I left last night’s meeting to update stakeholders on the progress in the E. Washington corridor agitated to say the least. This isn’t a recap, cuz most of it was a power point presentation which will be here as soon as I get it scanned. And then there was some input and discussion. It’s unfortunate that the note takers didn’t take more notes, I think they only wrote down 4 or 5 things on their flipchart and I don’t know if that means they were not listening or did not care?
POINTS OF INTEREST
– Read the power point.
– Goal – create a major urban employment center with a lively pulse and grow the tax abase in a significantly underutilized corridor in heart of Madison.
– They are renaming the area Capitol East District
– Mostly, they don’t have much new from the plans that are already in place. Capital Gateway BUILD, Urban Design District, Neighborhood Plans (TLNA, MNA, East Rail), etc.
– The first two areas they are focusing on are the Marquip area and the Breese Stevens area and the Don Miller lot and the historic building on the corner of Patterson and E Washington Ave. This seemed like a no-brainer as that is where projects have been proposed.
– This area is 200 acres, the first phase is 35-40 acres.
– There are 400,000 square feet of vacant space currently. With a demand for only 15 – 20K per year.
– The issue of Yahara Station was seen to be a little beyond this project, but what happens with rail clearly impacts this, not only high speed rail, but commuter rail.
– When pressed at the end of the meeting by Alder Rummel, they could not say what the next steps were.
SOME OF MY QUESTIONS/CONCERNS/THOUGHTS
– First and foremost, I was very frustrated by this meeting because they didn’t seem to be telling us anything different than what we already knew and couldn’t give us next steps. They were re-presenting the BUILD plan and stating the obvious. And it wasn’t clear what they were doing besides talking to business people. I wondered what they were getting paid for and what has been going on for 5 months.
– I didn’t hear them mention any issues related to the lack of a well in the area. if the densities are achieved, won’t they need a new well and where will that go since so much of the area is contaminated and restricted.
– Why has it taken 5 years (according to Olinger) to bring this group back together?
– For that matter, was Olinger there representing the CDA or the City?
– Discussions about Breese Stevens Field seemed to show a lack of understanding about the premiere soccer field and a tendency to try to do other things with it besides that. There is a plan somewhere they should be looking at, I couldn’t find it on-line. I’m not sure they understand the soccer support buzz saw they are likely to run into.
– What happened to the idea of a Development Corporation for the area?
– The consultants seemed surprised the neighborhoods were so supportive – and I wonder if they are conveying that in their private discussions with business types.
EXPLANATION ABOUT WHY THERE HASN’T THERE BEEN DEVELOPMENT HERE
I heard the consultants says the following:
– Not demand for the vacant buildings.
– Many buildings are unusable.
– Properties are not appropriately positioned. They don’t have a capable developer, they don’t have people ready to invest, they are not motived and they are legacy property owners who have existing uses.
– Brokers don’t see this as a place to bring deals, deals not capable of being done.
And finally, there are two strong perceptions:
– Developers don’t believe they can develop here because TIF is not a viable tool.
– Developers think neighborhood processes are too difficult to navigate.
What I didn’t hear, was concerns about the ability to get project financed, which I think might be a greater problem at the moment.
CONCERNS FROM THE AUDIENCE
I did this quickly, so I hope I got the highlights.
– This doesn’t look sustainable, that should be an emphasis.
– Why not more emphasis on the transportation corridors – commuter rail, bikes and high speed rail.
– What kind of jobs will these be, are we importing people or creating jobs for people here who might only have high school degrees and criminal backgrounds/
– How can Breese Stevens Field be activated?
– Preservation of buildings that have historic interest.
– Concern to work with small businesses on E Johnson and Willy St to help them all thrive.
– Do we need a huge company to come in and save us or can we do this with entrepreneurial businesses that are there and grow our own?
– Most of the work has been done with the business community, what about the rest of the community?
– The president of the Marquette Neighborhood Association, the former President of the Tenney Lapham Neighborhood Association and others expressed a concern that their efforts to support development are not being recognized and they are in fact, anxious to see development happen here where they have planned for it.
– Is there something innovative that can be done with storm water.
MY THOUGHTS ON WHAT SHOULD BE DONE
– First and foremost, the city could show a commitment to the area, I think that is the catalyst that is needed. A strong message from the city that this is a priority and they will invest could really turn things around. $16M in this corridor would do a greater good for the city than the Edgewater Hotel, could you imagine if they could get the support from the Mayor and Council leadership like they have given to the Edgewater.
– Developers need to understand that the neighborhoods support development here. They should review the BUILD and neighborhood plans and see the 15 story building that were supported and remember that the Gorman project had full support of the neighborhood, it was the city that killed the project.
– TIF policies were re-written with areas like this in mind. (Focus on economic development, no high end housing) This is what TIF should be used for. There should be very little barriers to using TIF to help projects in the area. Especially with neighborhood support.
– The city may need to buy and write down the price of the land if the owners won’t sell, at least to get something started.
That’s my quick thoughts for today, but there is much, much more.
