Articulating Compromise As Clock Ticks

722 developers adjust proposal but neighborhood reaction is still mixed

A revised depiction of 722 Williamson with five stories on Williamson, and seven and nine-story towers at the rear. Courtesy: BDG

A revised depiction of 722 Williamson with five stories on Williamson, and seven and nine-story towers at the rear. Courtesy: BDG

Baldwin Development Group (BDG) is determined to build a mixed-use development at 722 Williamson that will honor the Marquette neighborhood planning guidelines and also serve their own commercial interests. However, after Wednesday’s (October 23) meeting with the neighborhood where they presented alternate designs, the way forward is becoming murkier and time is running out.

BDG has met four times with a special Marquette Neighborhood Association (MNA) subcommittee to tweak the design so that it will fit within the guidelines of the Williamson BUILD Plan II that was adopted in 2004. The chief issue is the height of the project, which currently is proposed at 10 stories, giving some pause while others say this is the best kind of infill development for an underutilized space.

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722 Willy Developers to Present Project Changes

Three design variations to be presented this week at special P&D meeting

MNA’s Preservation & Development Committee will hold their monthly meeting at a special time on Wednesday October 23 to view proposed changes to the 722 Williamson development. The 722 Williamson Subcommittee of P&D has met several times with the project developers, Baldwin Development Group, and committee chairman Bruce Woods reports that BDG will present several changes based on neighborhood input.

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722 Willy Working Group Outlines Concerns

MNA committee sends UDC its initial take on proposed development

It is unknown at this point if meetings between a special Marquette Neighborhood Association working group and Baldwin Development Group will yield any changes to a development planned for the 700 block of Williamson Street. The MNA 722 Subcommittee was formed to work through concerns about the project with BDG after the developer signaled it would seek exceptions to building guidelines developed by the neighborhood.

The 722 Williamson Subcommittee, part of MNA’s Preservation & Development Committee, has met several times now with BDG and last week committee chairman Bruce Woods sent a letter to Madison’s Urban Design Commission outlining their initial concerns. The letter gives no indication that BDG was planning any changes based on the discussions. What the letter does do is formalize and organize the varying concerns and plaudits that have been expressed about the design so far.  Continue reading

Meet the New MNA Board

Approximately 100 crowd Annual Meeting to vote on Board, Budget and Bylaws

MNA Board President Michael Jacob who testified at the ALRC meeting on behalf of the MNA.

MNA Board President Michael Jacob.

The MNA Annual Members Meeting was held Thursday night (October 17) and included Board elections, approval of the budget, new bylaws and reports on Committee work such as the 722 Williamson Working Group.

MNA Board President Michael Jacob reported the results of the meeting in an email to the MNA Listserv which can be viewed after the jump.

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MNA Elections Have Consquences

Annual Membership Meeting a chance to celebrate and set priorities

Former MNA President Scott Thornton addresses the 2012 meeting. MNA has seen a resurgence in membership recently and is strong advocate within the city.

Former MNA President Scott Thornton addresses the 2012 meeting. MNA has seen a resurgence in membership recently and is strong advocate within the city.

In the same month that the Marquette Neighborhood was honored for being one of the greatest places to live in America, partly due to the strong engagement by its residents, a key meeting this week by its association may play a role in the shape of the neighborhood for years to come. The Marquette Neighborhood Association will hold its annual Membership Meeting Thursday October 17, 6 p.m. in the Marquette Elementary School cafeteria.

Most years this meeting is a time for the MNA Board to present an overview of the past year and the one ahead, elect new officers, consider initiatives, collect membership dues, and approve the budget. This year seems to carry special weight as several contentious issues in the areas of development, festivals, and how the Board itself conducts business and fills vacancies have bubbled up among the members.

The jammed packed agenda was deemed so critical that guest speaker Wisconsin State Representative Chris Taylor was asked to move her appearance to the November meeting to accommodate the proceedings.

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We’re Quite Neighborly

Williamson-Marquette named a top place to live in the United States

Earlier this month the Williamson-Marquette Neighborhood was recognized as a Top 10 Great Neighborhood in the United States. The honor, presented by the American Planning Association, is ratification of the intense involvement by neighborhood residents both longtime and new to create a truly unique and rewarding place to live.

“Marquette has a vibrancy that is a benchmark for other neighborhoods,” said Mayor Soglin at a ceremony the Wil-Mar Neighborhood Center on October 4. “It is our SoHo.”

Citing walkability, strong revitalization efforts following decades of decline, and strong community engagement, the APA‘s Larry Ward presented the award to the neighborhood and was joined by Soglin, District 6 Alder Marsha Rumel and Marquette Neighborhood Association representatives Lindsey Lee and David Mollenhoff.

“The Marquette Neighborhood has the rich legacy of a place built up before the era of the automobile. Shops, entertainment, and employment are all located within walking distance of our homes. This is the foundation on which our Great Neighborhood was built,” said Alder Marsha Rummel. “As we develop and redevelop areas of the City, we should aim to create other great neighborhoods with the same human scale and mix of uses as Marquette.”

In the late 1960s and early 1970s the Marquette neighborhood, dilapitdated in some areas and bound by an aging industrial corridor, was threatened by various uneven development schemes including a freeway through the rail corridor. The MNA was formed in 1968 in part to combat these encroachments and created its first neighborhood plan in 1971.

The plan and the engagement of community members who took the risk to live and build the neighborhood to what it is today, is why the APA is recognizing what we have already known for some time: This is a great place to live.