This post is part 3 of a series that starts here, and it will be much shorter because the neighborhood was given less time, but they packed alot in!
WELCOME, THANK YOU, INTRODUCTIONS
Gene Devitt – Chariman of Mansion Hill says they got a presentation from Hammes last Oct 30th that told them about other projects they have worked on. When they heard about the project, they formed a steering committee. There are 9 people who were on the steering committee. He asks them to stand and introduce themselves. He also thanks the church for letting them hold this meeting here and to everyone for showing up.
HISTORIC DISTRICT
Ledell Zellers explains this project is in the middle of the Mansion Hill District. She says there are 12 blocks of residential in the neighborhood. She says it is mostly residential – both owner occupied and rental. She notes that most of the commercial that was talked about is on capital square and State St. She says that the historic district formed to protect the area, not just individual buildings. Landmarking is the process for individual buildings. She says that the mass and scale and ambiance of area which contains a concentration of historic buildings. She says the historic district is to limit the volume of new structures built and that they should be compatible with areas visually related. She says the City looks at a 200 ft radius. She says that they also consider buildings that contribute to the historic district not those that are out of character and scale or are not part of visually related area. She says National Guaridain Life is an example of a building that would not be considered.
R6H ZONING AND HEIGHT LIMIT
Zellers explains that R6H zoning limits the height of new buildings to 50 feet. She says this is the only part of the city where R6H zoning exists. She says the building is almost entirely in R6H area. She talks about how 183 buildings are in the national historic district and 161 are contributing to the area. Only 22 are not. She talks about architecture that is important in the area, but she also notes that the setting of the landscape, including the ridge and the topography is also important. Those are some of concerns of the steering committee. Hotel pierces the 50 foot limit, its 3 times the maximum height and not of the mass and scale in harmony with visually related area.
OTHER CONCERNS – DESIGN AND PRECEDENT
She says that design is a concern in and of itself, but also issue of the precedent. She said changing ordinances and creating a PUD in their district would be inappropriate. Developer appears to try to create language that would be applied to only its project, but the sheer volume of ordinances that need to be changed demonstrate that the ordinance of the PUD can be ignored as well.
TIF AND PAST PROMISES FOR PUBLIC SPACES
Adam Plotkin next listed off a series of other concerns about the project and any new agreement. He says they are asking for $16.8M. He explains that in 1965 the street end was given to the hotel for $1 so they could build the lobby, banquet hall and 40 hotel rooms and 168 parking. He says in exchange they passed an ordinance that guaranteed pedestrian access to the shore, access on the top of structure, reasonable parking for public use, preservation and improvement of outlook/view from the vicinity of Wisconsin Avenue and from the lake, plus pedestrian access to lake.
He noted that for $16.8M we are purchasing the same thing again.
– He says the stair is about 17 feet wide, tho they have said 25 feet wide in other presentations.
– He says that the proposed plaza is essentially the same as what was promised to be on the roof top area that wasn’t really provided.
– He said the pedestrian area is same as they have now.
– He said that the public parking area has 168 spaces, and there are 364 in the new project. He says this is 1.6 stalls per guest room. And they will 1.6 in the new project.
– He says there is no public parking within 5 blocks – parking remains the same.
– Finally he says that the lakefront path is approximately the same as what currently exists.
– He says that $16.8M just pays a second time for what we are supposed to have now.
WHAT WON’T GET DONE
Plotkin says that $16.8M for this project means that other development priorities will not be able to get the money. He notes that we need the hotel for the Monona Terrace so that they can keep conventions. He talks about the Hotel study and the fact that it said that plans discussed and additional hotel rooms could complicate the Marcus Hotel plans.
MOHS
Fred Mohs says that they took a long time to see a plan – never really discussed much in great detail about what Dunn was doing – conversations were held in the abstract, hopefully will be able to meet with them now. Said late August was when they first saw the plans. He talks about the deal made with the city in 1965 and says a deal with the city is only good until a new council changes it. That wasn’t well understood in 1965, they believed they were cutting a deal not just for themselves but for future generations. Talks about provisions in ordinance that requires 10 or 15 feet set back from extended Wisconsin Ave that would be required. He says even with the move, the project is still 10 feet into the view that was promised. The deal continues to get eroded. Parking turn around will hold a fire engine, buses have no place else to go and they will be out on the deck and you won’t see the lake.
