite side of Lake Mendota in an amount of time that is not prohibitively long.

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

That isn't a good idea. I can't imagine sitting at Memorial Union on a nice summer day looking out at a lake perverted by a highway crossing over it. And it simply isn't necessary. One can go from the isthmus to the opposite side of Lake Mendota in an amount of time that is not prohibitively long.

yeah, i was down there in person today...it looks way different on a map then what it actually shows....i have a load of pics to post soon

[Jason]

John Nolen Drive goes over part of Lake Monona. Outside of being necessary and having great views on the drive in, it is an eyesore.

[Badgers77]

John Nolen isn't that bad, it's just goes through a small corner.

[milwaukeeunseen]

I could picture a ferry service across the lakes if the congestion getting into the Isthmus ever got really bad.

But bridges across the lakes would be, in a word, horrible.

[Jason]

Traffic isn't that bad anyway.

[Badgers77]

Damn, Jason. You only havae 354 posts. You seem like you post so much more.

Here is a picture of what Monroe Commons will look like:

http://www.monroecommons.com/images/layout/home-main.jpg

[Jason]

Monroe Commons is such a huge boost for that neighborhood. That store was abandoned for so long it felt like a gaping wound in middle of a very dense, very high traffic area.

I don't post much outside of Madison threads. Maybe that's why. I have been here a long time though. I had a lot more posts years back before we got reset.

[ReddAlert]

how about U-dub in Playboy!?

[Jason]

So yet another publication/source has noted UW-Madison as a party school (woop-dee-doo). I'm not sure if it carries even an ounce of value. This when Madison was just starting to form an identity independent of the University. They'll never escape it, I'm afraid.

Note to Mifflin Street block partiers... Why? 200 arrests/citations by the 6 o'clock news. What's the point of the party anymore?

I'm showing my age, ain't I?

[Badgers77]

Some renders of the IDR complex going up by the hospital. That are is TOTALLY changing... I'm glad too cause it was pretty ugly. I hope the med school goes up in ranking, too.

http://www.boldt.com/web_photos/05286AAM.jpg

http://www.boldt.com/web_photos/05285AAA.jpg

[Jason]

My wife works at the med school. Ignore the rankings, UW's med school and hospital are very fine insitutions. Among the very best.

[Badgers77]

Rankings are mostly bogus, like if you look at some of the higher ranked institutions, they have lower average MCAT scores of the accepted people... and other things. Our Primary Care is ranked like 6th though.

Medical College of Wisconsin is also very good, has a lot of more out of state and international kids though, because their "freshman class" is almost 300 compared to abotu 150 at UW.

[EastSider]

My mom used to be in HR for the University Hospital, she recently left though. The hospital was recently ranked in the top-25 nationally by the Verispan ranking (big deal in the industry); It's also consistently ranked at the top of most nationally ratings.

My point is that UW Hospital is def. a prestigious institution. If I have a serious health related issue in the future, I'll be heading back to Madison to get treated.

[i_am_hydrogen]

The UW Hospital is excellent. I used to work for the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, which was consistently ranked as one of the ten best ophthalmology departments in the country. Many of the doctors are leaders in their respective specializations.

[Jason]

Saw it on the news last night: Madison may get in indoor marketplace. 3-4 years out. I would hope somewhere on the near east side on or close to E. Wash. May directly compete with Farmer's Market though.

[MilwaukeeMark]

Saw it on the news last night: Madison may get in indoor marketplace. 3-4 years out. I would hope somewhere on the near east side on or close to E. Wash. May directly compete with Farmer's Market though.

Competition isn't necessarily a bad thing. If anything, I think that the new Milwaukee Public Market sill serve as a boost for other farmer's markets in the city. I'd imagine it'll do the same for Madison.

[EastSider]

Random question: Does anyone know anything about construction updates at the Madison Zoo (specifically the Children's Zoo and Arctic Exhibit?)

[Jason]

Random question: Does anyone know anything about construction updates at the Madison Zoo (specifically the Children's Zoo and Arctic Exhibit?)

I was just there. The carousel is done (side note: what's all the fuss about a simple carousel for?), the North American Prairie looks almost done, and nothing else with the children's section look even remotely close to completion.

Every time I go I'm reminded that while it's a great free zoo, it's free, and there isn't much to see.

[Badgers77]

I think the Madison zoo is awesome; a very good zoo. There are all the major animals (Giraffes, Rhinos, Hippos, Zebras, etc). Very great zoo for a city with 250,000 people... I've never been unimpressed.

[Jason]

There are no hippos at Vilas.

[EastSider]

I was just there. The carousel is done (side note: what's all the fuss about a simple carousel for?), the North American Prairie looks almost done, and nothing else with the children's section look even remotely close to completion.

Every time I go I'm reminded that while it's a great free zoo, it's free, and there isn't much to see.

Thanks for the update. Visiting the Zoo, and grilling out at Vilas is one of my favorite things to do in Madison. Totally underrated Zoo, I was dissapointed by Milwaukee County's when I first moved here because of it. Can't wait to check it out when the construction is complete.

[Jason]

I think this is the first University Square drawing I've seen:

http://ifs1.imagefly.info/i/be/university_square.jpg

Which, by the way, has been approved:
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/index.php?ntid=84199&ntpid=0

[Badgers77]

I was just about to post that. There were two others, that actually looked a lot better than that. That is a pretty "cheap" rendering though- and prpobably doesn't show what the building will look like very well. It looks pretty hideous there, but we'll see...

[MilwaukeeMark]

I was just about to post that. There were two others, that actually looked a lot better than that. That is a pretty "cheap" rendering though- and prpobably doesn't show what the building will look like very well. It looks pretty hideous there, but we'll see...

Badgers, you should post the other two renderings you saw if you have them... I'd be interested in seeing them as I'm sure others would as well.

And on another note, zoos are really nothing to be excited about. Sure, they claim to educate people and protect/preserve species, but do they really do either? It's not like the tiny signs on the animals' tiny habitats do little more than provide two paragraphs about what the animals' names are and where they came from. Most animals housed in zoos aren't endangered at all - wolves, mongooses, peacocks, etc - so protection and preservation really has nothing to do with it. The ones that actually are in trouble of becoming extinct/endangered don't exactly live normal, healthy lives in a zoo.

Zoos serve little more purpose than to entertain human visitors. How many times have you seen little kids taunting the animals to try to get them to "do something?" Animals housed in these small exhibits are completely out of their element and usually develop some sort of psychological problem(s) because of the conditions in which they live. That lion pacing back and forth? Not normal. And trust me, pacing is hardly the worst psychological trauma these animals encounter.

But anyway... sorry for the rant. I just don't get excited over zoos. They're a persistent relic of days past that we should have abandoned years ago.

[Jason]

I tend to agree with Mark. I go to the zoo because it's entertaining for my kid.

I kind of wonder, and don't suppose it would be a ton of effort to Google, what the life expectency of certain species is in a zoo. Probably not as good as one might imagine, due to the psychological stresses (as point out by Mark).

[Badgers77]

From 2004/early 2005 and, in my opinion, MUCH better looking:

http://www.news.wisc.edu/news/images/sketch1.jpg
http://www.news.wisc.edu/news/images/sketch4.jpg

[Jason]

edit: badgers77 beat me to reposting those old drawings

[MilwaukeeMark]

I completely agree that the other two renderings are a lot better. The "first" rendering on this page almost looks like they cut the building in half just to save time on getting the drawing done.

And on another one of my side notes, doesn't it look somewhat like this casino on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina?

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/2096/universitysquarecherokeecasino.jpg

[MilwaukeeMark]

Alright fine... after I posted that I realize that they don't look much alike at all. Haha.

[Badgers77]

That second picture actually isn't that bad at all, but it seems to contradict the first one.

[i_am_hydrogen]

I'm really disappointed with the design. It doesn't fit in at all with that area. I'll actually be in Madison right around the date construction starts, so I'm definitely heading over there to take a look around.

[Jason]

All you'll see is demolition. The old U. Square isn't even torn down yet.

[i_am_hydrogen]

I was in Madison on Saturday for the first time in four years. I had very little time to take any photos. So I snapped off what I could. Here are a few. The compositions are largely careless and the quality isn't terrific, either. I wish I had more time.

http://img77.imageshack.us/img77/5213/farmmktppl4me.jpg (http://imageshack.us)


http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/951/capearly1gv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4242/memoriallibrary9gi.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/1934/farmmktppl26vk.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4492/humanitiesbldg0am.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/8404/capitolreflected9ev.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/4618/skateordie7mg.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/2204/sciencehall7nd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

This place was like an institution to me when I was in college.
http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/2684/dennote1qw.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/720/jamaica0rd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img158.imageshack.us/img158/4319/capitolfiltered6dv.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Jason]

I kind of know the owner of The Den, Tim Main. He had been hinting that his business wasn't going to last in the small-business-unfriendly confines of Madison. It's been a long time since I've spoken with him, I guess things didn't get any better for him.

[Badfish301]

I completely agree that the other two renderings are a lot better. The "first" rendering on this page almost looks like they cut the building in half just to save time on getting the drawing done.

And on another one of my side notes, doesn't it look somewhat like this casino on the Cherokee Indian Reservation in North Carolina?

http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/2096/universitysquarecherokeecasino.jpg

NO!!! they didn't switch them, tell me they didn't do that.. those second renders are total CRAP! The original renders were a million times better than this shit!

I seriously cannot believe they would do that, VERY BAD DECISION I think I'm going to write a letter or something, because they ruined a good thing, this looks like a cheap hotel built in Reno :bash:

P.S. nice shots of madison, it kind of gives you an idea of how many street performers/beggers there are. It would be nice if they could re-locate the crackheads away from state-street because it's really hard to eat at the outdoor patios.

Honestly, I would say that every time I have eaten outdoors I have been asked for money.. A week ago at Ians on state this obviously cracked out guy was knocking over store sandwich boards and yelling at people who didn't give him money (but this happens quite often and people just seem to ignore it).

I don't want to say the police in this city don't really give a crap, but they appear unable or innefective at controling the crazy drug/crime problems this city has. When my apartment was robbed last year there was a trail of video evidence and credit card transactions at convenience stores where thieves stole both my and my girfriend's wallet, contact soluction and contacts, cell phones, and more than a thousand dollars from me and then spent nearly 800 dollars at very PDQs on south park street and elswhere. (The transaction time tells you exactly when to view the in-store surveillance cameras but I guess it would have been too much work for the MPD to drive to South Park and watch it).

This town is going to become progressively more ghetto and crime ridden if the police don't start doing a better job.

On another note, east wash is looking very nice, the central pedestrian island makes it a lot easier to get to and from the north and south sides. 33 East main is also looking very stylish!

http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2005/08/389842.jpg

It looks even better than the render.

[Jason]

Crime in Madison has gotten worse, but it is still relatively crime-free city. Calling it a "crazy problem" is a sky-is-falling knee-jerk reaction.

[Puant]

33 East main is also looking very stylish!

http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2005/08/389842.jpg

It looks even better than the render.

Is this sweet glass building in this render located at 33 East Main? I really really like it. What type of use is it? Looks commercial but I suppose it could be condo?

If you'd just give me the damn money when I beg for it, I wouldn't have to start yelling and putting up a fuss, dammit! When I don't get my crack, I get really really pissed off!! JK
Seriously,
I haven't been to downtown Madison in a while. About 10 years ago, I used to live next to James Madison Park on East Gilman, that was a fun place to be. Anything new I shouldn't miss if I venture downtown sometime soon? I know I'll be looking at this glass building if I can find it.

[atrain5371]

Here's two pictures I took on Memorial Day Weekend that include that building

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/5231/square25iv.th.jpg (http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=square25iv.jpg)

http://img216.imageshack.us/img216/2122/square39js.th.jpg (http://img216.imageshack.us/my.php?image=square39js.jpg)

[milwaukeeunseen]

Crime in Madison has gotten worse, but it is still relatively crime-free city. Calling it a "crazy problem" is a sky-is-falling knee-jerk reaction.

I always found it humorous when I lived in Madison how people would leave their doors unlocked, and then when someone would get burglarized (through an unlocked door) people would be afraid for a few weeks, but sure enough the doors would go unlocked and then six months later another burglar would just waltz into someone's living room at 2 am and the cycle would start anew.


One time I overheard the following conversation:

College kid 1: "Dude, did you hear about [so-and-so] getting robbed? They came in his apartment in the middle of the night and took all of his stereo equipment. That's crazy."

College kid 2: "Yeah, I know. That's totally crazy."

College kid 1: "Man, who would have thought? So crazy. (shrugs) What're you gonna do?"

College kid 2: "Lock your doors?"

[Jason]

I don't get it (or them), I've never gone a night without having all of my doors locked. I've even got an alarm system.

[milwaukeeunseen]

A lot of the kids who go to school in Madison are from small towns and rural areas, and they've literally never locked their front door or their car doors in their lives. Now, if they came to school in Milwaukee they'd probably be really on guard, because they've been ingrained with the notion of Milwaukee = scary. But Madison is a different story, it just doesn't have the same fear factor that Milwaukee does, for obvious reasons. So some kids take Madison's reputation for safety to ridiculous extremes, never locking their doors and taking basically no precautions when walking the streets. At least that's how it was in the nineties when I was a student there, maybe things have changed.

[Badgers77]

Two weeks ago, some Illinois kid was just walking out of Qdoba and a scraggly guy punched him. The guy cracked his skull when he hit the ground, and is probably going to die.

It is becoming a very serious problem in downtown Madison, in my opinion.

[atrain5371]

I still think living in fear of crime putting the level on crime the same as other cities even the same size is a little bit of overreacting. I still don't think twice about walking by myself downtown and I commute by bike to work and go right through the Allied Drive neighborhood.

Although this crime problem does seem to be getting worse

[Jason]

90% or more of these muggings/beatings taking place downtown are happening at or around bar time, and it's happening to people alone, or in very small groups, and the victims are almost always intoxicated. Hang out until bar time, get blasted, walk home alone. Stupid move in any city, Madison or not.

Subtract this current trend and Madison is a low-crime town. Nothing "serious" is happening here. I can walk down any street in Madison during daylight and not fear for my life. Such is not the case in many places.

[milwaukeeunseen]

In Madison when crime trends happen the cops can focus their efforts and essentially solve the problem. Usually these outbursts of violence are the product of a small group of people who can eventually be rounded up by the cops.

In Milwaukee it's completely different. There seems to be no end to the supply of criminals. The cops arrest three guys and then there's five more moving in to take their place. You can break down the statistics any which way you want, but the uncomfortable reality is that the criminals outnumber the cops in Milwaukee and most other big cities.

[milwaukeeunseen]

I still think living in fear of crime ... is a little bit of overreacting.

You can't live in fear. In my city we had 28 shootings over the three day Memorial weekend; four people died. In the summer months it's routine to hear gunshots in the distance when the windows are open. Someone was shot in the butt a block away from my house a few months ago. It was the first nice Saturday of the spring, there were kids out everywhere on bikes, people hanging out on their front stoops at 4:30 in the afternoon. I was sitting in my living room doing email and I heard five shots. A minute later I heard the sirens.

My neighbor drives a city bus and he was attacked by some kid on his bus, hit on the side of the face with a bottle or something. He's had to have two surgeries and has double vision out of his left eye.

You have to use common sense and caution, but you can't let the fear of crime run your life. After the shooting my neighborhood I still went out and walked the dog like I always have. We've gotten to know a few more neighbors after the incident, and we say "hi" to neighbors a lot more often now. We had a community meeting in response to the crime wave and 300 people showed up, enough to get the Mayor to come with one day's notice. We sent a message to the criminal element, and most importantly, to each other: that we will not live in fear.

My neighbor is eager to get back to work, to get back on the bus and hit the streets. He loves his job because even though he deals with a lot of ignorant, obnoxious behavior and the occasional criminal, the vast majority of his passengers are decent, nice people just trying to get to work.

My work and everyday life takes me to all corners of the city, including some of the worst neighborhoods in town. I stay aware of my surroundings and go about my business and avoid certain situations that seem sketchy. But I'm not going to let the possibility of crime keep me from doing my business. I try to focus on the fact that vast majority of people in any neighborhood in any city are just like me, just going about their business.

[Jman]

http://www.cityofmadison.com/wsc/pdpress.wsc/pdpressrelease

[Jason]

For Capitol West, a hiatus

MARV BALOUSEK mbalousek@madison.com

Construction of the $110 million Capitol West development in the 300 block of West Washington Avenue has stopped, but only temporarily, according to the developer.

Natalie Bock, project manager with the Alexander Co., said rising construction costs weren't responsible for the delay, but Ald. Mike Verveer, 4th District, said Alexander Co. officials have told him the added costs from contractor J.H. Findorff & Son are serious enough that they may cause a redesign of the project.

...

Planned in three phases, Capitol West eventually is expected to have 400 condominiums, 20,000 square feet of retail space and up to 100,000 square feet of office space. The gutted former hospital building will be redeveloped into a 10-story condominium tower.

...



More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/business/index.php?ntid=88858

[Jason]

A myriad of items this morning:

Developer tries again: 350 condos, larger Whole Foods
By Mike Ivey

The owners of the Hilldale Shopping Center are back with a new proposal for a larger Whole Foods Market that would include a parking ramp, more commercial space and some 350 condominium units in three midrise buildings along University Avenue.

More:
http://www.madison.com/tct/news/index.php?ntid=89177

North Side development plan concerns neighbors
LISA SCHUETZ lschuetz@madison.com
A proposal to build 800 housing units on the edge of Dane County's largest marsh has some residents questioning whether officials know enough about the development's potential impact on flooding, runoff, groundwater and other waterways.

More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=89250

Property law isn't enemy of growth
A Wisconsin State Journal editorial.
Madison didn't lose a $22 million development because of Wisconsin's stricter law limiting government condemnation of private property.

Madison lost the Landmark Gate project because the developer didn't or couldn't offer a price for certain properties that the owners would accept.

More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/opinion/index.php?ntid=89209

East Side Club weathers changes
MARV BALOUSEK mbalousek@madison.com
Through the expansive windows of the East Side Club is a view dazzling enough to be a mural of Lake Monona, the Capitol and the Madison Downtown skyline.

More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/business/index.php?ntid=89230

^I could think of so many really cool developments that could really be useful on that spot.

[milwaukeeunseen]

The article about Captol west indicates that only 59 of the 160 condo units have been sold. The article about the Hilldale development indicates that the new Weston Place condo building has only 1/3 of units sold.

It was always my understanding that the rule of thumb for financing condo projects was that to secure financing, the developer has to have at least 50% of the units pre-sold. That's how it has worked in Milwaukee for condo projects for as long as I've been paying attention to them. The U Club tower in Milwaukee, under construction, is at least 75% sold.

Does it work differently in Madison? If so, why? Or, have the developers reserved the units without actually selling them? If that's the case, there seems to be a rather high number of reservations not turning into actual sales. I would imagine that would give the lending community some pause when considering condo projects.

[Badgers77]

59 of 160 is pretty good considering it's not even close to completion. About Weston place; I'm not too sure.... it's not really downtown so I could see why sales had trouble

[i_am_hydrogen]

What exactly was torn down to make way for Capitol West?

[Jason]

59 of 160 is pretty good considering it's not even close to completion. About Weston place; I'm not too sure.... it's not really downtown so I could see why sales had trouble

Hill Farms is a very popular, and fairly dense neigborhood. I think not being downtown has nothing to do with the place not selling out. It's just an upscale place in a small city targeting a small market. I don't think you'll find a different success rate at similar developments all around town.

[Jason]

What exactly was torn down to make way for Capitol West?

An old hospital and some houses.

[Badgers77]

Interesting article about Wisconsin possibly becoming a major player in the Video Game world...

http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=3133

[i_am_hydrogen]

Interesting article about Wisconsin possibly becoming a major player in the Video Game world...

http://wistechnology.com/article.php?id=3133

Encouraging yet strange news.

[Badgers77]

I e-mailed Exec Management Co and they said there have been adjustements to Univ Square and new renderings should be up in about a month

[i_am_hydrogen]

I e-mailed Exec Management Co and they said there have been adjustements to Univ Square and new renderings should be up in about a month

Interesting. I wonder what "adjustments" means precisely. Hopefully it means that they tabled the entire design and came up with something new, though I doubt it.

[atrain5371]

There was an interesting article about the Midvale Plaza Project and the communities feelings in the Wisconsin State Journal but unfortunetly I couldn't find a link for it.

[Jason]

There was an interesting article about the Midvale Plaza Project and the communities feelings in the Wisconsin State Journal but unfortunetly I couldn't find a link for it.


http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/wsj/2006/07/02/0607010628.php

[Jason]

FYI: Demolition for Capital West is progressing. Last night was the first time I've been on that side of the square in a while.

[John K]

Alright, new Madisonian here. Hopefully I can contribute usefully.

Even though I am sick of all the hubub about this project, I will post this anyway. I just don't see what is wrong with the Midvale Plaza Redevelopment...

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=91304

I personally think that the area needs some redevelopment. It is starting to look tired. Why is it that Madison tries so hard to be "progressive" about everything BUT community growth and expansion??

[Jason]

It's a geriatric neighborhood. Old folks are less likely to want to change than younger folks. It's a fairly insignificant 4-story building, yet it draws strong objection and strong attention because of it.

[Jason]

A lot of people believe Madison is purely state gov't and University driven, and rightly so, but times are changing as the state gov't with its cutbacks are providing less jobs than before:

U.S. Department of Labor statistics show that during the past five years the number of state government employees - not including university or health-care workers - in Dane County has shrunk and now includes fewer people than even manufacturing, which provides about 9 percent of the jobs in the county.

Traditional state government employees who work in Madison offices performing functions ranging from collecting taxes to licensing cars - accounted for about 17,083 jobs in 2000 in Dane County or 6.2 percent of the work force. By 2005, more than 1,500 of them were gone, and the total dropped to 15,498, representing 5.2 percent.

http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=91256

[Badgers77]

Was anyone elses internet down all day today

[John K]

Was anyone elses internet down all day today

Haha, yes actually it was. Stupid Charter. This seems to happen way too often.

A couple months ago, everyone in our neighborhood lost their cable for nearly 3 weeks. Charter wouldn't even tell anyone why. They did however drop the charges for the three weeks. :|

[Jason]

Their digital cable service is shitty too. ESPN rarely comes in and some of my movie channels never do. Although I receive different results on different TVs (I have several digital boxes in the house). They've replace my box and offered no other possible explanations.

[atrain5371]

My charter internet didn't go down yesturday but I agree that it does go down a lot more than it should.

[Badgers77]

I hate Carter. And then I call and after waiting for 15 minutes I always get routed to the Damn Northeast station. My net goes down quite a bit, too.

[Badfish301]

It would be awesome if we could be talking aout the construction of archipelago village right now.

too bad this city has no balls when it comes to amazing projects. It would have been so sweet to see that thing rising in the middle of the isthmu.. but what can you do..

[Badgers77]

It really would have been sweet to watch it get built but who really knows... that building was ****ing huge, and Brink wanted the city to pay for tens of millions of it.

[Jason]

It was a friggin' pipe dream project (meant to call out officials on policies). I don't agree with some of the goofy-ass shit our council and commitees come up with either, but that Brink clown does not have the bankroll or the friends with the bankroll to make that project happen (even if it was approvable). It wouldn't actually have been built. It was a political statement.

Oh wait, I think I've said that before. Does anybody listen?

I mean, seriously... the biggest thing he's done in the last couple of years was renovate a basement and turn it into a bar.

[nic158]

I think it would have looked kind of bad. It just didn't seem like madison's style; not modern architecture.

Isn't there a law too that stops developments from being taller than the capital? Or did I just make that up?

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

I think it would have looked kind of bad. It just didn't seem like madison's style; not modern architecture.

Isn't there a law too that stops developments from being taller than the capital? Or did I just make that up?

yeah there are height restrictions from what i have heard. The capital stands out beautifully from a distance...especially at night...you ought to see it driving on 90-94 southbound looking west at night...its a beaut.

[MJinOshkosh]

I know of a State Law prohibiting any building being taller than the capitol building within 1 mile or the isthmith in the city of Madison. Outside of that 1 mile restriction I don't know of any height restrictions other than those getting closer to the Madison Airport.

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

I know of a State Law prohibiting any building being taller than the capitol building within 1 mile or the isthmith in the city of Madison. Outside of that 1 mile restriction I don't know of any height restrictions other than those getting closer to the Madison Airport.

I almost wish madison can create a second skyline outside of the isthmus...maybe it does not have to be downtown, it can just be a bunch of high-rises

[milwaukeeunseen]

I almost wish madison can create a second skyline outside of the isthmus...maybe it does not have to be downtown, it can just be a bunch of high-rises

I think Middleton just to the west of the Beltline is already the de facto "second Downtown" of Madison.

[John K]

I think Middleton just to the west of the Beltline is already the de facto "second Downtown" of Madison.

True. It definately has the buildings. It's too much like a typical business park though. It would be cool if it had more of a downtown FEEL to it (wishful thinking). It's too bad they have that Greenway Station retail BS out there. I hate that area.

[Jason]

I disagree, Madison's "2nd downtown" and skyline is in Hill Farms. That Middleton area is a scattered, sprawling mess.

[John K]

I disagree, Madison's "2nd downtown" and skyline is in Hill Farms. That Middleton area is a scattered, sprawling mess.

There's no doubt that it is a sprawling mess. Why do you consider Hill Farms Madison's "2nd Downtown"? That's the Hilldale area, right? Isn't it mostly residential with some limited retail? Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong area...

[MJinOshkosh]

I almost wish madison can create a second skyline outside of the isthmus...maybe it does not have to be downtown, it can just be a bunch of high-rises

I don't know why Madison doesn't look at capitol cities like Des Moines,IA ?Where the state capitol building isn't built right downtown but off to the side of the centeral business district by a mile or two. I agree that multiple highrises around the state capitol would ruin what makes Madison such a unique capitol city and make Madison like every other big city capitol. I would have to think that there are some place's within the city limit that could allow some highrises within the city that wouldn't interfer with the view and estethic of the capitol itself.

[Jason]

There's no doubt that it is a sprawling mess. Why do you consider Hill Farms Madison's "2nd Downtown"? That's the Hilldale area, right? Isn't it mostly residential with some limited retail? Maybe I'm thinking of the wrong area...

Hill Farms (yes, where Hilldale is) is very densely populated with an eclectic collection of features that you can walk to, and there are several mid-to-high-rises in the area. The retail is far from limited. Between Hilldale and the massive retail sector along University Avenue, it's one of the most complete selections of shopping that is navigable by foot in the entire city limits. Hell, there are 3 full-sized grocery stores within a mile of eachother, and Whole Foods is trying to move down the street into a larger facility. Pyare Square, Weston Place, the Hills Farms DOT building and a handful of 6-8-floor apartment buildings in this older neighborhood make this a clear 2nd downtown, in my opinion. I don't think there is anywhere else in the city off of the isthmus with the street vibrance as here.

Edit: Oh, and from where I sit (in my office) on top of a tall hill on the far east side of Madison, I can see the entire city from here, including the Lake Monona skyline, and the only section of the city off of the Isthmus that sticks out as being developed upwards, is the Univ. Ave. / Hill Farms area. I can actually see it from here, including Pyare Square and Weston Place (with binocs).

I hope this someday changes and the near east side along E. Wash grows up significantly.

[John K]

Interesting, that's the one part of the city that I don't venture towards very often. For some reason, when I am downtown I never go further west than University hospital. Living on the Northeast side of Madison, I use Hwy M, the beltline, and E Wash to get downtown or to the west side. I might have to visit it soon to check out the area.

Admittedly, I am not very familiar with the Hill Farms area. But when I think of a downtown, I think of a city's hub. A mix of office buildings, residences, entertainment, retail, culture, etc, etc, etc. To me, Hill Farms seems more like the ideal neighborhood rather than a "downtown".

[milwaukeeunseen]

I have family in Middleton so I go down Unversity Avenue at least once every two or three months. I don't think I have ever seen a soul walking down the street in the area around Midvale and University. Maybe things will change with the Hilldale rededvelopment, but quite honestly to me the Hill Farms area is classic auto dependent edge city ... not as chaotic and spread out as west Middleton, but the car is king in this area.

To me the only part of Madison that can hold a candle to the isthmus/Cap Square area in terms of pedestrian-friendliness is the Atwood area on the east side. The bulk of the west side past the UW hospital is comprised of ranch houses on suburban density lots, auto dependent malls and wide suburban throroughfares.

[scraperboy]

Hill Farms (yes, where Hilldale is) is very densely populated with an eclectic collection of features that you can walk to, and there are several mid-to-high-rises in the area. The retail is far from limited. Between Hilldale and the massive retail sector along University Avenue, it's one of the most complete selections of shopping that is navigable by foot in the entire city limits. Hell, there are 3 full-sized grocery stores within a mile of eachother, and Whole Foods is trying to move down the street into a larger facility. Pyare Square, Weston Place, the Hills Farms DOT building and a handful of 6-8-floor apartment buildings in this older neighborhood make this a clear 2nd downtown, in my opinion. I don't think there is anywhere else in the city off of the isthmus with the street vibrance as here.

Edit: Oh, and from where I sit (in my office) on top of a tall hill on the far east side of Madison, I can see the entire city from here, including the Lake Monona skyline, and the only section of the city off of the Isthmus that sticks out as being developed upwards, is the Univ. Ave. / Hill Farms area. I can actually see it from here, including Pyare Square and Weston Place (with binocs).

I hope this someday changes and the near east side along E. Wash grows up significantly.

HUH? Is this the same Madison I visited? Madison is growing nice but is still just a college town.

Anyways, I met a friend who moved here to Louisville from Madison and is just always bashing on Louisville, calling it small, conservative, etc. I was like, am I missing something, or are Madison people just that boosterish?

So, I looked up the stats and saw that Louisville is 3 times the size as Madison.

So I get on here and you are making it sounds like Madison has multible urban districts outside downtown? I'm sorry, but I just don't think so.

[Badgers77]

It does. And Louisville sucks and recently inflated its population by extending its city boundaries. Louisville is bigger, though. But there are a lot more reasons to bash it, mainly because it's populous.

[LouisvilleGuy05]

It does. And Louisville sucks and recently inflated its population by extending its city boundaries. Louisville is bigger, though. But there are a lot more reasons to bash it, mainly because it's populous.

:ohno: :ohno: :ohno: how mature, bashing a city because you dont like what a forumer from that city said.

[Badgers77]

It's Louisville.

[Jason]

I have family in Middleton so I go down Unversity Avenue at least once every two or three months. I don't think I have ever seen a soul walking down the street in the area around Midvale and University. Maybe things will change with the Hilldale rededvelopment, but quite honestly to me the Hill Farms area is classic auto dependent edge city ... not as chaotic and spread out as west Middleton, but the car is king in this area.

To me the only part of Madison that can hold a candle to the isthmus/Cap Square area in terms of pedestrian-friendliness is the Atwood area on the east side. The bulk of the west side past the UW hospital is comprised of ranch houses on suburban density lots, auto dependent malls and wide suburban throroughfares.

True, I hadn't thought about Atwood, and I grew up fairly near it. There is street life in the area, and it is kind of urban and dense, just not tall in a traditional downtown-with-highrises sense.

There is a lot more to the Hilldale area than ranch-style homes. There is some pretty dense development (old & new) in the area, but your're right that it's still pretty car-centric. However, I drive through there once a week or so, and see people walking around all the time.

Townhouses at Hilldale:
http://www.starkprojects.com/ktml2/images/uploads/hilldale/HilldaleHomePg.jpg

Large apartment buildings behind the mall (before and after mall infill):
http://www.josephfreed.com/retail_images/1136484760_21.jpg

Weston Place:
http://www.westonplace.us/images/sidebar_photo_02.gif

Pyare Square:
http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/sixwm/2004/03/251540.jpg

[Jason]

HUH? Is this the same Madison I visited? Madison is growing nice but is still just a college town.

Anyways, I met a friend who moved here to Louisville from Madison and is just always bashing on Louisville, calling it small, conservative, etc. I was like, am I missing something, or are Madison people just that boosterish?

So, I looked up the stats and saw that Louisville is 3 times the size as Madison.

So I get on here and you are making it sounds like Madison has multible urban districts outside downtown? I'm sorry, but I just don't think so.

Louisville's MSA is about 1.2m, and the city is about 260,000, right? Sounds very sprawly.

Well, Madison's MSA is roughly around 550,000 and the city is about 225,000.

Right away you're going to lose an ounce of credibility by stating that Louisville is 3 times the size of Madison based on those stats, and it also probably proves that Madison could be a little more compact. I don't know though, I've never been to Louisville.

Your friend from Louisville is probably right, Madison probably feels like a bigger city, and is clearly less conservative, based alone on the fact that are only a handful of cities in the country that are less conservative than Madison.

And even if Madison is "still just a college town", what does that have to do with any part of this discussion? I'm a little thrown by any point you made, and how it even pertains.

Okay, so I eluded that Hill Farms is kind urban, well I didn't mean to, just that it's not a complete sprawling mess. Okay, someone else eluded that Atwood might be urban, but they didn't actually say that. However, when compared to more sprawling cities (maybe Louisville), there are indeed several more urban neighborhoods in Madison than what might be expected from an outsider.

To throw a few more neighborhoods out there:
Williamson (no question about having an urban feel)
Sherman Ave./Fordem Ave.

[atrain5371]

I think that Madison can be a lot less sprawly if we could get light rail because I think there are a lot of people that would use mass transit to commute if it were quicker and more efficient. Now admitetaly the bus system isn't really that slow unless you have to transfer than it takes a while.

From Fitchburg it would take me anywhere from 35 minutes to over an hour to ride the bus and the 35 minutes is only during the small window that certain commuter routes run. This isn't Madison Metro's fault though because everytime the city wants to expand the routes citizens oppose it. Here's to Light Rail (not going to happen in the next 20 years but I can dream) since transit analysts agree the isthmus sets up perfectly for a light rail system.

Now Fitchburg is known as your typical super sprawled over cared SUV mecca of a suburb it has actually started to set up some more smart growth with anti-sprawl legislation to preserve farmland and the combination of higher density housing around areas of retail and grocery stores.

When Cieslewitz (sorry about the spelling) spoke at my high school he shared a similar type vision that promoted neighborhoods that were walkable and had center areas within walking distance of everyone in the neighborhood to have access to groceries, resturants and some other smaller retail.

Now with all this said Madison is one of the most sprawling cities for a city of its size.

[atrain5371]

By the way Hill Farms is by no means a second urban district like big cities have but it has a lot of what you need without needing to drive. It has an artsy type theater, 2 large book stores (UBS and Borders), it has a department store, Copps and Century, it is a little limited in resturants with mostly fast food and chains but never underestimate the great taste of the pizza hut buffet. There is also large park, a pool, a mix of affordable houses and apartments and well as large houses and upscale urban styled condos and it's not far from the lake the university and if you like golf and have a lot of money Blackhawk Country Club is one of the nicest golf courses in the area.

[atrain5371]

From the Wisconsin State Journal: Marshall Erdman & Associates, a Madison company that designs and builds medical hospitals and clinics nationwide, is building a $20 million corporate headquarters in the Old Sauk Trails Office Park on Madison's West Side.

The five-story, 132,000-square-foot building is being designed for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification....
For more the link is: http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/index.php?ntid=92507&ntpid=1
There was a picture of the building in the new paper it's a low rise but it looks nice

[Jman]

Madison is one of the most sprawling cities for a city of its size.

Why do u think this? I live here and I think Madison doesn't feel very big. 10 minutes driving from the isthmus and you're in the country.

[atrain5371]

i suppose you are right but i think some of the fact that you can get anywhere in about 15 minutes is because the city goes the same distance in each direction so it feels smaller than it is because it's not like you typically have to go from east towne mall to say Hawk's Landing.

[Jason]

Madison is one of the most sprawling cities for a city of its size.

That statement is broad and factless.

Similar sized cities, all of which are just as bad, if not worse:
Arlington, TX
Norfolk, VA
Corpus Christi, TX
St. Petersburg, FL
Rochester, NY
Jersey City, NJ
Riverside, CA
Anchorage, AK
Lexington-Fayette, KY
Akron, OH
Aurora, CO
Baton Rouge, LA
Stockton, CA
Raleigh, NC
Richmond, VA
Shreveport, LA
Jackson, MS
Mobile, AL
Des Moines, IA
Lincoln, NE
Grand Rapids, MI
Yonkers, NY
Hialeah, FL
Montgomery, AL
Lubbock, TX
Greensboro, NC
Dayton, OH
Huntington Beach, CA

I challenge you to prove your statement.

How "sprawled" would Madison be if it wasn't mostly comprised of water features?

[atrain5371]

ok i retract my statement i thought i had heard somewhere that the statement i made was somewhat true maybe it was due to some statistic including the 3 lakes into the city i'm sorry to have caused such a problem pretend like I never said it.

[milwaukeeunseen]

Arlington, TX
Norfolk, VA
Corpus Christi, TX
St. Petersburg, FL
Rochester, NY
Jersey City, NJ
Riverside, CA
Anchorage, AK
Lexington-Fayette, KY
Akron, OH
Aurora, CO
Baton Rouge, LA
Stockton, CA
Raleigh, NC
Richmond, VA
Shreveport, LA
Jackson, MS
Mobile, AL
Des Moines, IA
Lincoln, NE
Grand Rapids, MI
Yonkers, NY
Hialeah, FL
Montgomery, AL
Lubbock, TX
Greensboro, NC
Dayton, OH
Huntington Beach, CA


I've been to several of these cities above: Grand Rapids, Lincoln, Anchorage, Yonkers, Akron, Rochester, Lexington, Montgomery.

Of the cities I've been to (and the ones I haven't been to but know about) only one can compete with Madison in terms of having a cohesive, walkable, compact downtown.

Guess which one.

[Jason]

ok i retract my statement i thought i had heard somewhere that the statement i made was somewhat true maybe it was due to some statistic including the 3 lakes into the city i'm sorry to have caused such a problem pretend like I never said it.

No worries. I'm not trying to argue or pick fights, just trying to understand what makes you think that, and have some productive discussion about it.

I don't perceive Madison as being that sprawled. Sure, there's a lot of surburban development, but much of what is perceived as Madison sprawling, is actually just Middleton, Sun Prairie, McFarland, Waunakee, etc. Our boundaries are very limited. Fitchburg is about the only suburb that I really believe is a complete fabricated biproduct of Madison. Take away the lakes and it's probably fairly compact, especially the isthmus and particular neighborhoods surrounding the isthums.

[Jason]

I've been to several of these cities above: Grand Rapids, Lincoln, Anchorage, Yonkers, Akron, Rochester, Lexington, Montgomery.

Of the cities I've been to (and the ones I haven't been to but know about) only one can compete with Madison in terms of having a cohesive, walkable, compact downtown.

Guess which one.

I have also been to several of the cities on the list, but of the cities you've been to, I've only been to Lincoln, and that's definately not it. I've been to Raleigh and Des Moines, and they both have nice walkable and compact downtowns. Which one are you referring to?

[atrain5371]

Yeah I will defientely agree that madison has a very walkable downtown and the university is also a very walkable and pleasant place too and I agree with your statement about the isthumus and isthumus neighborhoods being very compact and even the near east and west sides. I guess i just see too much of fitchburg and the southwest corner of madison in my daily routines.

[atrain5371]

btw here's what the skyline looks like from fitchburg

http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/4063/1000222pf5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[milwaukeeunseen]

I have also been to several of the cities on the list, but of the cities you've been to, I've only been to Lincoln, and that's definately not it. I've been to Raleigh and Des Moines, and they both have nice walkable and compact downtowns. Which one are you referring to?

Lexington.

The similarities to Madison are striking. Both have large student populations, both have great Downtowns and both are just damn pretty all around. Lexington is a great town.

[atrain5371]

They built an overpass over the beltline and now there is a plan to put something there that the developer wants to appear to be a gateway to Madison.

Southeast business park breaks ground
BARRY ADAMS badams@madison.com
Construction has begun on the Tradewinds Business Centre on the Southeast Side.

The 27-acre, mixed-use commercial real estate development at 4810 Tradewinds Parkway features a 45,000- square-foot anchor building that will be home to four companies.

The rest of the story
http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/biz/index.php?ntid=93635

[liebeaffe]

Not much activity in a while. Here's a pic of downtown showing the near completion of Block 89:

http://homepage.mac.com/liebeaffe/.Pictures/DSC00262.JPG

[atrain5371]

That's a cool pic and an angle you don't see much.

[Jason]

Condos proposed near UW
DEAN MOSIMAN dmosiman@madison.com
A developer is proposing a 12-story, mixed-use project that would include, for the first time, condominiums near UW-Madison.

The project also would include retail, restaurants and a health club.

More:
http://www.madison.com/wsj/mad/top/index.php?ntid=100647



...and to nobody's surprise...


Some residents are concerned about the height and massing of the building, (city Alderman) Mike Verveer said.

The major concern is a proliferation of housing projects creating a "canyon-like atmosphere" in the neighborhood, he said.

[Badgers77]

I thought about going to the thing in the Double Tree Hotel last night for it. I live right across the street (in The Embassy) from the site that it is supposed to be at. I really want this project to go through. I love how dense downtown Madison is getting for a city it's size.

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

...and to nobody's surprise...

canyon? wtf! these people come up with the most babyish excuses. if you do not want more urban complex's then dont live in wisconsin 2nd largest growing city w/ a metro of 600k! hello! :bash:

[Jason]

You're preaching to the choir brother. I would understand if the people that lived around there have lived there for 50 years, and don't care to see change, but they haven't, it's all students who likely don't give a rat's ass. There is no gentrification of downtown Madison in the campus area. It is, and always will be mostly young people who only reside there temporarily. If anything, building owner-occupied housing is a positive diversification to the area. Like everything else in Madison, "some residents", I'm sure is nothing more than one or two annoyingly noisy folks behind the protest.

[Badgers77]

Downtown is not just transient students. It is mostly, but there are several buildings that really don't have any students. The Metropolitan Place buildings are mostly retirees, Capitol West won't have any students, etc.

But I wouldn't really want to live downtown all that much. Students are noisy, rude, obnoxious douchebags for the most part, and it would be awfully annoying.

[araman0]

Are there any areas of highrises in the downtown area that are protected from the annoying side of campus life? Possibly the area just to the East of the capitol building? I might have a new job in Madison and would love to rent in such an area. As weird as it seems, I would love to see at least a part downtown Madison start to build its own identity that is seperate from the University, although I agree that it is the students that make downtown Madison the great place that it is.

[historybuffer]

oh

[Badgers77]

Madison's downtown is slowly but surely expanding. King Street is developing a lot, and little of it is for students. Furthermore, I expect E. Washington to start growing up a little bit.

On a totally different note, I'm excited what's happening to this campus. So many ugly buildings are being sent to hell. The entire block across from University Square (all those ugly bars and closed businesses) is being knocked down soon, and they are building a spiffy new 40 million museum, as well as new art/music buildings. This campus is truly moving away from it's rather hectically-developed 60's period, and to a new, planned, beautiful period. I can't wait!

[historybuffer]

What's the issue or was the issue with Edgewood College?
My friend goes to school there and said that there was some kind
of rift over new dorms??? UW doesn't have a problem spilling out new
housing all over the isthmus is there a double standard?
Isn't that new building on Monroe Street (Trader Joes) in the Edgewood College neighborhood out of scale with the rest of the small boutiques etc surroundings?

[Jason]

Progress on the dorm was stopped because an Indian mound was discovered during construction:

http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2005/12/09/0512090333.php

Edgewood is a small, private institution, UW-Madison is a huge, public, flagship institution, I'm not sure how the two relate(?).

That new building that Trader Joe's is going in ("Monroe Commons") isn't really in the Edgewood neighborhood, it's much closer to UW's campus, about a quarter of a mile from Camp Randall Stadium. And it's going in because it was needed to draw attention to those small shops, and because there are no grocery stores in the area. It is welcomed by just about all who live/work there. Adding density above it made it financially viable for the developer, and ads welcome owner-occupied housing to the campus area.

http://www.madison.com/archives/read.php?ref=/tct/2006/10/10/0610100357.php

[i_am_hydrogen]

Isn't the second phase of Metropolitan Place being built? Anyone have any photos?

[Jason]

Isn't the second phase of Metropolitan Place being built? Anyone have any photos?

Structurally, it's done. I saw it yesterday.

[historybuffer]

I did some investigating of the area with friends and people
at Ancora Coffee on Monroe Street.
I was in Madison on Sunday and looked at Monroe Commons.
It is four blocks from Edgewood College and five blocks from
Camp Randall Stadium. It is also a condominium something that
students would likely not live in. In addition to the Indian Mounds,
there was the issue of scale, as many of the Monroe Street home
owner were objecting to this. Monroe Street area is an upper-middle
class neighborhood with restaurants and stores to match this income demographic, places students wouldn't likely buy dorm supplies from.

I am really fond of that new glass box next to Walgreens (a Tokyo looking metal clad building) across from the Capitol. Do you have any information about it. Is there going to retail in that building? Do you have any photos of
that building? A friend told me that Robert Redford's Sundance Film company is opening Sundance theaters in Madison, is that true? When would they open up?

[Jason]

I didn't really want to split hairs, but since you do:

http://s97833625.onlinehome.us/monrocommons.jpg

[historybuffer]

Good, perfect. Count with me: Lincoln Street, Van Buren Street, Harrison Street. My bad three blocks. If you are going to use the remote edge of the UW campus with Camp Randall then I can use Edgewood Avenue where the fence of the Edgewood campus begins. :) Take your thumb and measure the distance between Monroe Commons and God's stadium versus the Edgewood campus fence line on Edgewood Avenue.

Monroe Street is geared toward people who own houses, and have disposable
income Monroe Commons is not a UW dorm..

What's the point of all this???? :)

That all aside I do appreciate you Jason keeping us informed about
alll that is Madison.


I have to wonder if people outside Madison think that city's annual population increase
has to do with the number of UW students going to school? :)

[yakob]

i think that glass building on the square next to walgreens is going to be a johnson bank building

[atrain5371]

yay! i can see my old high school in that picture

[Jason]

Good, perfect. Count with me: Lincoln Street, Van Buren Street, Harrison Street. My bad three blocks. If you are going to use the remote edge of the UW campus with Camp Randall then I can use Edgewood Avenue where the fence of the Edgewood campus begins. :) Take your thumb and measure the distance between Monroe Commons and God's stadium versus the Edgewood campus fence line on Edgewood Avenue.

Monroe Street is geared toward people who own houses, and have disposable
income Monroe Commons is not a UW dorm..

What's the point of all this???? :)

That all aside I do appreciate you Jason keeping us informed about
alll that is Madison.

I have to wonder if people outside Madison think that city's annual population increase
has to do with the number of UW students going to school? :)

The point of all of this is to help you understand Madison's atmosphere, which I have come to be very intimate with over the last 29 years. The conclusion of which being that Monroe Commons is not in the "Edgewood College neighborhood", it is closer to UW's campus. The biggest reason having nothing to do with distance (which I will get to), I just made a bad choice in using distance to try to make my point.

Regarding distance:
You said it was in the Edgewood College neighborhood, and I said it was closer to UW's campus (which includes Camp Randall, and some of the 40K+ UW students residing in the blocks to the west and south/southeast of CR, thereby extending campus reach beyond CR). Include the fact that the land along Edgewood Ave. is where the highschool and gradeschool sit, and is rarely (if at all) for use by college students, then Monroe Commons is closer to UW campus.

Path I should have pursued:
Monroe Commons, you're correct, is not intended to "house" students (I don't know why you bring that up, because I didn't), but if you were familiar with UW campus life, or Edgewood College student life (both of which I am, actually), then you would know that of the students who will shop at Trader Joe's, an overwhelming majority of them will be UW students. Edgewood is a tiny school with a tiny campus only housing 350 students. In other words, there is no Edgewood College "neighborhood" or even an atmosphere. Consider football saturdays, and considering some of the establishments creeping up Monsroe St. that are catering to students (Gridiron, Mickey's, etc.), and Monroe Commons is literally right in middle of the action. UW action.

For both of these reasons, if you were to ask a resident of a nearby home what they lived nearer to, the answer would almost certainly be "UW" and not "Edgewood".

Lastly:
There are no other grocery stores downtown of Trader Joe's magnitude, and UW students (while not all of them, but many of them) need groceries. This will most certainly be a destination to obtain them, and you can be sure they thought of that when deciding to build the place. Don't count on this place being for the home-owners only.

P.S. At least 2 of these houses are rented to students according to my intern (who is a student):

http://s97833625.onlinehome.us/monroe_students.jpg

[Jason]

yay! i can see my old high school in that picture

West or Edgewood?

[Jason]

i think that glass building on the square next to walgreens is going to be a johnson bank building

I'm not sure the anchor tenant is (or will be), or who is buying the rights to plaster their name on it, but it's part of "Block 89" built by Urban Land Interests (http://www.uli.com), and is for now going by the name "33 E. Main".

It looks like a Borg ship:
http://www.uli.com/images/101.jpg

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

It really does! only someone from madison would say that,
http://www.space-store.de/images/385666.jpeg

[atrain5371]

West or Edgewood?

West

[milwaukeeunseen]

I guess it does look like a Borg ship, but I still really like it.

[i_am_hydrogen]

In any urban enviroment, it's important to have strong corners in terms of height and density. This building fills out the corner very well.

http://www.emporis.com/files/transfer/6/2005/08/389842.jpg

[Jason]

Central Park evolving: Corridor plans move forward
By Mike Ivey

Madison's proposed "Central Park" isn't much more than a plan at this point, but redevelopment is already moving forward along the east side corridor.

Monday night, developer Scott Lewis unveiled to the Madison Plan Commission a $4.3 million retail and apartment project at 301 S. Livingston St.

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/tct/2006/10/24/34572.jpg

More:
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/index.php?ntid=104456#


I know it's a small building, but I'm so fond of the near east side that I' happy about this. I hope the area never loses it's budding industrial trendy feel.

[Badgers77]

I hope Central Park gets up and moving. I think it will help the area a lot. That Eastern area is very underutilized. I'd like to see it develop and that's why I was very sad seeing the Don Miller project die- I mean it would have replaced hideous parking lots full of used cars that is downtown!

On a different note, China recently put together a "Top 100 Universities in the World" with eyes on all things, especially research, and Wisconsin was ranked 16th- ahead of even Michigan at 19th and Minnesota at 81st!

[Oshkosh49]

Nice article about what the university is doing development wise within Madison:

UW-Madison's billion-dollar building boom
Plan is biggest in decades; projects include replacing 1960s-'70s architecture
The Business Journal of Milwaukee - November 24, 2006
by Pete Millard

Photo: Scott Paulus
The construction boom on and around the UW-Madison campus is the most ambitious since the 1960s, when university planners were bracing for the arrival of the baby-boom generation, said Alan Fish, a UW-Madison associate vice chancellor.
View Larger

It's good to be a construction worker in Madison.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison, the state's largest institution for higher education and a premier research university, is building for the future -- erecting new laboratories, academic buildings and resident halls in record numbers.

The construction boom taking place on and around the UW-Madison campus is the most ambitious building program since the 1960s, when university planners were bracing for the arrival of the baby-boom generation, said Alan Fish, the university's associate vice chancellor for facilities, planning and management.

Ironically, many of the buildings built in the 1960s and early 1970s are the ones being replaced because they no longer function efficiently and are architectural scars on the campus landscape.

There are eight construction projects under way on campus valued at $500.8 million, according to Fish. There are another 18 construction projects in design or planning stages valued at $670.3 million, bringing the total to $1.2 billion.

According to Fish, the $1.2 billion in construction expenses is split nearly half and half between gifts and general revenue/student fees. Donors have contributed $515.1 million in gifts and grants to cover the construction. The remainder is covered by general funds and program fees from students.

A handful of large campus construction projects already have been completed, including the $110 million reconstruction of Camp Randall Stadium in 2005.

"There may be more construction cranes per square acre in Madison than anywhere in the Midwest, maybe the country," said Mark Olinger, a planner with the city of Madison.

The building boom on campus isn't finished either. Fish can rattle off half a dozen landmark campus buildings scheduled to be replaced or renovated in the next 10 to 15 years.

Many of the 1960s-generation structures, such as the Humanities Building, Ogg Hall, the Van Hise Building and portions of the old University Hospital, are deteriorating and have outdated HVAC systems that make them impractical to renovate, Fish said.

In addition to the office, research and classroom projects on campus, construction cranes dotting the Madison isthmus have been used to erect 57 apartment buildings, some offering ground-floor retail space, near campus since 1998. Those projects are valued at more than $500 million and have 3,800 units.

The majority of privately-managed apartment complexes are located on Mifflin, Charter and Regent streets, as well as University and West Washington avenues, just on the southeastern edges of the campus.

"As a city, we've decided that's where the high-rise apartments should be," said Olinger.

In 2006, private developers opened four high-rise complexes that added 788 apartments at 700 University Ave., 309 W. Washington Ave., 409 W. Gorham St. and 333 W. Mifflin St.

Since 2002, developers have added 2,774 apartment units to the campus area.
East campus projects

Two of the recently completed university projects on the east end of campus are the office and parking facility at 21 N. Park St. and Newell J. Smith Hall, the campus's first new residence hall in 41 years.

One block north of Smith Hall, the university is building the 615-bed Ogg Hall on the corner of Dayton and Park streets. The $36 million dormitory, which will open in August 2007, opens the way for the university to demolish the existing Ogg Hall towers to make way for a pedestrian mall and recreational fields north of the Kohl Center on the southeast side of campus.

Builders have already begun work on a $40.5 million addition to Grainger Hall, 975 University Ave., that will be the new home of all MBA programs offered by the UW School of Business. In addition to state-of-the-art classrooms, it will include an MBA program office, career center and multipurpose plenary room that seats up to 265 people. The Grainger Hall addition will be open for the 2008 fall semester.

In summer of 2006, ground was broken for the redevelopment of University Square Mall in the 700 block of University Avenue. The single-story shopping and commercial center built in the early 1970s was demolished in spring of 2006. Contractors are building an 11-story, mixed-use project that is a partnership between the university and Executive Management Inc., the Madison company that owns the property.

When finished, the $56.9 million University Square will include more than 250,000 square feet for university, student and health offices. The rebuilt University Square will allow UW-Madison to consolidate University Health Services offices and provide space for student services such as the bursar, registrar and student financial services.

University Square also will include 100,000 square feet of retail, 300 privately developed and managed apartments and a 420-vehicle parking structure. The development is part of the East Campus Pedestrian Mall that eventually will stretch from Lake Mendota and Memorial Union at 800 Langdon St., to just north of Regent Street.

The completion of University Square in 2009 will mean campus planners can demolish the Peterson Building, 750 University Ave., which currently houses the student financial offices, to make way for an expansion of the Chazen Museum of Art, a 60,000-square-foot structure that will be across Murray Street from the existing site of the museum.

In the meantime, planners are looking for space to temporarily place the music and history departments so the university can demolish the Humanities Building at Park Street and University Avenue and rebuild near the existing site, said Gary Brown, campus director of planning and landscape architecture.
West campus projects

There are three major construction projects under way on the west end of the campus and several more in the planning stages. Those under way include the $20 million expansion and renovation of the Mechanical Engineering Building, which is near University and Engineering drives; a $120.5 million new Microbial Sciences Building and the new $134 million interdisciplinary Research Center near UW Hospital & Clinics, 600 Highland Ave.

In 2007 and 2008, the university plans to begin work on the $150 million Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, the $88.5 million Biochemistry Building and the new $88.1 million Union South redevelopment.

"We need to construct more 100-year buildings," said Brown.

The Mechanical Engineering renovation upgraded the building's HVAC system, added an atrium, updated labs and created more classrooms and lecture halls. The historic facade of the 1930s building was preserved even though the entry way was rebuilt.

On the corner of Babcock and Linden drives, the university is constructing a 330,000-square-foot Microbial Sciences Building that will be finished in May. It is the second building in the $317 million BioStar program to replace outdated facilities used by the departments of bacteriology, medical microbiology and immunology, and food microbiology and toxicity.

The project will include labs for 47 research groups, classrooms, instructional labs and 150 underground parking spaces.

The Interdisciplinary Research Center is part of the HealthStar initiative created to improve health science facilities at the university. The center is located next to the UW Hospital & Clinics. It will be a three-tower complex that will constructed in two phases. The first phase is a five-story tower on top of a three-story base.

Two other projects are under way on the west end of the campus -- the $85 million American Family Children's Hospital and the $24.9 million Veterinary Diagnostic Lab.
UW's master plan

University planners unveiled a new master plan for the campus in the fall of 2005. The plan envisions using buildings to create more open spaces that complement the Memorial Union Terrace and Henry Mall and to form new academic neighborhoods on campus, as well achieving architectural harmony and better ways of getting around the expansive campus.

Many of the concepts for the 2005 plan are borrowed from the university's master plan dating back to 1908, said Brown.

The 1908 master plan, which was the building guide for the university until 1933, established order on a rapidly expanding campus, said Brown. The 99-year-old plan set the groundwork for many of the quadrangles and open spaces that grace the campus today.

The 2005 plan takes many of the early concepts and advances them one step further, said Brown. For example, the development of the East Campus Pedestrian Mall is consistent with how early UW planners thought the campus should function, he said.

The current construction and building plans for UW-Madison are intended to create a less haphazard design approach to campus.

Brown is intent on eliminating the mish-mash of architectural styles that allowed the slab-like McArdle Cancer Research Building to be connected to the stately Nutritional Science Building.

Or the planning decision that allowed the UW Law School's contemporary addition to clash with the rest of Bascom Hill, which is designated as a National Register Historic District.
BUILDING BOOM

UW-Madison's major projects in planning, design or construction.
In construction Total $ (in millions)
Interdisciplinary research complex $134
Microbial Sciences 120.5
American Family Children's Hospital 85
University Square redevelopment 56.9
Grainger Hall addition 40
Dayton Street residence hall 35.9
Veterinary diagnostic lab 24.9
Ogg Hall removal, site improvement 3.6
Subtotal $500.8

In design or planning Total $ (in millions)
Wisconsin Institute for Discovery $150
Biochemistry II 88.5
Union South redevelopment 88.1
Lakeshore residence hall expansions 67.8
Human ecology addition, renovation 48
Memorial Union renovation phase I 43.6
Sterling Hall renovation 39.5
Chazen Museum addition 35
Education building renovation, addition 31
West campus utility distribution 26.5
East campus utilities, pedestrian mall 20
Warehouse redevelopment-Arts Loft 8.8
Chadbourne Hall renovation 6.6
Waisman Center remodeling 6
Integrated dairy facility phase II 5.2
Washburn Observatory renovation 2.5
Lot 36 parking ramp addition 2.5
Campus Drive bike/walk path phase I 0.9
Subtotal $670.3

Total in construction and planning: $1,171.1

Source: UW-Madison

[The Urban Politician]

^ Wow, that's some pretty impressive stuff.

I'm going to post this article in the "Chicago Economy Thread"

[i_am_hydrogen]

An excellent article that really ties together all the loose ends of the development picture at UW-Madison. Thank god they've decided to round up some of the 1960s-era catastrophes like the Peterson Building and Humanities (though I'll miss Van Hise) and demolish them. Can they add Van Vleck to the list of casualties? Today is a slow work day for me, so I tried to put a face on some of the projects mentioned in this article.

UW-Madison's major projects in planning, design or construction [or completed].


Newell J. Smith Hall - Completed
http://www.madison.com/images/articles/wsj/2006/08/17/31391.jpg

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/wsj/2006/08/17/31393.jpg

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/wsj/2006/08/17/31392.jpg


21 N. Park - Completed
http://www.rsp.wisc.edu/images/ParkSt.jpg

http://www.vip.wisc.edu/images/21NPark_extr06_0548lg.jpg


Ogg Hall - U/C
http://static.flickr.com/82/217369533_92b62bf9ff_m.jpg


The Interdisciplinary Research Center - U/C
http://rms.med.wisc.edu/viewers/fileViewer.php?file=11|21995

http://www.cancer.wisc.edu/uwccc/images/img_irc.jpg

Construction progress as of today (courtesy of a local webcam).
http://128.104.105.44/jpg/image.jpg?timestamp=1165260482897


Microbial Sciences Building
http://www.bact.wisc.edu/MSB/images/sw112103.jpg

http://www.bact.wisc.edu/msb/images/WI-ei03%20im7c.jpg

http://www.bact.wisc.edu/msb/images/WI-ei03%20im5b.jpg

http://www.bact.wisc.edu/msb/images/WI-ei03%20im6b.jpg

http://www.bact.wisc.edu/msb/images/slide0012_image015.gif


American Family Children's Hospital - Completed 8/06
http://www.uwhealth.org/nofinergift/images/AFCH_3D_test.jpg

https://www.uwhealth.org/nofinergift/images/img_afch_fall06.jpg


University Square - U/C
The POS building that used to be there.
http://www.emi-mgmt.com/images/usquare_before.jpg

http://ifs1.imagefly.info/i/be/university_square.jpg


Grainger Hall Addition - U/C
http://www.bus.wisc.edu/graingeraddition/images/addition.jpg

http://www.bus.wisc.edu/graingeraddition/models/images/bridge.jpg

http://arts.state.wi.us/static/percent/images/04D10_site3-4.jpg

http://www.bus.wisc.edu/graingeraddition/models/images/brooksanduniv.jpg

A snapshot of construction progress as of today (courtesy of a local webcam).
http://constructocam.fpm.wisc.edu/jpg/1/image.jpg?1165258418430


Dayton Street Residence Hall - U/C
http://img126.imageshack.us/img126/3307/daytonsmalluihleinwilsomo0.jpg


Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory - Completed 10/06
http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/images/news/wvdl2.jpg


In design or planning

Wisconsin Institute For Discovery
http://www.uc.wisc.edu/masterplan/images/widCollage.jpg

http://discovery.wisc.edu/images/WID-updated-small.jpg

http://discovery.wisc.edu/images/WID-interior.jpg

Note: I did not create this google map drawing.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/news/images/wid_map.jpg


East Campus Pedestrian Mall
http://www.news.wisc.edu/news/images/Murray_Mall_rendering1.jpg

[Paule]

My god!

[Oshkosh49]

Wow! That is simply incredible.

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

NICE! madison boom. One of yall need to go take some pics on the town. Its been a quiet city on the forums as of late.

[atrain5371]

i have a few pictures i took in november i may get them up at some point

[Jason]

It's too cold out for picture taking. Well, I pledge to bring a camera with me next time I leave the office for a meeting or something. There's never been much picture contribution here. Campus bores me though, I'll try to get some of my old favorite 'hoods.

[i_am_hydrogen]

WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL
TUE., NOV 28, 2006 - 10:04 AM
GAYLE WORLAND
608-252-6188
gworland@madison.com

Fundraising for the $35 million expansion of UW- Madison's Chazen Museum of Art is lagging $10 million behind projections, delaying construction by at least two years - or, worst-case scenario, leaving its elaborate building plans uncertain.

When UW-Madison alumni Jerome and Simona Chazen donated $20 million to the former Elvehjem Museum of Art in May 2005, university administrators were confident that another $15 million for the facility's 62,000-square-foot addition could be rounded up by this fall. To date only $5 million is "firmly committed," said museum director Russell Panczenko.

"We were a little premature," he said about announcing that funds would be in place to allow for a 2009 finish date. Now Panczenko said he hopes construction on the new building will start in early 2009 and be complete by late 2010 or early 2011.

Panczenko is spearheading the fundraising, and the UW Foundation has assigned two staff members to the project as well.

"We're going to go full force with this," he said. "Come (next) fall, we're going to evaluate where we are. If we're short, then we'll have to sit down and say how we'll handle this."

The Chazens' gift is earmarked for the construction of a building at the site of the university's Peterson Office Building, across Murray Street from the museum at 800 University Ave. The buildings will be linked by an enclosed skywalk.

The expansion would add 20,000 square feet of gallery space, plus classrooms, storage for artwork and a 160-seat auditorium for lectures, films and musical performances.

The state selected the architectural team of Milwaukee- based Continuum Architects & Planners, in association with Machado & Silvetti Associates of Boston, to design the project, said Robert Cramer, administrator of the Wisconsin Division of State Facilities.

Having the architects in place should help fundraising efforts, Panczenko said. Preliminary design plans could be shown as early as January.

"The architecture is an important consideration," he said. "If you build a second building and you connect it by a bridge, one has to be very, very careful that it doesn't become two separate institutions that just happen to have this bridge between them."

"So the question in my mind, as well as in some supporters' minds, is how are you going to achieve that unity?"

Under state law, final design work and bids for construction can't be completed until all money is in place, Panczenko said. With that in mind, the museum this month mounted a new community capital campaign, titled "Something for Everyone," to spread the word in greater Madison.

Meanwhile, the museum will continue to appeal to alumni and others statewide for large- scale gifts, he said. The museum is in a unique fundraising situation.

"The business school has all those business alumni, the engineering school has all their alumni. We don't have alumni," Panczenko said. "At this point, we're putting our best effort in as if we were an independent museum. And we've come a long way."

Overture Center's new Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, which opened in April, has not drained money away from the Chazen, Panczenko said. The two museums have very different missions, he said.

"What makes us unique (in Madison) is that we have something for everyone. Our collection goes from ancient Greco- Roman times right up to the present; we also have art from a variety of world cultures, not only paintings and sculpture, but photographs, drawings, watercolors, prints, the whole gamut of decorative art. We've got that breadth."

At the time of the Chazens' gift, Panczenko noted the expansion would make the Chazen one of the nation's 10 largest campus museums.

Dealing with state regulations and complex official approval processes has been a lesson unto itself, the museum director said.

"I'm not a great one for patience," he said. "I'm learning you just have to be patient. A lot of those checks and balances are there for very good reasons but, yes, it's like the kid waiting for Christmas and hoping to unwrap the package."

[atrain5371]

Here's some pictures I took a few weeks ago
http://img284.imageshack.us/img284/6110/hpim1263ql4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7945/hpim1268rg2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/6396/hpim1272jg2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7286/hpim1273dh2.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/84/hpim1275yn7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img284.imageshack.us/img284/6049/hpim1276wn9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[atrain5371]

And on Topic here's one of those new dorm buildings

http://img284.imageshack.us/img284/8484/img0866xc8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[i_am_hydrogen]

Thanks for the shots. ^That's the new Ogg Hall, I'm assuming.

[atrain5371]

I think so but I'm not sure.

[UWMilwaukeeJay]

madison is awesome. thanks for the shots.
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/7286/hpim1273dh2.jpg
reminds me of where is just was the other day: New Orleans! but they both have totally different atmospheres..literally.

[Jason]

Thanks for the shots. ^That's the new Ogg Hall, I'm assuming.

I think so but I'm not sure.

I confirm. It is.

This is some cool stuff. Whole Foods came back with a high rise in their new proposal, and it got approved.



Whole Foods moves ahead
Hilldale plan finally gets OK
By Mike Ivey

If everything falls into place, Madison shoppers will see a new state-of-the-art, 65,000 square-foot Whole Foods Market with escalators, a parking ramp and a green roof at the corner of Segoe Road and University Avenue by early 2009.

After twice rejecting a more suburban layout for the grocery, the Madison Plan Commission Monday night unanimously approved a revised plan for Phase II of the redevelopment of the Hilldale Shopping Center. The $175 million project has continued to evolve in the nearly three years since Chicago-based Joseph Freed & Associates purchased the aging center.

http://www.madison.com/images/articles/tct/2006/12/06/37140.jpg

more:
http://www.madison.com/tct/business/index.php?ntid=110100#

[atrain5371]

That is cool they have really done a lot with Hilldale recently

[punkerz123]

I think so but I'm not sure.

Yep, that's new ogg. i just might live there next year

[milwaukeeunseen]

That Whole Foods proposal looks incredible! It looks like by the end of the decade the whole Hildale area will be completely transformed.

[Jason]

I like the Hilldale area. I'd like it a little more if it was a little less geriatric.

[Skyking2]

Is there censorship going on because I express an opinion?

[exit_320]

Is there censorship going on because I express an opinion?

??

[i_am_hydrogen]

Is there censorship going on because I express an opinion?

The comment you made about Madison was trolling and out-of-line. Comments like that only serve to provoke anger on the part of other forumers and therefore warrant deletion. Any more questions?

[Skyking2]

The comment you made about Madison was trolling and out-of-line. Comments like that only serve to provoke anger on the part of other forumers and therefore warrant deletion. Any more questions?

Ouch. I have seen much worse "trolling," as you call it, on other threads. If opposing opinions are represented well, it can begin discussion -- assuming people don't get all bent out of shape. If you noticed, I made a necessary judgement edit to my initial posting, attempting to be less descriptive about the fine capital city. What say you about the fine citizen of Madison who responded with such a wonderful display of character? That would be my question for you.

[i_am_hydrogen]

Ouch. I have seen much worse "trolling," as you call it, on other threads. If opposing opinions are represented well, it can begin discussion -- assuming people don't get all bent out of shape. If you noticed, I made a necessary judgement edit to my initial posting, attempting to be less descriptive about the fine capital city. What say you about the fine citizen of Madison who responded with such a wonderful display of character? That would be my question for you.

His response was unacceptable and he has already been warned about it as well. Sorry, that might not have been the answer you were looking for.

[Badgers77]

Another huge project, although this is a bad picture...

http://badgerherald.com/photos/thumb.php?width=416&file=http://badgerherald.com/news/2006/12/14/High-Rise_JS.jpg

Very large- as tall as The Aberdeen and right next door. It's another Curt Brink project, Brainchild of Archipelago Village. It would destroy Milios' and Casa Bianca, neither which I am a fan of.

Also, some pictures of the new University Square. Looks lively.

http://badgerherald.com/photos/popup.php?src=http://badgerherald.com/news/2006/12/14/USquare_SM.jpg&title=Inside+the+new+U-Square

Also, Hilldale is very geriatric, but I highly recommend the new Flattop Grill there. I ate at one in Alexandria, Virginia several years back, and its excellent, although like 11 bucks.

[Skyking2]

His response was unacceptable and he has already been warned about it as well. Sorry, that might not have been the answer you were looking for.

Have a good day. Ten-four.

[atrain5371]

Destroying a Milio's (which I happen to like) is not really a big problem since it is a chain and there are plenty more in Madison.

[Jason]

Destroying a Milio's (which I happen to like) is not really a big problem since it is a chain and there are plenty more in Madison.

Is it a chain, or a franchise? Some franchisees are small-time. I feel bad when small-timers get the boot. But this place will probably increase overall retail space in the area, therefore providing more opportunities.

They raise good points about parking spaces. At least 1 per unit makes more sense.

I won't even address people complaining about blocked views, etc. It's a dead-horse.

Otherwise, I am in full support of more owner-occupied housing near campus. Since (I might as well continue to abuse the term) gentrification only makes me feel more comfortable in the area.

[atrain5371]

It might be a francise, for some people it probably feels like an institution. I agree I hate to see small timers get the boot but since there are quite a few and they have their own office building HQ in Fitchburg I don't feel as bad.

[Jman]

I was downtown last night and the capitol looked amazing half covered in fog... too bad i didnt have a camera.

[edsg25]

I've a question that I doubt any of you can answer, but I'll give it a try:

The pictues and descriptions here of UW expansion (let alone renovation) seems enormous. Is UW at the forefront of the Big Ten in campus development at the moment? I know a lot goes on at all the schools, but what's happening in Madison really does seem incredible.

[Jason]

I don't really know what's going on at other B10 campuses. Just a wild guess though, UW is at the forefront in development/campus-expansion/modernization. It's hard to imagine that it's not.

[Jman]

Does anyone have any pics of what is going up on winnebago st where the rayovac factory was?

[Jason]

It's a demolition site, not much to see.

I ate at the new Cloud 9 Grille last night with the hilltop view of the downtown skyline. Not a bad joint. Food's okay, atmosphere is great, and the view is awesome.

[Jman]

i shoulda been more clear, i meant sketches of what it's planned to look like... I know what it's like now.