Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Votes Against ULI Project

Unless . . .

The Tenney-Lapham Neighborhood Association had the opportunity to have an active dialogue and presentation with Tom Neujahr and Kevin O’Driscoll on April 5 and the council has developed a position on the proposal thus far.

We oppose the sale of the 800 block of E Washington Avenue to Urban Land Interest unless they can demonstrate the ability to develop the whole block in its entirety and within a 3 year window, and so we register in opposition to the Letter of Intent before you. We are underwhelmed by the level of details that have been made available to us and among other terms and conditions, we are uncomfortable with the phasing concept of this proposal.

While we believe that ULI has shown that they are capable of smart, efficient development with the City of Madison, and applaud them for their previous projects, we are discouraged by a number of the specific negotiated terms to their proposal and the impacts they will have in the neighborhood.

1) The enclosed terms separating the parcel into different sale phases is contrary to our wishes. We believe that the block should be sold and developed in its entirety with the responsibilities and implications of all parties clear, especially regarding the parking ramp structure.

2) The proposed timeline for pre-construction and construction activity is a significant concern. A protracted construction window is detrimental to the quality of life in the neighborhood. Our expectation is to have a developer that can undertake a shovel-ready project for the full block and to break ground no later than summer of 2013.

We believe that a 2 year construction window is an acceptable intrusion to the residential nature of the neighborhood. The pre-construction12-18 month period where there may be uncertainty as to whether the project will move forward is troubling to us. We have little assurances that this project is even viable given the lack of hard tenant prospects demonstrated to us at this point.

3) The use of surface parking lots with no guarantee of a parking ramp being built gives us no comfort that the site plan conforms with the adopted BUILD Plan or successfully addresses the neighborhood’s parking concerns of Breese Stevens Field.

4) We embrace technology-based employment, but do not believe it should be the dominating employment consideration as outlined in the Letter of Intent. We look for a diversity of employment opportunities that support the mixed-income nature of the neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods. Additionally, we ask that the employment opportunities cater to the needs of the neighborhood while still providing a diversity of services to the neighborhood.

We are excited to be at the forefront of the City of Madison’s next great development vision. As engaged taxpayers, we, more than anyone, do not want to see the City’s money and resources tied up on this block for a protracted period and we will continue to be highly enthusiastic partners with the City in making the 800 block of East Washington a success. We urge you to press for a stronger commitment of terms from the developer than is currently proposed within the Letter of Intent.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to working with you through the decision and development process.

Sincerely,
Richard Linster, President TLNA