The Plan Commission voted 7-1 after midnight to approve LZ Ventures’ revised proposal, which will demolish the Klinke Cleaners building, three multi-flat houses and two single-story commercial buildings, all between 402 and 414 E. Washington Ave., as well as multi-flats at 9 N. Hancock St. and 8 and 12 N. Franklin St., for a 10-story structure with 148 apartments, 1,226 square feet of commercial space, and 2.5 floors of underground parking.
The developer said the project provides much-needed housing near jobs Downtown, but opponents voiced concern about the loss of low-cost housing and the scale of the project.
Matt Brink, 39, is well-known in Madison's development field. His family, led by his father Curt Brink, has helped revitalize the downtown area with projects like Hotel Indigo, The Brink Lounge, and the under-construction Archipelago Village.
Brink also runs a consulting firm, Matt Brink Consulting, that helps developers navigate the landscape of development projects around Dane County.\
He spoke with the Cap Times about being a second-generation developer, gentrification, and the changes in the Capitol East Corridor along East Washington Avenue.
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5-story office tower takes shape at South Paterson and East Main. (OK, the elevator towers.)
Last month, the city approved Brink’s proposed five-story, 92,000-square-foot office building to house the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority at 902-908 E. Main St., and a 680-space parking garage in the middle of the block to serve various elements of the overall development. That project is slated to begin in the fall, he said.
The transformation of the 900 block of East Wash and East Main
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1/9/2020 update starts here. "Demolition completed for office tower on East Washington corridor in Madison WI", starts here.
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11/27/2019 update, "Demolition underway for office tower on East Washington corridor in Madison WI", starts here.
Brink said a tower has been his plan “basically since we bought the property 16 years ago,” but he had to wait for zoning to line up with his vision. The permitted heights for Urban Design District #8, which includes the project site, are 12 stories, with a possibility of three “bonus” stories, and the Capitol Gateway Corridor Plan calls for employment on the 900 block.
Who speaks for the birds?
Looks like Brink lost the bonus round. (See below.)
In 2002, Curt Brink, along with investors Jim and Marlene Korb, bought a 4.3 acre site at 901 E. Washington Ave., the former home of the Mautz Paint factory. Last year, Brink received approval to turn the historic Kleuter building on the property into a 144-room hotel and restaurant known as Hotel Indigo.
When you look at a tall, glass-fronted building, what do you see?” the Madison Audubon Society website reads. “If you put on a ‘bird-lens’, you would quite likely see more open sky to fly through, more habitat to tuck into, or more moonlight to guide you on your journey. The result is thousands of birds crashing into windows.”
City staff has recommended approval of the project, as it creates long-recommended, high-density office space on the south side of East Washington Avenue. A letter from the Marquette Neighborhood Association “recognizes the value of this project” while also asking for “additional attention” to some areas of the project, like traffic, parking and stormwater management.
With plans to complete the project by late November or early December of 2020, the building will have office space, a green roof with trees and grass, a parking structure and commercial space on the first floor. Developer Curt Brink said the commercial space could become a restaurant or bank.
This building on East Main Street looks like a candidate for removal.
On the other hand, the Madison Credit Union, at the southwest corner of East Washington and South Brearly, does not.
Valor on Washington by Gorman & Company at 1314-1326 E. Washington Ave. will create 59-unit project, 50 of which would be affordable. The project is aimed at veterans and their families. Dryhootch, a nonprofit support organization for veterans, will occupy space on the first floor of the building and Lutheran Social Services will provide supportive services for all tenants.
The $15 million project received $950,000 from the city and $10.2 million in WHEDA credits over 10 years.
"The Valor on Washington" is set to be the largest housing and service development for veterans and their families in the nation. The complex is headed to the county-owned Messner property on East Washington Avenue across the street from the ShopBop and Metro Transit offices.
The project will be a mix of affordable and market-rate units for families with a preference given to veterans in all 59 units.
"Due to the fact of being homeless, credit score being low ... housing was very difficult to find on my own," said Tim Dziekan, who served in the military for 23 years.
Dziekan entered the military at 17 years old. He had four combat tours and served as a combat medic in the Army for many years. He said when he retired from the military in 2008, it was difficult to adjust to civilian life.
Original 4/24/2018 post, "Messner site gets a second chance at redevelopment", starts here.
Dane County purchased the former Messner building, 1326 E. Washington Ave., for $1.4 million in 2015 to create a homeless day shelter. But another site, 615 E. Washington Ave., was eventually chosen for the day center, The Beacon, which opened last fall.
The county then solicited and received several proposals to develop an affordable housing project at the Messner site. The winning proposal by Dryhootch and Gorman calls for 64 units of housing including 54 that would be reserved for veterans making 60 percent or less of the area median income.
